Hi there I am hoping you guys can help me as I am having no luck anywhere else and I am crying out for help.
I am 25 years old with a 1 year old baby and my partner went into prison 3 months ago.
I have realised for the past month that I have got ADD/ADHD and I just can not bring myself to go to the doctors as over here there are a lot of people who do not get much luch with their GP as they do not believe adults can have the condition if they have not been diagnosed as children.
Anyway for the past 3 months I have been living on and off with my family because I cant bare to be on my own. I have a lovely flat but have hardly spent any time there and now my family are getting quite annoyed by me and my baby staying with them. I just worry so much that I can not do it on my own, finances etc etc.
I have tried explaining to them about the illness as I believe my mum, sister and aunt all have it but they don't really listen and think that it is an excuse.
I mean I am 25 have never learnt to drive, cant talk on the phone always worry and never get things done/have too many things that I need to do.
I know for definate that my family have this condition as my mum is just the same as me and I think that it has got worse for her as she has recently gone through menopause and worse for me since having a baby and after breastfeeding.
My auntie is also similar with the worrying etc but she is like a bloody duracell bunny you just cant switch her off she keeps chatting and changing conversations etc etc!!! She really wears me out!
My sister recently graduated from university but I still believe that she has some of the traits also.
Anyway I realise that I need to sort myself out before helping to sort my family out but I just dont know what to do or have the courage to go to the doctors but I need to do something for the sake of my baby.
Does anyone know if you have children will they definately have ADHD too?
Thank you so much for all of your help I really am a private person and has taken me a looong time to write this post but I am desperate.
P.S I really enjoy reading everyones posts on this forum x

I mean I am 25 have never learnt to drive, cant talk on the phone always worry and never get things done/have too many things that I need to do.Ping, welcome to the forums.

Please give your doctor a try, but perhaps it would be better if you don't give a name to what you think is causing your difficulties. Just tell him things like what I quoted above and let him decide how to help you.

Being a brand new mom is overwhelming for many women and it's not the same as looking after someone else's baby, is it? I can't imagine doing it alone. Keep reading the forums and learning about ADHD, but please make an appointment with your doctor because, like Canada, the referral process can take a long time.

Ping,

My heart goes out to you. I was a single mom too - right from the get-go actually - and the intensity of being on-duty 24/7 without a partner felt overwhelming much of the time -- not to mention LONELY!

I was very fortunate to have found a "play group" for parents and children ages 0 - 4 that met twice a week. There, a small miracle happened: I met several unique, extremely down-to-earth, and caring women who supported and inspired me. I really was able to integrate some of their strength into my own being . . . and I was so grateful to have such wonderful mothers to model my own mothering after. (My mom has a serious mental health problem - so many of my "issues" reared their ugly head after I had my first child. I wasn't dx with ADHD until after baby #2 was born.)

Hang in there, and try to find some support in your community. You never know - blessings can be found in a variety of places.

Sincerely,
Sue

P.S. The community college in my town offers SUPREME SUPPORT to mothers interested in continuing their education. I'm talking like FINANCIAL SUPPORT, counseling support, and other terrific emotional support. Perhaps there is something similar going on at a college or university near you?

I was very fortunate to have found a "play group" for parents and children ages 0 - 4 that met twice a week. There, a small miracle happened: I met several unique, extremely down-to-earth, and caring women who supported and inspired me. I really was able to integrate some of their strength into my own being . . . and I was so grateful to have such wonderful mothers to model my own mothering after.

I like the idea of trying to find a support group. Try searching on the web for something like "Support groups for single mothers" and your city. Hopefully you can find something nearby that meets in person.