Hello, I have a few questions about ADHD. I just want to ask you to see if it is possibly that I have this disorder and have not been treated for it. When I was younger, I feel like I was more "hyperactive" then most kids. Always running around everywhere I went , but I was never a Troublesome Child, I just had lots of energy, but now I seem to just be very fidgety, I seem to always be doing something like tapping my feet, picking at my nails, or just messing with something. I have never performed very well in school, I feel like I just do enough to get by, and I have never really paid attention that well. I am distracted easily and I am a terrible procrastinator. I have a few relatives that have been diagnosed with it (one or two of my cousins, and possibly my grandfather). Please post or e-mail me back if I should maybe find some treatment, or if it’s just all in my head!

sounds like moderate ADHD to me.

if it is effecting your life, then by all means get a diagnostic

Welcome to ADDforums, blacksin, yes what you describe may very well be ADHD, you should see a doctor and look into being tested.

Hello, I have a few questions about ADHD. I just want to ask you to see if it is possibly that I have this disorder and have not been treated for it. When I was younger, I feel like I was more "hyperactive" then most kids. Always running around everywhere I went , but I was never a Troublesome Child, I just had lots of energy, but now I seem to just be very fidgety, I seem to always be doing something like tapping my feet, picking at my nails, or just messing with something. I have never performed very well in school, I feel like I just do enough to get by, and I have never really paid attention that well. I am distracted easily and I am a terrible procrastinator. I have a few relatives that have been diagnosed with it (one or two of my cousins, and possibly my grandfather). Please post or e-mail me back if I should maybe find some treatment, or if it’s just all in my head!

It's quite possible. Testing, which has been mentioned, is important because the symptoms of ADHD overlap with other disorders, like anxiety from a purely symptomatic perspective anyway. From an experiential perspective (where one has experienced a wide range of states and/or disorders), I would imagine that there is a clear difference though.

As you read/skim through the posts on this forum, you may see yourself in quite a bit of what is posted. That combined with other research may lead you to be more convinced of the possibility, or potentially less. I do think that the members have a lot in common in these respects, with the most significant differences being due to differences in ADHD subtypes (inattentive, combined, hyperactive).

Thank you to everyone who posted here. How do they exactly test it? Also, if i do get diagnosed with it, what medications should I really stay away from. I know that amphetamines are commonly used as treatments, and now im seeing depressants?

Stay away from antidepressants since they mostly make things worse. If you have a reason for being depressed, there's no need for taking medication at all and you should work your problems out.

As for the ADHD: Ritalin, Concerta and Adderal (all amphetamines) are the most commonly prescribed. One works better for some than others, so discuss with your psychiatrist what is best for you.

You could have ADHD, but being easily distracted and fidgety does not necessarily mean you are "afflicted." If it is really disrupting your life and if you find you are having a great deal of difficulty relating to others there is more of a chance. Definitely talk to a doctor and see what they think.