I just bought (impulsively I might add) Dr. Amen's Healing ADD and took the ADD type questionnaire...holy crap...is it possible to have 3 different kinds??

These are my results: ( I am assuming ya'll know what the classifications of each are)

Classic ADD: 10 out of 14 ...(need 6 for diagnosis)
Inattentive ADD: 10 out of 14 ...(scored 5 out of 9 (need 6) on the hyperactivity part)
Overfocused ADD: 1 out of 13 (need 6)
Temporal Lobe ADD: 3 out of 13 (need 6)
Limbic ADD: 7 out of 9 (need 5)
Ring of Fire: 8 out of 13 (need 5)

So...I'm surprised by this...I was expecting the Inattentive, w/ a little bit of hyperactivity and maybe even a little of the limbic...but holy crap, the ring of fire was a total surprise...am I really that bad? That one scares the daylights out of me for some reason.

Is it normal (is anything normal? haha) to have so much? Maybe I do need meds! LOL

Hey at least you have somewhere to start now and that is more than you had before you impulsivly bought the book

Your at stage one .................

Check this link and check the link on Smoochs reply

Stages of ADD (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1857&highlight=stages)

and Welcome to the Forums

________________________________________________
Welcome to your new Home Away From Home
All your new brothers and sisters will be glad to help you anyway we can.....

Read, Read, and Read some more, and when your ready, jump in and post away to the threads that interest you.

As I am very lazy when it comes to typing so I have created a welcome page and ADDed a link here to get you there
My Welcome Page (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3345)
Garry

oh my, o_O you won the ADD lottery! j/k

As an example, I'm an Inattentive type. But I tested higher in other areas, before I started getting help. I also suffered from Depression and Insomnia, both have been absent for several years now...without medication.

So I'm thinking, if you took the test at a later date....it might narrow it down to one or two...or perhaps even no symptoms at all.

I am at the stage where I want to tell everyone :D ...Like hey! people! I'm NOT really crazy! LOL I thought maybe I was but turns out there's other people that feel the same way as me! :D

And now friends and family are starting to say...don't be so quick to label yourself, people will judge you...um, hello...there is nothing worse than you judging yourself..I would rather know that I have ADD and know that there's some sort of treatment and perhaps learn to understand why I do things...than to continue thinking I am lazy and stupid and can't get my **** together. It's almost a relief!

K...I'm babbling :p

babbling's cool

we all do it here....................... a lot

sometimes

then sometimes ........................... not

Your beginning to sound more and more like


One of the Family

Well....I do feel like I fit in here :D

I haven't read much of Amen's stuff...I honestly don't know how credible he is and all this...so instead of cleaning my room so I can go to bed because I have to wake up in 6 hours, I'm going to do a bit of research...

I do have to say I don't put too much stock in his classifications...heh. I prefer traditional Inattentive, Hyperactive/Impulsive, Combined, or In Partial Remission, heh. Ok maybe I will clean first...need to sleep sometime, geeze LOL

Upon further research, I change my verdict, I think he's pretty credible. That said, I still don't know about the classifications.

The problem with Amen's test, and this is in no way Amen's fault, but is inherent to the type of test, is that it's self-directed, and relative. You might think you have problems maintaining focus on a single subject, but are your problems greater than average, or are they merely seeming that way to you? Also, if you think you have AD/HD, it's incredibly easy to weight those tests to come out how you want them to; answer with generally higher responses, and you get shown that you do have a problem that's to blame! It's cathartic.

Plus, the responses are all of the "occasionally, frequently, never" type. What's "occasionally"? Is that once or twice a day? A week? A year? Your answers depend on your own interpretation, and thus weight it however your subconscious wants it to rule.

I'm firmly convinced that almost everyone, in the right frame of mind, would turn out to 'have' AD/HD by these tests, at least of one sort or another on Amen's. That's why we need better tests, and these tests aren't 'proof' you have AD/HD, but an indicator that it's a possibility and that you should talk to a professional.


Don't take this as an accusation that you, or anyone, personally don't have AD/HD. I'm just saying that those tests aren't proof of it, and if the test makes you think you do have it, you need to see a professional about it to find out for sure.

Though they're a good start. I know I got my kick in the pants last spring, at age 27 and after a difficult time with both secondary and post-secondary schooling, when I took one of the tests and got a similarly high all-positive. I've been since diagnosed as AD/HD by a psychologist my doctor referred me to, but I'm still awaiting a psychiatric visit for the full clinical diagnosis and treatment. I live in Canada, so it's free but you wait forever if it's not life-threatening.

I took the tests in the book and according to the results, I have ALL OF THEM, except hyperactive (type 1). The higher score was in the Temporal Lobes ADD.
But then, I have bipolar disorder.

I think this whole thing about diagnoses is not as black and white as it seems.
Also, I think the subtypes Dr. Amen describes are actually combinations of ADD and comorbid conditions because, IF I remember well what I read from the book, all of them have problems with the prefrontal cortex but the new types have added problems in other parts of the brain. But that is just my opinion.

Well said Alex. Ideally the test would let you specifically say how often you are distracted: every 2 seconds, minute, hour or twice a day and whether that distraction is overwhelming causing you to change course or just a passing thought that evaporates when you decide to get back on task. And they'd have ratings for a cross section of the population so you'd know how that compares to "normal".

Another criteria is that if it's not interfering with your ability to be a functional member of society and achieve your goals in life then it's not ADHD. So someone might be outrageously distractable but they somehow manage to cope & they do not have ADHD according to the DSM. That means it can be "cured" by learning coping mechanisms or with medication. We've all seen hyper people with a nutty professor personality who are perfectly successful in life.

Also I agree that almost every concievable mental problem tends to be accompanied with some ADHD symptoms. When things are out of balance, the frontal lobes tend to shut down whether it's anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation, substance abuse, whatever. I can't think of any disorder that doesn't include some ADHD syptoms.

Still, I think it's a useful tool for understanding how the brain operates, even for neurotypical folks, almost anyone could benefit from understanding the principals of ADHD. I have also read that non-ADHD people respond about the same to stimulant meds: they are less distractable, can concentrate better & focus better even if they didn't have a big problem before, they perform better on stimulants with few exceptions. The idea of stimulants relaxing ADDers seems to be a clue but there are people who benefit from stimulants for their ADHD greatly but also have trouble sleeping & feel speedy on them.

Great posts guys...and I agree, any kind of test like this, regardless of topic, is subject to the taker's own viewpoints. ...still, it's a good starting point. In terms of symptoms of ADD...I realize many people can have any number of them and still not have ADD...what sets one apart is if these symptoms are to the extreme...and again, that is relative...they certainly feel extreme to me, immobilizing at times in fact.

Didn't/couldn't read the replies so this is likely redundant.

I am, according to those tests ranking big time classic, inatentive and barely ring of fire.
But the degrees of which we score are only in relation to how much we are aware or give priority to each aspect/question on the test. I feel in some ways unclear about the tests as I am unsure how much of my ability to cope is related to my accumulated coping stratagies during my course of life. And my personally tainted and often overly critical view of myself.
So what am I/you? Good question.

I am at the stage where I want to tell everyone :D ...Like hey! people! I'm NOT really crazy! LOL I thought maybe I was but turns out there's other people that feel the same way as me! :D

And now friends and family are starting to say...don't be so quick to label yourself, people will judge you...um, hello...there is nothing worse than you judging yourself..I would rather know that I have ADD and know that there's some sort of treatment and perhaps learn to understand why I do things...than to continue thinking I am lazy and stupid and can't get my **** together. It's almost a relief!

K...I'm babbling :p
I had exactly the same thing happen!!! It was 2 years, I told my 2 best friends and my mom that I thought I had ADD. I was so excited I just had to tell them. I was also feeling very relieved, just like you describe. They were less than thrilled. I've always been a good student so they thought that was just insane and were not really terribly supportive. I mean, they said they were supportive, but really they were just very concerned about me not telling anybody because people would judge me. Very frustrating. That's why it's taken me so long to seek help. But I have, and every day I'm getting closer to accepting the fact that I at least need to try meds to see if it helps!

It's Possible that maybe you have another disorder that can intensify results....I actually scored 105% High Probable ADD....comer 2 find out I was Bipolar 2 as well...and that test I did take was a combo of both :eek: Boy aint I got fun!

how do you know if you're bi-polar? (I mean, obviously a dr would know) But...I haven't read as much about that at all, is there a checklist of symptoms like there is ADD (which i know is not something to rely on). My mom has bi-polar so i guess it is possible.

It wouldn't necessarily be obvious to a doctor. In fact you might very well get different diagnosis from different doctors but it's certainly something you need to do (see a doc).

My appt is in december. Starting to get nervous. I haven't done enough research on the meds and i don't want to go in there not knowing what they are

Dr Amen, is full of $hit! I live by his so-called Brain center in Fairfield, CA..what a bunch of hocus pocus! I belive the guy is only in it for the money...please, don't get me started.

Please get started. I just posted a thread about the cost of getting brain scans & I'm very interested in your opinions. He is ridiculously expensive but other options are even more preposterously expensive making him look like a bargain for a brain scan.

Hi Cameron,

Go for it!!!

Haven't done any research into Amen - but my first opinion on his work was that he's sheltering behind a respected scientific tool ie SPECT, but shrouding the results he obtains with unwarranted hyperbole - that takes advantage of the ADDer's need to understand themself.

I've spent some time on the AmenClinic fora though - and was impressed by the lack of moderation on anti-Amen posts :-) and also his willingness to post (DOCAMEN)

If you come across any of his data on the net - I'd love to be pointed at it.

Essentially, I'd love to see some stats on central activation pathways correlated to behavioural characteristics, particularly because I want to see his numbers, statistical protocols, linkage between results and conclusions etc.......

I can't help but feel as though his approach is overly simplistic, but of course, I'm open to being proved wrong.

'Struggling' - you'll find that a number of us have been diagnosed as ADD and bipolar - there's a few threads on this site which describe this. Beware though of accepting medical opinions too deeply, my psychiatrist has recently moved on and my replacement spent time criticising her approach to prescribing medication for the condition. To cut a long story short, she advocated lamotrigine.....and he advocated lithium.
Also - there's loads of info on the web regarding ADD vs Bipolar - and especially the confusion between diagnosing one over the other.

JFYI I'm not taking any medication whatsoever currently.....

SB.

Well said Alex. Ideally the test would let you specifically say how often you are distracted: every 2 seconds, minute, hour or twice a day and whether that distraction is overwhelming causing you to change course or just a passing thought that evaporates when you decide to get back on task. And they'd have ratings for a cross section of the population so you'd know how that compares to "normal".

Another criteria is that if it's not interfering with your ability to be a functional member of society and achieve your goals in life then it's not ADHD. So someone might be outrageously distractable but they somehow manage to cope & they do not have ADHD according to the DSM. That means it can be "cured" by learning coping mechanisms or with medication. We've all seen hyper people with a nutty professor personality who are perfectly successful in life.

Also I agree that almost every concievable mental problem tends to be accompanied with some ADHD symptoms. When things are out of balance, the frontal lobes tend to shut down whether it's anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation, substance abuse, whatever. I can't think of any disorder that doesn't include some ADHD syptoms.

Still, I think it's a useful tool for understanding how the brain operates, even for neurotypical folks, almost anyone could benefit from understanding the principals of ADHD. I have also read that non-ADHD people respond about the same to stimulant meds: they are less distractable, can concentrate better & focus better even if they didn't have a big problem before, they perform better on stimulants with few exceptions. The idea of stimulants relaxing ADDers seems to be a clue but there are people who benefit from stimulants for their ADHD greatly but also have trouble sleeping & feel speedy on them.

Sorry Struggling I hope I'm not going off track, but Paul really seem to hit the nail on the head for me. I was going to post up an article similar to this. So many of the add symptoms occur in everyones common day life. How does it differ if someone just has a hard time focusing or they have ADD/ADHD.As Paul said

Another criteria is that if it's not interfering with your ability to be a functional member of society and achieve your goals in life then it's not ADHD

This is exactly what I've been struggling with deciding if I want to try hard and really pursue it, or just shrug it off and go on with my life. I can do ok at work I am just no good at meetings or whenever someone is trying to talk to me. Unless I go to school would it be worth trying different meds see what works best with me?

Struggling,

Searched google for you and copied from 3 different links

"for information purposes only. There are many other things besides Bipolar Disorder that can cause mood disturbances. If you recognize symptoms in these pages please see your doctor! Bipolar Disorder can be treated."

1. Has there ever been a period of time when you were not your usual self and...

...you felt so good or so hyper that other people thought you were not your normal self or you were so hyper that you got into trouble?

Yes No

...you were so irritable that you shouted at people or started fights or arguments?

Yes No

...you felt much more self-confident than usual?

Yes No

...you got much less sleep than usual and found you didn't really miss it?
Yes No

...you were much more talkative or spoke much faster than usual?
Yes No

...thoughts raced through your head or you couldn't slow your mind down?
Yes No

...you were so easily distracted by things around you that you had trouble concentrating or staying on track?
Yes No

...you had much more energy than usual?
Yes No

...you were much more active or did many more things than usual?
Yes No

...you were much more social or outgoing than usual, for example, you telephoned friends in the middle of the night?
Yes No

...you were much more interested in sex than usual?
Yes No

...you did things that were unusual for you or that other people might have thought were excessive, foolish, or risky?
Yes No

...spending money got you or your family into trouble?
Yes No

2. If you checked YES to more than one of the above, have several of these ever happened during the same period of time?
Yes No

3. How much of a problem did any of these cause you - like being unable to work; having family, money or legal troubles; getting into arguments or fights? Please select one response only.
No Problem Minor Problem Moderate Problem Serious Problem


" *Bipolar II is a version of Bipolar Disorder: depression is obvious but mild phases of high energy ("hypomania"), which can just look like anxiety and insomnia, are also present.
This doesn't look at all like "manic-depression", just big mood and energy swings. But Bipolar II can be as severe as other forms of Bipolar Disorder, maybe even more prone to suicide. Bipolar II is an "official" diagnosis in the Bipolar Disorders group"

I know that so many of the questions seem like they could apply to just about anyone, same as alot of the ADD questions, I think what pDocs look for is a pattern of emotional swings that have resulted in a decrease in the quality of your life.
May be wrong but that is just my feeling.

After reading this I have to post this, saying the same thing a lot of you guys have said but in different words

Another criteria is that if it's not interfering with your ability to be a functional member of society and achieve your goals in life then it's not ADHD

If we as an ADDer were finacially indepentant we would be considered excentric not defective

Another criteria is that if it's not interfering with your ability to be a functional member of society and achieve your goals in life then it's not ADHD

If we all lived in the same general area where we could start our own groups and teams and to he** with the rest of the world then we would all be normal amongst our own like minds and the rest of the world would be defective.

Another criteria is that if it's not interfering with your ability to be a functional member of society and achieve your goals in life then it's not ADHD

Its that we dont measure up to the expected standards of other people in there minds.......

It wouldn't be that " There expected standards may be unreasonable for many situations now would it " ...... Of coarse not Society is correct all the time

Here's another questionaire may be similar or the same...but running late playing on pc again sorry if it's same:

For section 1 write down the numbers 1-13 on a piece of paper and answer each question with a yes or no (or you can just print this page). Answer section 2 with a yes or no. Choose the answer in section 3 that best fits your situation and write it down. I'll tell you how to interpret your responses when you're done.

1. Has there ever been a period of time when you were not your usual self and (while not on drugs or alcohol) ...
...you felt so good or so hyper that other people thought you were not your normal self or you were so hyper that you got into trouble? Yes No
...you were so irritable that you shouted at people or started fights or arguments? Yes No
...you felt much more self-confident than usual? Yes No
...you got much less sleep than usual and found you didn't really miss it? * Yes No
...you were much more talkative or spoke faster than usual? Yes No
...thoughts raced through your head or you couldn't slow you mind down? Yes No
...you were so easily distracted by things around you that you had trouble concentrating or staying on track? Yes No
...you had much more energy than usual? Yes No
...you were much more active or did many more things than usual? Yes No
...you were much more social or outgoing than usual; for example, you telephoned friends in the middle of the night? Yes No
...you were much more interested in sex than usual? Yes No
...you did things that were unusual for you or that other people might have thought were excessive, foolish, or risky? Yes No
...spending money got you or your family into trouble? Yes No
2.

If you checked YES to more than one of the above, have several of these ever happened during the same period of time?
YES NO

3.



How much of a problem did any of these cause you -- like being unable to work/; having family, money, or legal troubles; getting into arguments or fights?
No Problem Minor Problem Moderate Problem Serious Problem

I don't think I have bi-polar. I think I have inattentive ADD.

okay here is the deal about bi-polar...my Mom works in the Mental Health field and she counsel's people with bi-polar and schizophrenia.

When you have bi-bolar you have MAJOR mood swings, and are MANIC(out of control bascially, SUPER hyper, then SUPER down)..one minute you are VERY elated the next you are MAJOR depressed...believe me, you WOULD know the difference if you are bi-polar or just have ADD...go to the bookstore, a lot of books on Bi-polar disorder.

btw, I worked in a Mental Heath hospital for a while...and everyone there was either Bi-Polar or schzophrenic(these are the two most SERIOUS mental illesss, if you have one of these more than likely you cannot work or support yourself, all SORTS of issues). A lot of people who are Bi-polar have ADD. Not so much the other way around though.

cameron,

Thanks I just came across your posts!

Your posts were helpful to me because so many of the tests can seem to fit just about anyone.

Even my Pdoc said 'well these 2 tests CAN show a possibility that you MAY have X or X, let's just treat your symptoms, for now'

But then again...I'm 2nd guessing this

Are your examples the extreme end of bipolar spectrum?
Like saying a functional alcoholic is not really an alcoholic?

Just wondering, all my bros are functional alcoholics --most folks would not KNOW they are alcoholics. Sadly seems like my daughter's that way too:(