Just have been officially diagnosed today. IVA tests have come back possitive for me with inattentive type ADD.I have an appt in 2 weeks with a psyc. for meds.

When i started looking on the internet for what could be wrong with me alot of my symptoms matched with ADD and alot of members complained of the same things. After reading so many posts however it seems that all mental problems could be linked with add .Could some experienced medication users tell me which of my "problems" will actually be helped by medication.

inability to start tasks/finish tasks
drifting in and out of focus
low energy
tasks seem harder for me than most(definately not an intelligence issue)
constant forgetfulness/absentmindedness
low self esteem
procrastination
bad self image
depression
little self confidence
strong anxiety attacks
fear of social situations
feelings of inferiority
beating myself up over (not so) embarrasing situations
very unhealthy paranoia
VERY bad judge of time
others...

Now i have seen all of these symptoms claimed by various people on this board. But do all of the people who claim low self esteem type problems also have another disorder like being bipolar? or could it be part of the add. I don't know how ADD medication could help with self confidence. except that i heard it released more dopamine into the brain. (is that true?) Did anyone with just ADD and the self esteem issues get any better? Should i look into maybe a bipolar diagnosis as well?

Sorry for all the questions. Appreciate any advice.

Hi Mayadd,

Welcome to the world of ADD.
I can only speak for myself with accuracy; I have ADHD only, no comoridities. Getting my ADHD treated did help my self esteem and general outlook. Mostly becuase I no longer felt I was doomed to be controlled by my sypmtoms. I also had a create therapist who helped me learn stratgies to deal with the more troubling symptoms and to be honest, that helped just as much as medication. It's very common for adults with ADD to have self esteem and emotional strain; ADD is a lot to deal with even with treatment. Before diagnosis, the weight of both the very real symptoms, the stress of social and cultural demands, and the uncertainty of what is going on is more than enough to trigger emotional distress. So be heartened to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnell and it actually isn't an oncoming train.

BTW, sounds like you might benefit from reading Sari Solden's "Women with Attention Deficit Disorder" (She wrote it for women but found it has a much wider audience) It talks about this stuff in good detail.

I am not inattentive but I have read some who are medications help lift the mental fog. I agree with Proscrire some reading may help also. Medication is the beginning of treatment the other part is education about the disorder then how ADD effects you the person. We are all different so they symptoms effects us each a little differently. Once you are able to understand how you are effected you will be able to implement structure and strategies to help you stay on task and or stay organized.