Posted by chdurie2 on October 22, 2000, at 13:42:35
In reply to Re: Adult ADD (without hyperactivity) HELP!, posted by noa on October 19, 2000, at 19:59:14
> Also this book is on the book recommendations page---
>
> Driven to Distraction : Recognizing and Coping With Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood
> by Edward M. Hallowell, John J. RateyChristina-
Both books mentioned above are really good on adult ADD, but both, i think, and certainly the hallowell/ratey book says you should not be self-diagnosing. you need a psychiatrist who has experience with adult ADD.
as you'll see if you read the books or anything else informative, there's a whole personality profile of the ADD person that pre-dates age 7, and it goes far beyond chronic disorganization and procrastination. namely, a disruptive personality (even with non-hyperactives) and insensitivity to social cues, both verbal and non-verbal.
I'm 48, and was diagnosed three years ago, somewhat to my surprise. i was surprised to find out there was a reason i've had the perplexing, frustrating (to myself and others) life pattern that i've had. but that was really the only comfort. ADD is not an excuse for chronic disorganization, disruptiveness, etc. - it's just a reason. the diagnosis is not a panacea- it does not "cure all."
If you're diagnosed with ADD, that's just the beginning. you still have to find ways of working with, around, and correcting the problems. And that's the hard part. although hallowell's book offers 50 tips to working with ADD, there's no one book that i know of that offers an instruction manual on how to concretely deal with it- the kelly/raimondo book, i believe, also has a lot of concrete suggestions, but you have to personalize them and discipline yourself to do stuff. I wish there was a school for people with ADD, but unfortunately, you have to teach yourself.
On the meds, everyone has his or her favorite. there's ritalin short-acting and long-acting; dexedrine short and long acting; adderall, as mentioned, and desoxyn, which was my favorite for a long time. the short-acting generally works better than the long. also, there's provigil, a relatively new anti-narcoleptic that works differently than the others, and cylert, which requires active liver-monitering. provigil cannot be combined with wellbutrin, as i found out.
for me, the meds helped for a while, but they didn't do the job, nor do i think they really gave me as much help as others have claimed. hollowell says there are, i believe, 15-25 percent of ADDer's, who are not helped by the meds, himself included. after three years, i'd have to put myself in that group. the meds stopped working, and a consulting psychopharmacologist concluded my neurotransmitters were shot from all the CNS stimulants i'd taken under supervision at every conceivable level. i've been off those meds for several months, and think things are better.
there are lots of other afflictions that have the symptoms you mention - various phobias, anxieties, and good ole depression.
if you're diagnosed with ADD and the meds help, great. but i'm just saying that those symptoms alone don't mean you have ADD. whatever it is, the bad news is you still have to do the work. (You still have to figure out a way to write at the computer.)
I think www.undoingdepression.com, which i beieve is nibor's husband's website, has excellent explanations for why we procrastinate/don't do what we know we should/ etc., and that has helped me to face practical things i have tremendous anxieties about doing. it's not the answer, but it's a start.
if you can afford it, coaching is also highly recommended for adder's and others. it's kind of a combination between therapy and cheerleading and logistical help. but again, the bad news is, and i'm talking to myself here, you have to do the work.
one tip from me: if you are diagnosed with ADD, don't do as i did, and let it be the excuse not to do stuff. i didn't consciously do this, as someone else warned me about when i was first diagnosed, but i know i did it subconsciously, and i lost a lot of time that way. i hope i have a better outlook now: the proof will be in how much i do, rather than think about doing.
good luck.
caroline
poster:chdurie2
thread:1292
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20001011/msgs/1442.html