My dad basically lives in the 70's or 80 times or whatever times it was where they believed no one had ADD, but simply just saying, "youre lazy, get off ur ***** and work" as thats what his parents said to him. You could say im confident i have ADD, but no matter what the hell i say, he won't believe anything about it. He believes only ADHD exists, not ADD. How in the world do i convince him that i have ADD and to let me try out meds?

Do you need his consent to get tested for a potential ADD diagnosis and then get the proper medication?

You tell him to give me a call and I'll tell him.

yeah i need his consent unfortunetly, im only 16, but i am out of options of trying to convince him. All he does is just yell and counteract everything i say, "it will go away -blah blah blah". Makes me wanna smash into a wall when im arguing with him. My mom is the same except lighter, but she only believes what the doctor says, 2 times they didnt diagnose me cuz i had an anxiety attack and was clueless on what to say, i just said i couldnt concentrate. Planning to make a list for my 3rd time though...

Maybe if your parents were made aware of the existence of ADHD inattentive type (without hyperactivity), they would treat you differently?

My suggestion would be for you to get a real thorough diagnosis (neuropsychological testing). Is there any resource that could help you at your school? Here, in Montreal, we have the Montreal Children Hospital that will test people for free and there is the Psychology Dept. of the Royal Victorial Hospital (McGill University) that will do a very thorough test (4-5 hours) and the results are presented in 10-page report, but for a fee (considerably cheaper for students). Such report would make it difficult for your parent to doubt the validity of the diagnosis.

Maybe with a formal diagnosis and a good book that discusses ADHD-inattentive (that you can have ADHD without being hyperactive), your parents would see
the light. Maybe you will need to have a doctor, a teacher or a psychologist who is familiar with ADHD-inattentive, etc. explain the diagnosis to your parents, as well as the consequences of forbiding you from taking the proper meds.

Deep down inside, it is possible that your parents have a hard time seeing things from other people's perspective. Maybe they are scared to look at things the way they are. I couldn't tell because it's an attitude I really don't understand.

If despite all that, your parents still refuse you the right to take stimulants, does the fact that you are not an adult forbidding you from being prescribed uncontrolled medication, such as Strattera, Welbutrin, etc.? I realize that you probably cannot afford the price of the medication though. But maybe there are local resources to make those medication more easily available to you?


One thing for sure, you are going through a rough time of your life, but soon you'll be an adult and free to make your own choices. What I am telling you is to not lose hope. I'm 34 and got diagnosed only last fall and started medication about a month ago. I now know why I was so different and unfunctional from the age of about 7, but until very recently, I just thought I was to blame. Despite that, life had it's good moments and I'm alive and happy today.

You won't have to wait that long, as at least you have an idea of what you might suffer from, and there are resources available. Remember that you are going to go through this and eventually, hopefully sooner than later, get the help you need.

Keep us posted, ok ?
:)