I have recently started back to college and I cannot sit still in class even when I am bored to death. I am either picking at my cuticles (until they bleed sometimes), bouncing my legs or moving them constantly, biting my lip or inside my mouth or all of the above! Is this related to ADHD? I try to stop and not move but I CANNOT not do it. These habits are especially bad when driving, watching TV or in class or church. What can I do? Do I need medicine?

First of all, I would take a deep breath and take stock. Most people in their lives at one time or another meet the basic behavioral criteria for ADD (although not the clinical criteria). Stress and anxiety can mimic ADD as can depression, believe it or not.

If these issues are sufficiently worrisome I would look to make an appointment with a mental health care provider for a DSM-IV screening. These screenings test for pretty much EVERYTHING. So if it's something that's not ADD but mimicking it, they will find it. If it's just stress they will tell you, if it's ADD with co-morbid conditions like anxiety or even anxiety and depression by itself they will tell you and they will make treatment recomendations.

Medications are not the only option available, but my suggestion to you if you do end up with any kind of diagnosis here is to have an open mind to both behavioral therapy and meds as well as simple things like self care (A solid program of diet exercise and ensuring plenty of rest).

It is also worth knowing that if you end up with a diagnosis you have protection under the americans with disabilities act and your educational institution has to provide what are called reasonable accomodations. One person I know with ADD is given an extra hour on exams and a quiet room with only her and the proctor in the library. Things like this can make it easier to make it through college with ADD.

However there is no reason to panic until you know what you are dealing with. Frankly having ADD isn't all that horrible. It's simply who you are. For all the downsides there are wonderful upsides too. Just take a deep breath, and start looking at what you'll have to do to get screened so you'll know. The very activity of taking positive action on your worries will sooth them to some extent.

I have recently started back to college and I cannot sit still in class even when I am bored to death. I am either picking at my cuticles (until they bleed sometimes), bouncing my legs or moving them constantly, biting my lip or inside my mouth or all of the above! Is this related to ADHD? I try to stop and not move but I CANNOT not do it. These habits are especially bad when driving, watching TV or in class or church. What can I do? Do I need medicine?WOW, you remind me of me when I was in college. Even when I took classes I liked I would still (and yeah this is embarassing), pull hairs out of my head. I do this when I am bored or when my brain is tired of concentrating and wants to tune out. This is an obsessive compusive disorder (OCD), and it just happens to accompany my ADD.

But I agree with E-Boy. If you think you have ADD you need to get tested. It could just be stress. It could be that the subject puts you to sleep, LOL! Anyway try not to be discouraged and just take it a day at a time.

The hair pulling behavior is, like anarexia, closely related to OCD, but the technical term for it when it becomes pathological is Tricholomania (and I may be butchering it a bit there, but that's what I remember).

It is an obsessive behavioral manifestatation but is treated differently from OCD in particular.

Anxiety and depression are quite common in ADDers though. They are, by themselves, quite easy to mistake for ADD too. For that matter so is simple non-pathological stress. This is why a screening is important, and also why for such a screening you should go to a qualified specialist in nuerology or mental health. GP's routinely make diagnostic calls without reliance on established procedures in the DSM-IV and have even said in AMA surveys they are uncomfortable diagnosing it (70% of respondents said this), and yet they are out there putting children on Class two meds without a proper diagnosis...

Sometimes insurance insists on seeing a GP first. If this happens you can ask for a referral. Hopefully you will get one. Many insurance companies still don't cover mental health (which is a travesty). However, there is more advice to be had if it comes to that.

I did go through the tests with my son a few years ago and as I listened to the questions I answered everyone affirmatively. I am almost positive I do have it and have always had it. Other symptoms are ALWAYS forgetting things leaving them somewhere. In school as a tween, I left my books there almost every day, never held on to sweaters or umbrellas and other things. It was just a little bit of it but constant. I have had a repution of being an "airhead" all my life and I really am not at least I am above average intelligence. I have a very good job but I have made serious mistakes pretty often due to "forgetting" important things. I cannot get anything done at home because I feel overwhelmed, not knowing how to get anything organized because I can't do it all at once. I start 10 different things at once and quite often get frustrated and take a nap or leave the house to get away from it. I read paragraphs over and over in books because I cannot keep my mind on it unless I am very interested in it. Is there a site that helps to deal with this without medicine? I know I need to see a specialist but it is so expensive. I guess that is why I put it off. I really don't think there is any doubt that I do have adhd. I also have depression and anxiety but am on medication for that and it regulates it very well but does not help the other symptoms like concentrating and focusing etc. Sorry to ramble. I would appreciate any other comments and just wanted to tell you a little more about it.

How do you react to caffeine? Does having a cup of coffee before (or during) class help calm you down or make it worse?

I'm not convinced reaction to caffiene says if you are ADHD or not. I don't have any reaction to caffiene, I don't get hyper or calm and I'm definitely ADHD.

The first thing to do, adhdgirl, is to go to a psychiatrist, one who specializes in ADHD. Talk with your health insurance company to see if they can recommend anyone.

Best wishes!

Courtney

no, I don't think it does, either.

I do think it's a helpful clue, though.

How do you react to caffeine? Does having a cup of coffee before (or during) class help calm you down or make it worse?
It definitely does not make it worse. I drink it while I am studying all the time. What does that mean? What does caffeine have to do with it?

You sound so much like me here, I used to drink coffee all day long. Your brain is seeking out a stimulant. Yes I believe is has a lot to do with it.
I also used to take anti-depressents for years. I was diagnosed by a great mental health expert and one of questions he asked me was this.
Do you find joy in getting up in the morning or does starting the day seem joyful?
I thought he was nuts and my response was "who wants to get up in the morning" I saw no relation to this question and wondered why in heck he would ask it until...
After about a month of taking aderal for ADHD which is a stimulant I noticed I was getting up much earlier and felt alive for the first time in my life, I wanted to start the day!
What the anti-depressents did for me was to keep me level in life, but I was really not excited about anything.
What the ADHD drugs have done is make me feel on fire like I am on top of the world for the first time.

If I look at life on the anti-depressents and think of it as peaks and valleys the anti-depressents kept me from being in the valley ( lowest mood point ) I would be level and not ever reaching the top of the hill. With the ADHD meds I am now at the top of the hill seeing things possible in my life that I never thought I could accomplish. Now when I get up in the morning life has a whole new outlook to me and I realize the importance of the question he had asked.
I want to wish you good luck in life and I hope you will consider going for an evaluation. yes it can be expensive if you do not have insurance mine cost about $500. but many doctors will work out a payment plan with you so you can budget it in. Think of it as purchasing something for yourself. I can almost guarentee if you get to the bottom of this you will be a changed person.

Good luck
;)

Wow, HeavyD2, I have been on an anti-depressant for years, probably 14. I didn't know anyone really liked to get up in the morning! I have also always had a terrible time doing so no matter what time it is. Could this be some of it for me? I definitely am going to get an evaluation. Thanks so much! We have an ADD clinic very near where I work. I can't tell you how many times I have thought about stopping in there.

You asked Could this be some of it for me?
for me it was, I wish I had done this years ago. With me I no longer need the anti-depressents, plus the side affects (sex drive) are gone. I don't mean to sound personell but most everyone I know on anti-depressents their sex drive is simply not there. I don't know if this is an issue with you or not and you don't have to comment on it, but it is certainly something else to consider.

I would strongly encourage you to go, honestly I can't tell you how much of a differance this has made. My biggest problem is now getting up to early! The whole day now is a new world.

Dennis

You asked Could this be some of it for me?
for me it was, I wish I had done this years ago. With me I no longer need the anti-depressents, plus the side affects (sex drive) are gone. I don't mean to sound personell but most everyone I know on anti-depressents their sex drive is simply not there. I don't know if this is an issue with you or not and you don't have to comment on it, but it is certainly something else to consider.

I would strongly encourage you to go, honestly I can't tell you how much of a differance this has made. My biggest problem is now getting up to early! The whole day now is a new world.

DennisIt's okay and you put it quite "nicely" I do have problems. I have just also been reading about something else very common in ADD patients and that is bedwetting! I had never heard that. I did that until I was at least 13 years old maybe a little longer and so did my son. All of this is so helping me to understand so many things in my life up to this point! It is very excited just to start to understand that there IS a reason for it all!!

Yes there is a reason for it and you don't have to feel alone. I could go on and on with the countless stories in my life how this has affected me.
Trouble paying bills..
Messy house keeping..
Feeling alone all the time..
The usual starting and not finishing things..

So many things in our lives are affected by this and we don't even realize it. I am so glad that you are getting excited and realizing that there are reasons for our behaviors or lack of them.

Keep plugging away and please feel free to contact me at anytime if I can be of some help or encouragement to you. I am so grateful for this forum a place where we can vent or just help encourage one another.

Dennis

Yes there is a reason for it and you don't have to feel alone. I could go on and on with the countless stories in my life how this has affected me.
Trouble paying bills..
Messy house keeping..
Feeling alone all the time..
The usual starting and not finishing things..

So many things in our lives are affected by this and we don't even realize it. I am so glad that you are getting excited and realizing that there are reasons for our behaviors or lack of them.

Keep plugging away and please feel free to contact me at anytime if I can be of some help or encouragement to you. I am so grateful for this forum a place where we can vent or just help encourage one another.

Dennis
Thanks!:)

You sound so much like me here, I used to drink coffee all day long. Your brain is seeking out a stimulant. Yes I believe is has a lot to do with it.

HeavyD2... I agree bigtime. I was a heavy coffee drinker.. and the stronger the better. After I started taking stimulant meds my desire for coffee was drastically curbed. I even drive right by my neighborhood starbucks now on my way to work which I couldn't do before.

Also, you nailed it about how we feel when waking is a sign. I never want to get out of bed and when I force myself I'm still groggy and irritable for a couple hours (or the second cup of Joe). It definately wasn't joyous - more anxiety ridden with what crap will come my way today. But it's definately gotten better after starting on meds. I wake up feeling I can cope with whatever comes my way. More hopeful.. Good posts HD2 thanks

the description sounds like me w/o Dexedrine