Presented in the only way a person with ADD can understand =:)

Bulletpoints!

hyperfocused on the topic of ADD and ADHD (want to find everything out about ADD as quickly as possible)
unable to focus because you would constantly try to relate everything back to ADD
share your discovery with others, if so with whom
start taking medication, if so what did you take
start therapy
get support from your spouse or partner
other

Thanks,

Tim H

hyperfocused on the topic of ADD and ADHD (want to find everything out about ADD as quickly as possible)..did it

unable to focus because you would constantly try to relate everything back to ADD..did it

share your discovery with others, if so with whom.. didn't do this for a long while

start taking medication, if so what did you take.. Ritalin

start therapy.. no

get support from your spouse or partner.. that's a big NO

other ... friends and other family members

All of my answers are in red. :)hyperfocused on the topic of ADD and ADHD (want to find everything out about ADD as quickly as possible).. Not really, but very interested in it
unable to focus because you would constantly try to relate everything back to ADD..nope
share your discovery with others, if so with whom.. My huaband and a friend who also has ADD and has an ADD daughter
start taking medication, if so what did you take.. Straterra

start therapy.. Nope
get support from your spouse or partner.. Trying to. He keeps saying he's not my father.

other ... I told my little sister, but asked her not to talk about it with my Mother. My Mother just thinks I'm lazy and grasping for straws. LOL

since my favorite colour was already picked, i put my answers in green :D

hyperfocused on the topic of ADD and ADHD (want to find everything out about ADD as quickly as possible) yes, still am, still do
unable to focus because you would constantly try to relate everything back to ADD yes, see answer #1-too much at once
share your discovery with others, if so with whom wife & immideate superviser. in sharing i also learned of a couple other co-workers who relate.:)
start taking medication, if so what did you take yes, strattera (first)
start therapy yes, with my psy.
get support from your spouse or partner yes, she is my first line of defence, & the blanket i hide under when the committe (my brain) gets the better of me, now that im dx'ed she understands my quirks a little better.
other was made aware of the co-morbid conditions i also have & was given the choice of treating them right off or waiting & seeing.

i'm purple. :D

hyperfocused on the topic of ADD and ADHD (want to find everything out about ADD as quickly as possible) ] yep, and everything related to ADD.
unable to focus because you would constantly try to relate everything back to ADD i count this as another way of understanding ADD. it's not the focus that's important for me (good thing too. he eh). it's that eventually, it all comes together. so that what you learn by relating everything back to ADD helps you learn more about ADD and everything related to ADD. relatively speaking.
share your discovery with others, if so with whom Not many people know. my husband and 3 close friends know. two friends have known since my diagnosis, the other friend i just told a few nights ago. my husband just wants me to figure out what i need to do to feel better. he also wonders when i'll start putting my stuff away. :rolleyes:
start taking medication, if so what did you take i started wellbutrin first. it didn't help with the ADD but helped with the depression. gotta love co-morbids! i started dexedrine a couple months after the wellbutrin. i'm still taking both.
start therapy it was my therapist who loaned me my first book to read on ADD. she wondered if it would resonate...
get support from your spouse or partner he's got very good health insurance! ;)
other you're right, the bullets got my attention. and i get to play with the text color. bonus! :D

hyperfocused on the topic of ADD and ADHD (want to find everything out about ADD as quickly as possible) Totally, I was however only in 7th grade, so I am making up for it now!
unable to focus because you would constantly try to relate everything back to ADD. I don't feel as though I did this.
share your discovery with others, if so with whom. My family, and a couple of very close friends. Some past teachers know, but no employers.
start taking medication, if so what did you take I too Ritalin till I graduated HS, well sorta. I kinda wiend myself off of it as hs went on. I was selfmedicated, so I just kinda stopped taking it over time. I would however like to take something now, just to see what the difference would be. I just have not had the courage to go and see someone about it.
start therapy -No but i wish i would have!
get support from your spouse or partner-I have neither one.

hyperfocused on the topic of ADD and ADHD (want to find everything out about ADD as quickly as possible) <yes i always am anytime i 'discover something' i read a huge stack of books. unfortunately i promptly did nothing. that was about eight years ago. i'm doing it again now-reading and finding out info that is.not the doing nothing part.(outdated info and all)
unable to focus because you would constantly try to relate everything back to ADD < i don't get this question for some reason, but i think my answer is no
share your discovery with others, if so with whom <i think i've already tortured you guys w/ my long post on that one: b/f at the time (now my husband) best friends
start taking medication, if so what did you take <not until recently, it took me about eight yrs to realize i needed meds. wellbutrin+adderall
start therapy <i found out while in therapy. i restarted therapy a few years ago after a four years hiatus. my first therapist, while excellent for me, did not place any emphasis on adhd whatsoever. she just wanted to focus on my relationship issues and my school issues which is what brought me to her. doesn't it seem that adhd could play a key role in all that? thats what i thought...
get support from your spouse or partner < 8 yrs ago. NO. he didn't read anything, was irritated b/c i was a fountain of facts and commentary about it (thats the way i am anytime i'm super interested in a topic. which happens often i saturate in it)
other <lots of other. lots.

start taking medication, if so what did you take....Started Off On Ritalin&
started therapy....fun fun fun

hyperfocused on the topic of ADD and ADHD (want to find everything out about ADD as quickly as possible) Yes, books, library books, internet... Anyone know of any good videos?
unable to focus because you would constantly try to relate everything back to ADD Not unable to focus, but keep assessing mistakes to decide if caused by me or by my ADD. Finally decided that me and my ADD are intertwined and inseperable and to quit worrying about it... I do have to keep reminding myself of this however because I forget. :)
share your discovery with others, if so with whom My husband. My son. Two friends who understand being different. Thinking about talking to my family but I think they will not "believe" in ADHD.:rolleyes:
start taking medication, if so what did you take No.
start therapy No. Councillor at Mental health said," What you have is a problem to you, but not to anyone else. We have so many people with so much worse problems that we don't have time to deal with high functioning people like you. What will you do now?" Silly me, I thought THEY"D have some ideas!:confused:
get support from your spouse or partner Yes. He is understanding. He can be very like me on occasion, but maybe that's proximity! :D
other

Your bulletpoint structure is genius!



hyperfocused on the topic of ADD and ADHD (want to find everything out about ADD as quickly as possible): Yes, definitely. It's been three months now, and I'll still spend hours researching ADHD. My hyperfocus kicks in and I completely lose track of time. (For example, I just looked at the clock and realized I've been reading ADHD info online for three hours now- oops.)



unable to focus because you would constantly try to relate everything back to ADD: No. I do relate pretty much everything back to ADHD, but it hasn't interfered with my focus. The problem is when it distracts me and I end up researching it for so long- like I did tonight!



share your discovery with others, if so with whom: my parents, my sister, my boyfriend, my best friend, and an ex-boyfriend I'm still close friends with



start taking medication, if so what did you take: Vyvanse



start therapy: Yes, and I highly suggest it, especially if you're diagnosed late in life and have spent years thinking that you're just lazy, not good enough, etc. Those feelings don't go away automatically, and it's really important to work through them.



get support from your spouse or partner: Sadly, no. He tends to change the subject when I bring it up.



other: I have a clean apartment for the first time in my entire life. I got my first A on a major assignment in graduate school (this is my second year). I'm less anxious. I've read an entire page, reached the end, and realized that I know exactly what that page said, and I don't have to go back and read it six more times before just giving up. I've had conversations with my friends where I didn't space out and miss what they said a single time. I've taken notes in class that actually make sense, and aren't just me writing "I'm so bored, why is he still talking, blahhhh." I'm a much better driver. I understand myself better! I've spent a lot of time on these forums, reading other people's stories to know I'm not alone. :)

hyperfocused on the topic of ADD and ADHD (want to find everything out about ADD as quickly as possible)
no, i did these before being diagnosed, and during periods where i tried different meds

unable to focus because you would constantly try to relate everything back to ADD
no

share your discovery with others, if so with whom
yes- mom, close friends

start taking medication, if so what did you take
yes. started concerta 18mg. that was 6 years ago, so i'm up to 72mg now.

start therapy
no

get support from your spouse or partner
no, didn't have one

other
celebrated the diagnosis because everything suddenly made sense and the medication was a godsend.

hyperfocused on the topic of ADD and ADHD (want to find everything out about ADD as quickly as possible) NO I only started hyper-focusing on it really badly when I was wanting to try a new med. I would look here and there but nothing for too long. Books are not an option for me, it takes WAY too long and I have to re read everything to "get" it!
unable to focus because you would constantly try to relate everything back to ADD Yes I do think I do this now, as I go along my daily routine, I see that I can figure out things so much easier and calmly and I would say "Couldn't do that before!" and become happy with how I was functioning for the first time
share your discovery with others, if so with whom I have shared this with others I'm not ashamed of being ADHD(my mom and husband at first).....I am however careful who I tell what meds I am on, cause they will ask to have some and I need them daily and they wont understand.
start taking medication, if so what did you take Yes I started out on Prozac, that only helped with depression and made me tired, that made me more depressed, then added Wellbutrin XL to it and I still was having too many symptoms to cope with.
start therapy I was already in therapy for 3 yrs and had been trying to figure out "life" and how to deal, he helped me change my Dr to one that would prescribe ADHD meds and better at adult ADHD. He had helped me and my husband and would offer ways to communicate and I would become frustrated and say "My mind doesn't work like that." or "As hard as I want to do that if we are in an argument I can not"
get support from your spouse or partner Yes he loves me and wants me to be able to cope with daily stresses and has finally gotten(or just pretends) that its not as easy for me as it is for him!
other I am so thankful for ADHD meds now. My daughter said Momma you are crazy??(sarcastically) In response to me saying I feel normal now in therapy. My response was "Well before the meds I was crazy with a side of normal and now Im normal with a side of crazy!" lol My 3 yr old son will try and act out a bit more seeing how much I can take and I am surprised I can calmly parent him now.


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When I was diagnosed I

went into 'diagnosis shock' and went on a hyperfocussed researching rampage to find out as much as I could about ADHD. (now I no longer care).

Presented in the only way a person with ADD can understand =:)


Bulletpoints!

hyperfocused on the topic of ADD and ADHD (want to find everything out about ADD as quickly as possible) Somewhat, but I had already been doing that when my son and daughter had been diagnosed, and later my husband. Read numerous books and articles.
unable to focus because you would constantly try to relate everything back to ADD Didn't affect my focus but I did review a lot of events in my life with a new perspective.
share your discovery with others, if so with whom Yes, my family and friends, and pretty much anyone with whom I was discussing ADHD (because their child had it or they did, etc.)
start taking medication, if so what did you take Vyvanse
start therapy No, insurance didn't cover mental health
get support from your spouse or partner Not much.
other Yes, I love bullet points! Someone needs to do an ADHD version of the Bible! I wondered what my life would have been like had I been diagnosed much earlier--I was diagnosed at age 48.
Thanks,

Tim H

I have a passion for educating others about ADHD and correcting the myths. It had already started when my children were diagnosed but my diagnosis only fueled the passion more.

hyperfocused on the topic of ADD and ADHD (want to find everything out about ADD as quickly as possible)
I did these before being diagnosed, and during periods where I tried different meds.

unable to focus because you would constantly try to relate everything back to ADD
No.

share your discovery with others, if so with whom
My sister, the one who has been diagnosed with ADD.

start taking medication, if so what did you take
Yes, I started Concerta 36mg. Now I'm up to 54 mg., with fast acting Ritalin as needed in the afternoon and evenings.

start therapy
Already was in therapy.

get support from your spouse or partner
Am single.

other
With the diagnosis, everything suddenly made sense and the medication was extremely helpful.

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hyperfocused on the topic of ADD and ADHD (want to find everything out about ADD as quickly as possible) no
unable to focus because you would constantly try to relate everything back to ADD no
share your discovery with others, if so with whom with my ex
start taking medication, if so what did you take no
start therapy no
get support from your spouse or partner no
other i didn't feel any relief from the diagnosis and tried for years to change my "habits" while continuing to be depressed

better late than never - i'm trying to do some of those important things you mentioned now - almost five years later.

Presented in the only way a person with ADD can understand =:) Thanks,


Tim H


I was diagnosed as a child in the sixties, it took.. another almost 40 years before I was willing to look into medication and management. Since that time .....



Bulletpoints!

hyperfocused on the topic of ADD and ADHD (want to find everything out about ADD as quickly as possible)
Yes and no. Yes I hyperfocus, because that's just what I do it could be anything. However, it's become very meaningful to me to understand and I find that it really makes a difference in terms of how I manage my ADHD.




unable to focus because you would constantly try to relate everything back to ADD
I didn't lose focus and I don't think I relate everything back to the ADHD. However ADHD permeates my life in such a way that it actually can be seen everywhere because it is everywhere in my life.




share your discovery with others, if so with whom
Everyone in my family has known all along, never thought it wa s a big deal so didn't think to tell people. Have no problem telling others when and where it's appropriate.

start taking medication, if so what did you take
Started taking meds a year ago, first Concerta then dexedrine.


start therapy
Not as a result of now taking my adhd seriously.


get support from your spouse or partner
No spouse or partner

other -- I post on the forum .. that's like therapy

Presented in the only way a person with ADD can understand =:)
Bulletpoints are not the only way I can understand, but they do make it easier.




Bulletpoints!

hyperfocused on the topic of ADD and ADHD (want to find everything out about ADD as quickly as possible)
I'm always this way when something is interesting for me, so yeah, I did a lot of reading about ADHD.

unable to focus because you would constantly try to relate everything back to ADD
I don't think so, at least not that I noticed

share your discovery with others, if so with whom
Mostly with my family

start taking medication, if so what did you take
Nope, don't have health insurance, but I did start taking some supplements and was amazed at how much help Omega 3 (fish oil) was for me

start therapy
Yeah, but not for me. We actually started family therapy for my youngest granddaughter, but we've all gotten a lot out of it

get support from your spouse or partner
Don't have one, but my daughter and grandchildren live with me, and my daughter has been supportive. It's taken her awhile to wrap her head around it all and understand though

other
Can't think of anything to add here

ah, love the bullets:)

Presented in the only way a person with ADD can understand =:)



Bulletpoints!

hyperfocused on the topic of ADD and ADHD (want to find everything out about ADD as quickly as possible)
oddly, no. i don't think i gave it a second thought until i messed up my medication recently... this, i realize, was an error.

unable to focus because you would constantly try to relate everything back to ADD
nope.

share your discovery with others, if so with whom
well, it wasn't really *my* discovery; i was discovered, i guess.

start taking medication, if so what did you take
yes. mostly ritalin types and tried adderall briefly.

start therapy
nope. this, too, may have been an error...

get support from your spouse or partner
i wasn't of spouse/partner age. then i kind of ran through boyfriends every month or two until i hit 30 or so, too, so i wasn't exactly concerned with their support or lack thereof.

other
Thanks,

Tim H

Re: When you were diagnosed did you ...
<hr style="color: rgb(209, 209, 225);" size="1"> <!-- / icon and title --> <!-- message --> Presented in the only way a person with ADD can understand =:)
Bulletpoints are not the only way I can understand, but they do make it easier.
I agree - especially when I'm in a hurry for a quick answer or it's 2am. & I'm still on the computer.


Bulletpoints!

hyperfocused on the topic of ADD and ADHD (want to find everything out about ADD as quickly as possible)
Absolutely!! I spent hours on the web & in the library & bookstore trying to read everything I could about ADHD. I also dug through old school records & teacher comments & was blown away how they further confirmed the diagnosis.
unable to focus because you would constantly try to relate everything back to ADD
No, not really. If anything, I was HYPERFOCUSING on whatever I was reading or watching on TV about ADHD & it drove my spouse nuts.
share your discovery with others, if so with whom
Yes - initially my spouse, father, brother & a few close friends. Eventually I informed my direct supervisor & the department director due to my medications that will show up in a random drug test.

start taking medication, if so what did you take
Was on Wellbutrin XL 300mg already at Dx; tried Strattera but stopped early on due to side effects; switched to Concerta 54mg for several months but I didn't like the groggy/drugged feeling in the AM so have now switched to Focalin XR 20mg w/a 10mg booster in the PM which is much better.
start therapy
Yep. Therapy was initiated to address the co-morbid depression & anxiety & has helped immensely. I didn't realize how low I had sunk until after several months of counseling.

get support from your spouse or partner
Lukewarm at best in the first couple of months; she has been reluctant to do a lot of reading about it, but is a slowly becoming more understanding; However, she is staunchly against me having the kids tested or even monitored for signs of it (which I see many of currently in my son) & thinks all I want to do is medicate our kids when in reality, I wish I had been dx'ed 30 years earlier.

Geogator