Am I going overboard | ADHD Information
Okay, so in keeping with my obsessive-compulsive tendencies I have completely immersed myself in learning about ADHD over the past week or two. My daughter was diagnosed almost 6 yrs ago, but for some reason I never really did much research on it back then. Now not only am I convinced that I have it, but my husband and son as well. I believe they both have the inattentive form, though, not the hyperactive form like my daughter and I. I actually had my son evaluated in elementary school by the child study team, but they concluded that he was just on the high end of the normal spectrum for impulsivity and inattentiveness for his age and I just let it drop there- never followed up with a doctor or anything.
Have I completely gone off the deep end here or are there actually entire families who are affected by this thing??
More than half my family sees the same psychiatrist (lol, I always get a kick out of that, my dad jokes - what's next, the dog?). My mom and second to oldest brother are both bipolar, so I believe that my ADD somehow derived from that, but I'm not bipolar because I do not have the depression. So yea, some things run in the family, but in everyone you see you can always find some sort of ADD quality in them. You might want to try finding an ADD behavior list and compare it to yourself and the other members in your family you believe to have ADD. Some of the research says it is hereditary so in a sense 2 out of our 3 family unit is affected. yes i think it is in my family . myself and my son have adhd. my father has it and we belive my twin has it to. sad or what dont know if my little girl has it yet (she is only 18 months old) but she does seem to entertain herself where as my son needed my full attention all the time,and she does sleep too but other than those two things she is the same as him . in some ways i think it will be easier if she is as she dont like it when we have meds and she is left out. we will have to wait and see initWondering if when one of kids is diagnosed, do we naturally tend to look at our family members for proof that others have it too. I certainly looked, and believe I have it but am functioning OK, and my sisters daughters I swear 1 is ADHD, and one is ADD. Neither one are diagnosed although teachers have suggested it to my sister. she of coarse denies it. I wish she would look into it especially for the space cadet kid-shes way behind in school, and I think its because of ADD. My son is extreme hyperactive, and impulsive. I also noticed on my mothers side that alot of her family were alcoholics, and didn't really function very well. Nobody in the family will even entertain that ADD runs in the family, so I keep my mouth shut.
[QUOTE=Evvy]Keep in mind that though there are many symptoms of other disorders that mimic adhd, only adhd has all of the symptoms required for diagnoses and these symptoms must have been consistant since early childhood.[/QUOTE]
That's a very good point, Evvy, and may very well let my husband "off the hook". I'll have to check with my mother-in-law to see if that's the case.
My son, however, has had the symptoms of inattention since early childhood, as I said earlier. I think that he was overlooked when I asked the child study team at his school to evaluate him because he didn't fit the hyperactivity mold that is so closely associated with boys. He is now 18 and finishing his Junior year in HS and he has fit the classic "struggling without structure" and "does not work to potential" comments since early middle school. Interestingly, when I did some research on AD/HD in families, I came acrossed a link to an article about Affective Spectrum Disorder, which is a group of 14 diagnoses with strong genetic influence. Two of the unexpected links to AD/HD were migraine headaches and narcolepsy, both of which are prevalent in our family. My son has suffered from migraines (atypical in adolescent boys) since he was 12!
I swear the more I learn the more fascinated I become! If anyone is interested in the links to Affective Spectrum Disorder let me know, or you can google it and come up with the same info that I did.
Thanks everyone for your responses!!
Lisa
PS- It's official now- I can stay and play!! I saw a therapist yesterday and she unequivically diagnosed me with ADHD and anxiety disorder and referred me to a psychiatrist for medication management. I have an appointment on May 31, so there is now a light at the end of my tunnel! Hooray!!!!
I've been doing the same thing (seeing adhd everywhere) but I'm constantly reminding myself of the fact that people newly diagnosed (and now learning about) adhd tend to see it everywhere they look.. I've read this in a few books and more than a few websites.
Keep in mind that though there are many symptoms of other disorders that mimic adhd, only adhd has all of the symptoms required for diagnoses and these symptoms must have been consistant since early childhood.