what did you think it might be | ADHD Information

Before I was diagnosed, I thought of all kinds of things which could be wrong with me. I considered schizophrenia, bi-polar, multiple personalities, just plain crazy, frequent nervous break downs , maybe I really was lazy, a shopping list of mental illnesses and on and on and on. I even wondered about a slow growing brain tumor or a skull fracture and brain damage from one of my many idiotic episodes of jumping off of roofs, falling out of trees, etc.

Did you consider a host of possible things which could be wrong with you before you hit on ADHD? I'd love to know I wasn't the only one who didn't have a clue.

I just thought I was lazy and undisciplined.I bet you're under 40!

I used to think I had schizophrenia because I my speech was disjointed and distractible. I used to think I might be bipolar too, because I got so hyper and crazy. I got those ideas from my high school psychology book . . . it didn't even list ADHD in there (the authors probably didn't believe it existed), so those were the two disorders that contained my "symptoms".

But as we all know, self-diagnosis is crummy.

That definitely makes me feel better. I'm not the only one!

I thought I was retarded when I was younger. Thought I might be crazy as I got older. Was told that I was lazy. Knew that I was very depressed. I thought I was all sorts of things when I took psy. in college.

I found out about ADHD when I went to the book store to get some kind of self help book...I prayed to God that I would find something to help me...I picked up the book "Women with Attention Deficit Disorder".

I thought I was young when I was younger.

I thought I was young as an adolescent.

I thought I was young as a young adult.

I thought I was young as an adult.

I thought I was young as a middle aged adult.

I thought I was young as an old guy.

I still think I'm young, but there's this old guy in the mirror every morning.

You know what's really funny? People younger than me who look older still call me young man. And I'm 50. What does that mean?

I guess I really didn't answer the thread, unless the answer is "I thought I was young".
However, to address the thread correctly, I thought nothing of it. I was considered a genius, and school was pretty easy. My Dad thought I was lazy. My girlfriend thought I was bipolar. I thought my wife was the problem.

But, my whole life until 42, I thought I was ok. I knew I was very active, but didn't think it had anything to do with my mind. I didn't even think I was that smart, cu'z I still got mediocre grades throughout my education. I just thought I was athletic with a lot of energy, even though I wasn't a jock.

I was a stoner in high school and college, at first 'cuz of peer pressure, but then 'cuz I was unkowningly self medicating with illicits, 'zuc I performed even better. So I thought I was a stoner.

I had a lot of people say a lot of different things about me, but I felt normal, had a good time, and did a lot. It wasn't until I went majorly bankrupt and stiffed around m, that I finally went to a counselor for my wife, and he said I was the problem, and the wildest ADHD he'd ever seen.

I guess I was, 'cuz when I finally learned about it, I realized all my life all that I had done was pretty unlike what most nOrmals do, and that I was different. In Drvn2Dis'n he lists 20 symptoms; I had 21. He left one out, so I created it. But then forgot what it was...

I hold that I'm unique, not broken, but require to exploit the positive aspects of 'HD and employ mitigation techniques for me weaknesses. Which involves medicine, computers, gadgetry, skiing, and delegating to others what I don't do well.

That's what I thought I was.
[QUOTE=LTC1]I thought I was retarded when I was younger. Thought I might be crazy as I got older. Was told that I was lazy. Knew that I was very depressed. I thought I was all sorts of things when I took psy. in college.

I remember thinking I was retarded too when I was younger. Then, as an adolescent, I thought I was crazy. From then on, until I was diagnosed with depression, I thought I was (a) a Woman Who Loved Too Much (b) a Catholic who needed to work on her faith, (c) Lazy with no self discipline, and (d) an early alzheimers sufferer.

The depression diagnosis changed that....and from time to time I was a happy idiot, depending on the medication at the time.

Aint life grand?

[QUOTE=barb][QUOTE=Davidornado]My DadD used to say "if you tell a lie, your children will be born naked".[/QUOTE]That proves I'm not a liar then. Both of my children were born fully clothed...... In beautiful little birthday suits!

[/QUOTE]See, what'd I tell ya? Just ADDuwfully misunderstood...

I bet they were cute, too!

[QUOTE=Davidornado]
My DadD used to say "if you tell a lie, your children will be born naked".
[/QUOTE]

That proves I'm not a liar then. Both of my children were born fully clothed...... In beautiful little birthday suits!

[QUOTE=GarbagePailKid]I always thought that my family and doctors were holding some terrible secret from me. Like, they know that I have a mysterious degenerative brain disease and are worried about how I would react if they told. [/QUOTE]
Yeah, me2. Except they told me what the mysterious, terrible secret was: I was a degenerate "genius", and like they couldn't tell me, cuz I'd like blow it or something. Which I did anyway, so somebody must of talked about it.

Ahhh, that's it, if you talk about having AD/HD as a baby before you crawl, you'll grow up having it...

My DadD used to say "if you tell a lie, your children will be born naked".
[QUOTE=GarbagePailKid]So if my viewpoints change about something, I stop and think: These opinions are only changing because my brain is falling apart, not because I have learned new facts. [/QUOTE]This is going to be horrible (how ADD of me) but is that why you carry around a garbage pail? 'Cuz your brains' are falling apart?

They still are the most beautiful, precious, adorable, wonderful children any mother coud wish for!

Now my gorgeous daughter is most of the way towards giving me the two most wonderful grandson's anybody could ever want. I am blessed!

I am also on my way to stay at her place tonight and see yet another ultrasound tomarrow if the tech will let me in. If not, I may have to hog tie her and do the thing myself! I love seeing them in action!

See you Wednesday!

I always thought that my family and doctors were holding some terrible secret from me. Like, they know that I have a mysterious degenerative brain disease and are worried about how I would react if they told. So if my viewpoints change about something, I stop and think: These opinions are only changing because my brain is falling apart, not because I have learned new facts.

When I was younger I thought that I was just plain nuts with a bad self-esteem, temper, etc. Then, I got put on anti-depressants 4 years ago thinking I had Anxiety and Depression.

The forgetfulness and other things I thought may be some type of brain damage from being hit in the head a lot by an abusive ex, and it was also the favorite spot for my sisters and dad to hit me when they did.

I've also thought that maybe I'm just lazy, unmotivated, and just not very intelligent.

Thank god I got my diagnosis! It's put a lot of things into a very different light!