Hi, i'm 20 years old. I'v been diagnosed with ADD and prescribed Adderall (20 mg daily). I'v only been on it for a year now, i went almost all my life untreated which is the pitfall in my existance. When they tried to treat me as a kid i went through severe denial and my parents thought they were doing me more harm than good.

I'm not evan sure for how long, probably almost as long as i can remember i'v went through spells of hoplessness and somewhat steady feelings of self worthlessness. My doctor was very careful to ask about this and i told her that as far as i could see it was just relative to having add. The adderall has helped with concentration and focus but i still have these feelings quite a bit. I'v been reading up on different forms of depression and it doesn't seem to have any patterns to it like bipolar but it seems to be triggered by small things sometimes very insignificant. Like maybe i have manic depression. I'v always thought it was just the add and my low self esteem, beating myself up inside and not letting things go when i should, but it still persists.

I also have alot of social issues too, i was picked on alot as a kid which is painful when i think about it. Evan to this day almost all of my friends have either been my friends since elementry school or are ppl i'v met through other friends. I'v only dated one girl briefly my entire life, and god knows that's not because i havent tried. Sometimes it seems like girls like what they see and then are turned off when they get to know me, evan though i try to be the sweetest and kindest person possible. The three months i was in that relationship was the last time i remember really feeling unbridled happiness. Evan then i would get down from time to time though, being unemployed, out of school, and away from some of my close friends for the first time.

What i'm trying to find out is do i have another condition along with add or maybe evan instead of it that can be treated medically?. Or do i just have personal issues from not being treated for all those years and having what i think to be a semi rough childhood?. I looked into seeing a therapist before but it didn't work out so i just finally decided to try and work it out on my own. If anyone could give me there input it would be greatly appreciated....Thanx....Andy

Going through decades of being mistunderstood can contribute a lot to being depressed. Most of us who are diagnosed have so many things to work through. Whether or not you depression is from the ADD or not isn't as important as trying to help yourself feel better. Let your doctor know how you are feeling and don't just dismiss your feelings.

I feel very depressed a lot in life too... but I don't really think it's from depression. I think it's because the circumstances I live in are very depressing. :(

It's kind of a weird situation, because i live in a remote area i only see my doctor about once every two months. I guess i feel like when i'm on one of my up spells it's easy to deny having ever felt depressed and vise versa. Lately it's been evan more of a problem though

Depression & anxiety kind of go together as well. I thought that I was depressed recently but when I was asked to describe the feelings I realised that it was actually anxiety. Also it sounds like there are a lot of past issues to deal with. You might feel a little better once you've dealt with them. Probably best if you can describe in the most detail what you experience and then take it to your doc.

Oh man, I know this is way late and you may not be reading this anymore. You sound just like me, except I'm 32. I have horribly low self-esteem most of the time and beat myself up over the smallest things. It has been helped a bit with therapy and I'm beginning to think that if I do indeed have ADD, it is contributing to what I've experienced all my life. My heart goes out to ya cuz I've been there (and still am to some extent). I hope you're getting help and that you don't live with it as long as I have. I know life can be a lot more positive and better with the right attitude. With ADD and depression (as well as unresolved issues from childhood), it seems so much harder.

Also, you should probably know that therapy takes a lot of time to make progress usually IMO. I've been going for 2 years and am just now understanding that I should feel like I'm a complete loser. ;)
Hope you're doing well.
Rob

Wow, a well worded, kind and strong post, thank you for this. Lots of hope shines out of your message.

:) Thanks. I just wish I didn't have that typo in there about "...should feel like I'm a complete loser". I missed that! Should be shouldn't!!! :eek:

But then those of us who speak fluent typo to the point where we tend to slip back into the language wouldnt understand!!!..............wait, I mean,................um, you know what i mean :D

not sure if anyone still reading these or not.....but how would i know if i have depression or just get into a frump every now and again? i also had a tough childhood, had problems with bladder from elementary through jr high and had to carry dry clothing everyday for as long as i could remember.....therefore alot of teasing....even from teachers. plus i was overweight(and still am) and therefore more teasing. it was tough. and also even though i came from a well to do family i felt alot of resentment that i still havent figured out why. although it may be that even now at 30 yrs old i feel that i have to have my parents approval for every little thing. and maybe that is why i feel so resentful at times. anyhow i think i have rambled on enough and so if anyone has any suggestions on what i should do it would be appreciated. i probably need to just chill and let it ride like i have been doing ALL of my life. LOL

Kat check out these links in this post:

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=582

thank you so much chrissy....and i just read thouroughly what you have as a signiture....by wolfgang....omg that is sooo true. it fits with all of us in here doesnt it? hugs and luv

hugs and love back at you. Funny how von Goethe was in the 18th century but so up to date for even us :)

very true....although i have never read anything by him that i am aware of....i think i might have to check a book of his work out from the library....LOL

Rockin Robin and I are at war for the last post thread...LOL it is kinda fun