Do you guys think I have ADHD? | ADHD Information
[QUOTE=brunette678] Hey guys. So i just thought i would ask if my possible "symptoms" resemble any of yours and if seems like I have ADHD. I've always thought I had ADD...i've always had extreme problems concentrating, especially if there's a lot of noise..particularly words (music, tv, people talking.) Sometimes i can't even concentrate on things if it's completely silent..i just stare into space or start thinking about other things. i have trouble paying attention in conversations or in class sometimes, even if i think the topic/person is interesting. i feel bad sometimes because ill be talking to a friend but ill just straight up stop listening to them and have to ask them again what they said. the worst part is that lately, i have been sooo easily irritated and stressed! It's insane how easily things are irritating me, and i'm afraid i'm going to lash out at one of my roommates for something stupid. i try to think positive but sometimes it's hard to control it. i guess my biggest question is, do you guys think the irritability aspect is part of ADHD? i want to make a doctor's appointment over my next school break..but before i do it would be nice to hear what others with experience with the disorder think.
forgot to add the first time- i lose thing all the time, whenever i go on a trip or go to the store, i always forget at least ONE thing, and i switch around from task to task- it's hard to keep doing one thing for a long time. i'm also very disorganized..but i guess that might just be in my nature? i'm not sure.
thanks! replies would be greatly appreciated!
[/QUOTE]
Everyone is different. We each have to find ways to manage our attention and memory lapses.
The irritability might be included inthe concpet of Opostional concepts, which can be a part of ADHD. Oppositional Defiant Disorder is a catergory by itself. I find myself motivated to prove others wrong. What types of irritation do you feel toward others? do they just bother yo, or do you feel that they are wrong in some way?
Doctors have pills. Did you ant to take pills? What pills would you like to take? What are the effects you are looking for? Do you just want to mellow out for your roomates? Do you want to make it easier to listen in class and do homework?
I post here to work on my problems without pills. Did you want to try to be less irritable with your roomates? In what situations do you feel irritable? Is there some way to see the sequcence earlier, and change your thinking to be more tolerant of your roomates? What are you doing with Caffiene? Coffee and most sodas have caffiene. Some people feel irritable, to varying degrees, for a period of three days after stopping caffiene intake. Being aware of your caffiene cycles can be important for your irratibility.
Either stay off Caffiene for more than three days, or drink Caffiene every day, or be aware of hightened irritablity if you are in the three day withdrawal period. Drinking coffee every two or three days would make you irritable most of the time.
What visions of lashing out come to mind?
..
Otter40123.0107638889I really just get irritable when it's loud and I can't concentrate..so if they're talking loud or playing the TV loud I get really irritated because I need to do my homework, or I want to be able to concentrate if I'm having a phone conversation (I can't talk and listen/hear other words in the background- because then I start focusing less on what I want to say and start focusing instead on what I hear.)wow..thanks for asking that question..because i never really stopped to think of a reason why i get irritated..but it's all for the same reason- lack of concentration.
my visions of lashing out are just yelling at them really loud when theyre watching tv too loud or something. i've never really been a person to yell/scream anything like that so i think that would come as a shock to them and myself.
i try to change my thinking and just be positive, but sometimes the irritability overtakes the positive thinking.
i just want to make it clear that i'm not an angry or irritable person by any means, and i haven't really had problems like this until recently. i guess that's why i'm viewing it as something so bad that needs to be controlled by meds &/or therapy..because usually when i have a negative emotion it's sadness rather than anger, and so i don't know how to manage anger well.
i am interested in taking a medication, at least trying it out to see if it helps. i want it mainly for concentration; maybe if i can concentrate better i wont be irritated so easily. this is not for my roommates at all..the irritability & difficulties with concentration is making a large negative impact on my life..and i spend much longer than most people do on assignments and the like..which i feel like if i could just focus on them i could get them done in a timely manner and have more time for other things. i don't think my roommates have noticed my irritability, i keep it bottled up pretty well, at least i have so far.
p.s. the tv is playing really loud now and thats one of the biggest things that harms my concentration..so if any part of this post doesnt make sense or sounds unintelligible that's why lol...
forgot to add...i only have caffeine on rare occasions..havent had any recently :) OMG! No Wonder I Got ADHD!
THAT thing is in my HEAD?!!!
What's it doing there, anyway?
Nice colors, though.
I like the blue.
Ok, so in ADHD,
What's all that say?
(In 10 words or less)
due to circumstances beyond our control speak camly and slowly
ommas40120.1874074074OOOOOOhhhh!
Thanks.
Wow.
I would never have got that.
I like the colors, tho.
And that spin-ie image.
that's how I imagine my brain being when I'm hung over
well.
sometimes i can be insightful.
other times my posts go overboard.
thats when i need to back off from posting .
I appologize brunette678
this is now way for me to treat a newbie . im sorry.
a point I was trying to make is.
our responses come from two origins
an emotional response were born with.
then sometime in adolesence our frontal lobe starts to offer a cognitive response.
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so IMHO
irritability stems from "overwhelming" feelings though not easily spotted.
so when someone confronts us about something weve been avoiding or dwelling on they open our emotional bag . if were not careful to give moments of cognitve time we may just snap out the first things that come to our mind.
or just blurt out what were feeling. It can be a stimulating habit.
another IMHO that is not in consensus.
self-irritating -- this is out on limb here too!
but allowing oneself to be in a state of irritability beyond a trigger or situation
may be a self-stimulus - being poised to be attentive
using the "irritable" feelings to stay focussed ( as long as something irritates you you remain focussed on it)
irritabilty can be a negative coping skill .
Thanks for the summary.Frontal lobes are good.
Cognitive responses are good.
We still respond emotionally though.
And that's okay.
What's an ADHDer do, respond less cognitively and more emotionally?
“emotional dysregulation” its called
What's an ADHDer do, respond less cognitively and more emotionally?
we can , anyone can - when thinking like a juvenile adult.
not more emotionally? only emotionally - like a childs instinct response
i guess my biggest question is, do you guys think the irritability aspect is part of ADHD? Yes, and it's called “emotional dysregulation”
a complete and accurate diagnosis the right meds and dosageare the best combination for irratibility
3. and see a therapist
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sorry im so out there , but i can't think of adhd on a language level only.
there are many variables and without understanding brain anatomy its very difficult for me to explain in ten words, because the cause is chemical & environmental.
how about
omass-"old habits in young adults need to learn, change, grow"
but even there adhd presents itself differently at different stages of life.
so approaches to child,juvenile , adult and gereatric stages require altering the appraoch.
ommas40120.6741203704 [QUOTE=Davidornado]Thanks for the summary.
Frontal lobes are good.
Cognitive responses are good.
We still respond emotionally though.
And that's okay.
What's an ADHDer do, respond less cognitively and more emotionally?
[/QUOTE]
I don't think I was thinking at all.
I meant to say:
...respond less emotionally and more cognitively?...
wow
not less emoitional not more.
our emotion feelings are very strong
the cognitive interpretation of external stimulus is the weaker brain function .
--------
so as cognition occures its is weaker than primal emotion
as the frontal lobe matures we can rely more on what we have learned than just how we feel about it.
so when the frontal lobe is not connecting cognitve interpretations fast enough
ADDers react more closely with primal emotion.
i'm not saying we dont have cognitive emotion. just it takes longer to react to cognitive thoughts.
one way is use stimulants to boost the activity of the frontal lobe- meds another way is to relearn how to react to stimulus- therapyso the warning is
if youre not adhd and you use stimulants and depressants like nictotine,alcohol ect. you can become adhd
like i said there are many things that cause adhd
let me say that smoking during pregnatcy . those chemicals get to the newly forming brain.
waiting a month to become a healthy expectant mother
may cause a life time stuggle with adhd
IMHO of course
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on a personal note
when i was young i was trying to tell my school that something was different about me that could sense i was different than the achievers.
though i wasnt hyper physically.
my mind was i would get bored in class and if a teacher started a lecture with something i thought i already know. pbshh i would tune out.
what i should of been doinging is getting poised to hear the part where the lecturer goes into more detail revelaing more nuance.
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so after highschool i was wild i mean nothing was out of bounds. my parents dumped me and i did what ever i pleased even went hungry .
now though at age 40 everything is off limits . no self meds or addictive behaviors.
i realized my life is more productive with stucture both mental and physical.
I still have trouble not reacting impulsivly when someone is yelling at me.
cause as soon is give in to me strong feelings i say things without thinking and cant take them back.
-------
over and over i have had to shun the people around me and re emerge in a new group. due to speaking from strong emotions .
i realized that was counter productive. having a social structure around me keeps me from learning- just from my own experiences. THE HARD WAY
so recognition of when im edgy or boiling under my skin - time for me to avoid triggers and targets that irratate me even people!
but i ad to learn to not stat isolated i need to re enter my social group/structure
but not be attention seeking or grandios.
just simply give myself more moments to think - i do that by practicing being the listener in conversations. and if there is sress or tension i recognive that i should not speak from strong emotion but rather calm thoughts. if i cant then i just walk away excusing myself by saying "let me think about it".
Hey guys. So i just thought i would ask if my possible "symptoms" resemble any of yours and if seems like I have ADHD. I've always thought I had ADD...i've always had extreme problems concentrating, especially if there's a lot of noise..particularly words (music, tv, people talking.) Sometimes i can't even concentrate on things if it's completely silent..i just stare into space or start thinking about other things. i have trouble paying attention in conversations or in class sometimes, even if i think the topic/person is interesting. i feel bad sometimes because ill be talking to a friend but ill just straight up stop listening to them and have to ask them again what they said. the worst part is that lately, i have been sooo easily irritated and stressed! It's insane how easily things are irritating me, and i'm afraid i'm going to lash out at one of my roommates for something stupid. i try to think positive but sometimes it's hard to control it. i guess my biggest question is, do you guys think the irritability aspect is part of ADHD? i want to make a doctor's appointment over my next school break..but before i do it would be nice to hear what others with experience with the disorder think.forgot to add the first time- i lose thing all the time, whenever i go on a trip or go to the store, i always forget at least ONE thing, and i switch around from task to task- it's hard to keep doing one thing for a long time. i'm also very disorganized..but i guess that might just be in my nature? i'm not sure.
thanks! replies would be greatly appreciated!
brunette67840116.746875I would suggest going to a mental health professional and ask about getting evaluated (testing is not the correct term because there is no "test" for ADHD). It's possible that you could have ADHD but it could also be something else. But only a professional can properly diagnose you. Child Psychologists usually have the most experience with ADHD since it is usually considered a childhood condition (someday the rest of society will wake up and realize it's a lifelong condition). Evaluation usually takes more than one visit. They need to get to know you before they can give you a proper diagnosis.
In the meantime, I would suggest reading Hallowell's book, Driven to Distraction. There are other books as well but this is a good starting point.
Good luck and I hope this helped.
im sorry this post is so wierd
im hyper focussing and guessing at the same time
this post cant be taken seriously - ommas
i guess my biggest question is, do you guys think the irritability aspect is part of ADHD?
IMPULSE
Think about this for a minute.
there are two areas of the brain that help us react.
there a gland that were born with and then between 11-17 we start to rely on more cognitive thoughts and not just our first reaction.
this is why its seen as more prevaliant in children because some us delay learning to control our emotions cognitively as our brains fully develope and we use our cognitive thoughts to react rather than our primal instincts.
so there is this impulse thing.
ive noticed in myself that i can see an agressor coming and think too myself ,,
im not gonna argue ,im not gonna argue ,im not gonna argue ,im not gonna argue ,
then the stress hits and i get caught up i dont hear my inner voice
that gland is sending out strong signals to react to what im hearing without thinking. its easy to give in to my gut reactions but most adults know that thinking things through ,even asking for clarification is worth the time and effort, and aviods potential stress
it took a long time for me to keep my mouth shut. and just listen. especially when someone is demanding answers NOWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GDI
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SO I HAD TO START MAPPING OUT MY VERBAL CUES.
what sets me off,
what calms me down.
what creates time to think before answering!
when i started taking meds my cues changed .
----
believe it or not
relearning to take a time out was nessasary.
like a child being sent to a chair or a corner.
sounds wierd 30 and sendinng mself to a time out.
but i was suprised at how much better i could think through problems when i was calm. actually i relised i was a great problem solver , but i was a terrible debater. so i keep my mouth shut when someone else is upset.
thats a social cue that doesnt change with med changes.
if im i know im going to make them mad --- i say what i got to say then i sit on my hands and listen trying to repeat what thier saying to be clear(which calms them) . then when thier calm and were both calm i rebuttle.
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what im saying is irratibility is more of a frustration issue which is not solely ADHD.
but adhd do have alot of irratibility due to external stimules
i mean mixed with
not recalling steps
hyperfocusing
felling overwhelmed
loss sense of time
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i would say
a complete and accurate diagnosis the right meds and dosageare the best combination for irratibility
follow that with effective listening and communication skills. then
3. a therapist can see right through emotional issues while talking , to help identify emotional triggers and discover coping skills to use instead of impulsive reactions . and that is the miracle of a great therapist-
that they can bring forth these terrible emotions to help you reconize them coming and practice descalation in the privacy of thier room. instead of with important people in our daily lives. dont forget to thank them for what thier worth!!!!!!!!!
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well i thought i was a little off
so looked up some of it to be sure
we keep some of our adolesnt coping skills , if our brains havent fully developed. Although scientists don't know yet what accounts for the observed changes, they may parallel a pruning process that occurs early in life that appears to follow the principle of "use-it-or-lose-it:" neural connections, or synapses, that get exercised are retained, while those that don't are lost.
its my understanding that as this pruning occures - the area being pruned becomes hyper activated - similar to what happens with alzhimers as parts of the brain shut down.
so my self observation is why im sometimes having hyper thoughts and other times im just staring at nothing
so many things can make this happen, genetic, trauma, disease that inhibits growth, drugs like pot that damage brain cells and furthur retard new growth during the development of the Frontal Lobe during its maturing stage
the good news is with diagnosis,meds, and therapy we can learn new coping skills.
read this link too as there are more factors in the adhd lable than just irritability that last well beyond high school.
http://www.adhdnews.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=33894& KW=ommas
ommas40119.9412847222
My doctor told me to always get good sleep!
Sure enough everytime I get isomnia, I get very forgetful and irritable.
To the above poster!
Do you think it's Adhd?