Could I have Adult ADD?

[debgreta]

Hi,

I was diagnosed with OCD and depression about 10 yrs. ago. I have been taking Prozac for 10 years and Wellbutrin XL for 3 years. I graduated from college and was a teacher for two years. I made a mistake of taking another job as a teacher in another area of town that had some drug activity and it really wasn't safe. I was mainly just looking at my pay increase and I made a huge mistake of taking that job. I ended up quitting because I was miserable. I didn't even finish out the year. Since then I have been taking jobs and quitting them..why? I don't know. I know I want to work with kids and be a teacher again someday. But I have this self-sabatoging behavior of quitting when I know I am truly capable of working. It is not that I don't want to work. I do. I want to make money. In the last 2 years I have had 7 jobs. Could this be a form of Adult ADD? I am not a lazy person. But I truly do not like myself right now. My OCD is pretty mild and I know I am depressed because of what I have been doing, but it is not to the point where I can't function. I have never been diagnosed with Adult ADD before. Do you have to have it as a child in order to have it as an adult? I am really bad with money too. I charge alot of stuff. I live on my own and I am probably going to have to charge my rent because I have no money. I haven't worked in a month. My last job lasted 4 months and I really didn't hate it. I have read that one of ADD symptoms is impulsivity. I think I am impulsive when it comes to jobs. But I quit before I even have anything lined up. I know it is totally wrong. Can someone help and let me know if this could be Adult ADD? Thanks,

Greta

[scuro]

Yes, you do have to have ADHD unless your brain had a trauma later on in life. Do go to a Specialist and figure out what is up. Knowing makes things a lot easier.

[debgreta]

Didn't I have to be diagnosed with ADD as a child??? I never was. No, I don't think my brain had any sort of trauma later in life. I am 34 years old. I was diagnosed with OCD and depression years ago. But my OCD is manageable now..it is just this quitting stuff and low self-esteem that is ruining my life.

Thanks,
Greta

[bythesea]

Debgreta: I'm still wrestling with my own diagnosis and trying to find the right med and make changes, but here are some thoughts.

Only between yourself and a specialist (often a psychologist or psychiatrist) will the two of you be able to figure out if you both think ADHD is an appropriate diagnosis for you. Changing jobs often and some other things you list are sometimes listed as ADHD behaviors. A specialist can look for things that might look a lot like ADHD but is really something else, or can offer objective observations about if your symptoms seem to fit an ADHD diagnosis.

But to answer your question: From my reading, current research and opinion says ADHD is a neuro-chemical difference in the brain so it's seen as genetic and something that one is likely born with (and also then tends to run in families).

However, just because a person has had this difference in the way their brain works since childhood does not necessarily mean they get diagnosed in childhood. Lately many people (like me) are finding out about ADHD for the first time as adults as more becomes known about it and as more information gets put out there in articles and TV programs where someone is likely to see something that rings a bell (or sometimes if their child is being evaluated). Not just people in their 20's or 30's like you, but also older.

Many non-hyperactive folks with ADD would have been missed in the past since much focus was on hyperactivity or impulsivity. Many who were missed were also women, because they weren't being disruptive or a big problem. Also sometimes people with a higher IQ don't run into serious problems until later because they don't have the same problems in school that get some children diagnosed. So there can be less "evidence" to point to until High School and College when things become more difficult and complex, or when they lose the supportive structure that they may have had at home when they move out on their own.

There might not have been something that was a red flag to people at the time, but there might be teacher comments on report cards, or stories your parents or siblings tell, or other clues from your past that you can look to that might indicate if there was an undetected issue going on during your childhood and adolescence.

If you haven't already, you might want to do some reading/reflection before you go see someone for an evaluation so you can communicate clearly with them about your history and the reasons why you'd like to investigate if this is a diagnosis that may fit. Some books I've found helpful are "Driven to Distraction" by Hallowell and Ratey, "Women with Attention Deficit Disorder" by Sari Solden, "Attention Deficit Disorder - The unfocused mind in children and adults" by Thomas Brown, and "You mean I'm not lazy, stupid, or crazy" by K. Kelly and P. Ramundo.

Good luck!
~~bythesea

[UnleashTheHound]

You don't have to be diagnosed as a child, but you generally had to have it as a child (possibly not knowing what it was). I was diagnosed at 34, but looking back, I clearly had it as a child.

However, the symptoms you list. "Quitting jobs", "bad with money", "low self-esteem" aren't sufficient to show ADHD. They can have other explainations. The best thing is to look at the list of the symptoms of ADHD and see how many apply to you.

You can find the list here:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/symptom.htm

If they seem to hit the mark, then talk to your doctor about it.

[Emma S]

Greta,the term 'adult ADHD' is very confusing,it is actually referring to adults who have grown up with ADHD rather than adults who have aquired ADHD in adulthood.
ADHD is a childhood/developmental disorder,so it cannot be gained in adult hood.
Have you thought about arranging a pysch appointment?
CBT is one form that might help,it's something I have tried on myself-learning different thought patterns to try to change learned behaviors.

[justhope]

Didn't I have to be diagnosed with ADD as a child??? I never was. No, I don't think my brain had any sort of trauma later in life. I am 34 years old. I was diagnosed with OCD and depression years ago. But my OCD is manageable now..it is just this quitting stuff and low self-esteem that is ruining my life.

Thanks,
Greta

To answer that question . No.
I wasn't diagnosed until I was 24 years old. No previous mental history at all.
My older sister was also diagnosed as an adult also, previous to me.
That helped. Then a history of OCD and bi-polar in my father (years before ADD was widely dx)
So I went to my sisters Dr of neuro-pyschiatist. It took about 2 hours of answering questionaires, and talking to me. He dx me as ADD inattentive type...
perscribed meds that day.
Hope