Admitting it, I need help ... | ADHD Information
Everybody and Anybody,I'm 16 and after kind of wondering if I have ADD for a while now have finally come to except that with me fitting those signs so well for innatentive and any friends I ask saying it fits me perfectley to ignore it any longer. I actually need help and I think that's the 1st time i've ever admited i need help for anything. all the teens in here or people who were teens milions of years ago..... can anybody tell me how they set about getting diagnosed or tested and especially if anyone live in ireland because I've no idea how to start. Also if anyone has any tips on how to convince you over expecting parents you have a problem......
If anybody was wondering what was the thing that made me admit I needed help? Knew I had a test 2 day in irish, knew about it 2 weeks ago, I know it sounds like an excuse but could not get my self 2 study for it, this moring 20mins before the test started, 5 mins later gave up because my brain was so fogged up, then 2 top off for an actuall 5 mins in this 30 min test wondered off in a daydream and actually saw the clock jump from 9.15 to 9.20.....didn't know they could do that before.....I think that it is great to hear that u are askign if you have ADD....I know I hated to admitted that I ahve ADHD but now....its great...I am only a year older then u are..and I have had hard tiem admitting to my friends that I had ADHD and well when I did they basicly said see ya...they weren't ADHD....so now I come to this board to deal with it,....its not a very fun disease to have....but I think that u do have ADD by the sounds of it...ahve u gone to a doc???Like I said, my parents are of the kind where all their children are extremely smart and i'm just the smae except lazy...... Also they have certain problems admiting anything could be rong with their kids..... The kind of problem is that I'v no idea how to go about getting a diagnosis.... I'm 19 and my parents don't believe in ADD/ADHD....that was a huge problem for me because I have really bad ADHD so I pretty much struggled through school....I had to wait until I was 18 and could go to the dr. on my own and get diagnosed......I went to a specialist and brouht one of my friends, which was a big help because the dr. asked both me and my friend a lot of questions, etc. Things ended up working out really well and life got a lot easier......You say that you're just the same as your siblings, but lazy. If you're lazy, then you probably don't have ADD. You're probably just lazy. I know that sounds harsh, but it's the truth. Hope things work out well for you. Keep posting to let us know how things work out!
hi Susicia, I was a teenager only half a million years ago but I remember it like yesterday.
I was engaged to be married at 16, so I am fully aware of how mature one can be at this age. Personally, I would try to take control of this situation myself. Firstly I would talk to the school counsellor about what are my options on getting a diagnosis.
I would assume that the cousellor would suggest,
1. Organise a Dr Appt, and at your age I would assume you could do this and attend a dr somewhere in your local area. I would ask that dr for a referral to a specialist in the field of ADHD, preferably a psychiatrist.
2. The counsellor may have a psychologist/psychiatrist that she could recommend.
3. The counsellor may have some preliminary test that you could do to assess if you may have ADHD, which would back up your theroy.
Once, you have decided on a plan of action, I would then tell your parents of what you are doing, and how you would like their help. (ie driving you to the apopintments) I would give them the phone number of the school cousellor (hoping that you have one and this cousellor is a good one) and allow them to talk to this person as well.
But Susicia, if you take one step at a time and write out a plan of action and stick to it, the outcome for you may be a lot better. Keeping your desired outcome clearly in your mind. That outcome should be, to be achieving scores that reflect your IQ level, with the aid of meds if necessary. Always remember, Meds will help you focus (this will give you better marks), but they will not make you smarter!
Susicia, do one thing at a time, Lets start - Do you have a school Counsellor?
A couple of replies, ouch, Harsh!
I really think that the way thoses ADD symptoms fit me perfectley that it's the cause of my, as I call it unmotivation. I know it sounds like such an excuse but it really isn't.....
Our school used to have a councelor but she won't be back till the end of the year and we don't have on in the mean time.
It's really overwhelming that to get diagnosed for having a problem which affects concentration you first of all have to concentrate....Susicia, could you perhaps just go to your parents, and ask them to take you to a psychiatrist for testing? What have you got to loose?I feel srry right now for wat u are goin through...I know I went through that last year at 16 now I am 17...it was hard....Well, congratulate me, i'm on my way to hepefully getting an explanation of my "unique" personality. finnaly after talkin 2 my parents with my mother declaring I couldn't bee ADD she's aggreed that Im going to go to get tested. Only problem is I havent a clue how. Can you get tested in a GP or do you have to go to a Phsychologist, (yeah i know I didnt spell that right). can anybody tell me??
Thanks for your time.
CONGRATULATIONS ! Going to your parents and taking direction of your own life shows how Mature you are - Go Girl!!!!!
Now .....
GP's would NOT be a good option for a diagnosis, as they do not specialise but generalise in medicine.
Neuropsychologist, Psychologist, Psychiatrist are 3 options that I would choose.
Personally I would choose a Psychiatrist. But it depends on you. Psychiatrists are specialists in medication and I think if you feel you are going to go down this road, it is important to be attending a psychiatrist.
Psychologists are counsellors mostly and try and heal you by talking about how your mother damaged you - you know the Freudian type stuff (my opinion only),
And Neuropscyhes are sort of in the middle but still cant prescribe drugs.
A Neuropsyche or Psychiatrist - try these - but preferably a psychiatrist.
Get a recommended one - call youth and mental health hospitals and ask for a recommended dr that works with youth. That is how I found my sons, and discovered that he is the best in my city by reputation. Unfortunately I have to travel a bit to see him but it is worth it.
Rae7038318.7830092593CONGRATS