The light goes on...@ age 26 | ADHD Information

Hi,

I wasn't diagnosed untill I was 40 and depressed. I was both sad and releived after my diagnosis. Sad because I wasn't diagnosed sooner, and I went through so many years of being misunderstood and not understanding myself. After I got out of the self pity funk, I felt releived. My self esteem that had been beaten down for so many years was coming back. I realized that I am an intelligent person with a lot to offer.

Take it one day at a time and learn all you can. The first book I read after my diagnosis was "Driven To Distraction" by Edward Hollowell. I highly recommend it!

Good luck and God Bless

Welcome to the board! I'm 26 also and I was just officially diagnosed by a psychiatrist this past March. I agree with the others that you should see about getting a diagnosis.

There are 3 main categories of ADHD: Primarily inattentive, primarily hyperactive, and combined. As children, females tend more toward the primarily innatentive side, while boys most often have the combined type. You don't have to be hyperactive to have ADD. However, you DO require a childhood history of symptoms, whether dx'd as a child or not.

I agree that the book "Driven to Distraction" is a great resource. Hope to see you around the board.

My advice is to get diagnosed. Only a doctor/therapist that works with AD/HD can tell you if you have it. As they say - everyone has some of the characteristics of AD/HD (which is why you'll see it in everyone at times) but it's to what degree that it affects your life that brings up the diagnosis.

I have been recently diagnosed. I've been trying to help my husband understand it, and he often says "I do that too". So it's not easy getting others to completely understand how what you're going through is such a problem.

So get diagnosed, it really does help to ease your mind to know that you're not crazy or making this all up.

Autumnstar

Thanks for the response and advice...you all have offered very common sense info. I plan on getting dx'ed in the next couple of weeks, and and also plan on reading to educate and inform myself.

I find myself getting caught in a brutal cycle of distraction, low-self esteem and depression, mainly due to the fact that I want to acheive a great deal, but am always getting sidetracked and losing focus on the important things. This begins to breed extremely low self esteem....the funny thing is, people have told me that they perceive me to be just the opposite of the way I often feel and perceive my self inwardly. Quite the paradox...any ways, enough whining, I am moving forward!!!

Well, after a seeming lifetime of hard knocks, I am coming to the realization that I have adult ADHD. I happened to hear a radio program describing all of the things that I frequently fight, struggle with and lose to...lack of focus, inattention to detail, inability to stay on task. I am constantly biting my nails, as well.

I am not hyperactive, per se, my problem is more from focusing my train of thought for an extended period of time. I also feel easily overwhelmed by tasks that require intense concentration.

In grade school, Math class was living hell. My parents did not understand, and thought I was being lazy or uncooperative. I literally could NOT apply my thoughts to the level required. I tended to Hyper-Focus on other things, like playing the drums...I excelled quickly on the instrument because it was such an obsession.

Having ADHD has affected practically every facet of my life.

I have not been officially diagnosed yet, but all of the symptoms are there, as is the genetic proclivity: my mothers side of the family has more than a few SEVERE ADHD sufferers...

Any advice, etc, is greatly appreciated. I am at the point in my life where I want to address this problem honestly and effectively.

Thanks!