How do the doctors, or even us, know what is really the underlying medical condition that makes us think - and behave like - we have ADD in the first place?

Is it all just a big guessing game until you find the right meds?

I can definitely see how I have a little bit of everything. I definitely have some anxiety, especially SAD. I'm also depressed to some extent, and I wouldn't have come here if I didn't have ADD, so add that to the list.

The thing is... How do I know my ADD is not caused by my anxiety? How do I know if the reason for my feeling of depression is not a result of great frustration from living so many years with an untreated ADD? What came first?

Perhaps my anxiety is caused by my ADD, as it does make me wonder if I will ever be as productive as I used to be (which raises doubts about making money in the future, etc.) I can also see how SAD is caused by me having a weak memory and ADD-related issues that prevent me from engaging in conversations (which lead me to want to avoid them as much as possible). Do I have an Eating Disorder or do I just eat a lot because it serves as an escape from whatever problem I really have? Do I have a Mood Disorder or am I just so utterly frustrated?

All these conditions share many of the same symptoms...

Am I the only one who's wondering this? I feel like it's so random... My Psychiatrist agreed I have ADD (with some depression & anxiety, but no meds for that yet), while my new Psychologist (first visit was today) thinks it's mainly depression that started this and later "branched out". They each know me for exactly 45 minutes. I know myself for 25 years and I think I may be as confused as they are!

All this uncertainty makes me anxious even more!

Does any of you have links to any articles that discuss this particular dilemma when it comes to mental illnesses?

It's very difficult for doctors to make the right diagnosis at times. One thing the doctor has to do is ask several questions to the patient, like family history. Other things the doctor asks are related to your current "functioning" so they can asses the clinical need for immediate treatment. There are some guidelines somewhere, I know but forgot links, as to what questions to ask when a doctor suspects a diagnosis. Some doctors I've learned will use meds as a way of helping to confirm a diagnosis, though not the best idea IMO. Hope this explanation helps a little.

Good luck,

Andy...

They both asked all the right questions.. but I think my answers can go either way. As I said, I do have anxiety, depression, ADD, chronic procrastination, eating disorder - but IMO each can feed off of the other.. you know what I mean? Do I procrastinate because I have anxiety, or do I get anxious because my ADD causes me to procrastinate? Stuff like that.. very confusing.

It's very difficult to determine what is causing what. It could be both the anxiety and add causing the procrastination or just one of them. It's hard to determine. The best course of treatmet may be to combine an SSRI antidepressant (for anxiety) and a stimulant (for adhd). In terms of the eating disorder, can I suggest psychotherapy for that?...

Best of luck. May you find the info you need...

Andy...

Well, I don't really overeat per se, but I do tend to seek the instant gratification from eating often as a way to keep myself busy and avoid dealing with whatever needs to get done. Working from home doesn't help either :)

Oh, I've used food as a way of "dealing" with it. I try not to eat too much myself but sometimes you can't help yourself. My uncle says that with the way I eat sometimes, you'd think I wasn't being fed... lolz...

I hope you find the help you are looking for. Best of luck with everything,

Andy...

Hmm.. I may not entirely "get" your post here, but I'll try to do my best.

I think that ADD is a neurological condition, so it's not "caused" by anything else. So it's not like bad parenting or hanging around flickering TVs will lead to a 'crossing of wires in the brain' if you catch my drift. It's there from day 1, usually genetic (thank you mom or dad or both) :)

Now of course there are conditions that surround ADD (depression, anxiety, etc.). But I would assume that once the ADD is treated, than most of other conditions should be minimized if not dissapear altogether.

You're getting some conflicting advice, which probably is adding to your anxiety. But at the end of the day, you said it yourself. You know your body.

I'd get some more information before making up your mind, but please be reassured ADD is not something you 'aquire' along life's journey. You have it right from the get go, so your psychologist might be misinformed about that.

That goes back to my first question - how do you know WHAT needs to be treated? How can the doctor tell if the Anxiety is a condition by itself or just caused by ADD? Or maybe my Anxiety freezes my brain and so I take that as having ADD and therefore "pass" the test for ADD-like symptoms?

How do the doctors, or even us, know what is really the underlying medical condition that makes us think - and behave like - we have ADD in the first place?

Bottom line they do not know for sure, and few agree on all possible theories.




Is it all just a big guessing game until you find the right meds?

Closer to an educated guessing game, based upon history and symptoms.

Kind of like the difference between a mechanic guessing what is wrong with your car and a ballerina guessing what is wrong with your car. The doctors are the mechanic.






That goes back to my first question - how do you know WHAT needs to be treated? How can the doctor tell if the Anxiety is a condition by itself or just caused by ADD? Or maybe my Anxiety freezes my brain and so I take that as having ADD and therefore "pass" the test for ADD-like symptoms?

I am going to try to re-emphasize what Michiko74 said because it is statistically correct. I mean statistically correct meaning according to stats thing happen one way more often than they do another.


This is not medical advice only peer to peer knowledge okay


I was born hyper active ADD, my mom said I wiggled, kicked and squirmed a lot when she was pregnant with me. I was hyperactive before I was born.


Being high strung does not mean anxiety because many of us are high strung and are not necessarily anxious. However living a life being high strung and always getting in trouble for wiggling may make me anxious. . . . just like having sensitive hearing may me nervous but because I am hyperactive the nervousness may just make me more active because I am prone to be physically active any way so movement is a natural release. So anxiety can cause ADD symptoms to be worse and the ADD itself may or may not be directly linked to the anxiety. Although ADD and anxiety are often seen together.

In other words the same chemical difference that make me active may also play a part in me being more prone to reacting to my environment by becoming anxious or the feed back I get from angry parents and teachers may make me more anxious over time. . . . they do not know for sure.

The more people get assistance with anxiety by having the ADD treated than have ADD helped by having anxiety treated. This is statistically speaking only if the symptoms you are having due to ADD. I have never seen you I am not a doctor so I am unable to diagnosis you.


How ever I believe the doctors conflicting conclusion come from the fact that anxiety and ADD share some symptoms. Both can cause impulsive reactions both can cause one to be socially withdrawn both can cause problems with attention and concentration both can appear early on. One doctor seems to think your ADD symptoms are caused by the anxiety and the other seem to think you anxiety is caused by your ADD.

The doctor who thinks the ADD is the cause of the anxiety will want to treat the ADD first and see if that doesn’t relieve the anxiety also. The doctor who thinks the anxiety is causing the ADD symptoms will want to treat the anxiety first to see if it doesn’t relieve the ADD symptoms. Which one is which we have no ay of knowing the exact correct answer for you.

Consider that two doctors both whom have seen you in person and have been trained can not come to the same conclusion it is not exactly fair to ask us to know which one is which either. After all that is well beyond the scope of this community. All any one can here can tell you is how they experienced this and what the correct answer is for them .

IN the end many people end up on medications for both.