I feel so sad for your nephew...
Maybe you could write him a letter. Tell him your story. Tell him about getting treated as an adult and how it changed your life. Tell him ADD isn't his fault - it's no one's fault. Tell him your hopes for him. Print out the info about the inattentive type ADD with it(my daughter has the inattentive type also). He may not read it right away. But written pages are harder to ignore. He probably won't throw it out and eventually he might read it. Tell him that when he's ready you will help him find a doctor, you will go with him if he wants. Most of all, tell him that whatever he chooses to do you will be there for.
Katies Mom, Thanks so much for the advice, I'm actually surprised I didn't think of that myself because he's and avid reader as I am - d-uh! I have actually already printed out the material as you suggested and was planning on talking to him - but writing him a letter is brilliant! Thanks so much. Lots of luck to you and your daughter. Let me know what happens.... It's so hard when you're dealing with a young adult. You can't make them do what they don't want to do.Hi I'm a newbie: I was diagnosed with ADHD (I'm a grown woman) in May of this year. I was diagnosed as a result of watching a t.v. program on which Dr. Hallowell appeared ("Delivered from Distraction"). It rang so true for me that I began to do my own research and ultimately got diagnosed and am under treatment with Metadate which has helped me enormously.
My problem is that while researching this disorder. I came across the information about ADD - Inattentive Type. I am positive that my 21 year old nephew has this. He has all the symptoms and has had a hard time in school. He's on his fifth year of college right now. He lives with my husband and I because my sister (his mother) is disabled and living in an assisted living situation. The problem is that if I approach him with this subject he shuts right down. How do I talk to him about this? He gets so embarrassed and I can see the wall come up - he'll literally run away from me.... It's so sad, because he's such a smart guy but he has no life at all. It seems like he's so much in his own little world that he doesn't even notice that other people his age are so much further along in their independence. He just doesn't seem to be affected by anything.
Also, because his mother is indigent, he is going to school via a "program". He has no health insurance and he's not insured under ours of course.
Does anybody have any suggestions? I would really appreciate any input! Thanks so much. moonmaiden