Adult ADD

[Susie Q Roo]

I know we've talked about ADHD in children, but I can't see where we've talked about that or, specifically, ADD in adults. Have you (or do you know someone who has) been diagnosed with this? If so, what have the treatments been and have they been successful? Rick and I joke around about this, but I swear, we both have very strong evidence of many (if not all for one of us ) of the listed symptoms. Here's a questionnaire for it:

• How often do you have trouble wrapping up the final details of a project, once the challenging parts have been done?
  
• How often do you have difficulty getting things in order when you have to do a task that requires organization?
• How often do you have problems remembering appointments or obligations?
• When you have a task that requires a lot of thought, how often do you avoid or delay getting started?
  
• How often do you fidget or squirm with your hands or your feet when you have to sit down for a long time?
  
• How often do you feel overly active and compelled to do things, like you were driven by a motor?

I've wondered to what degree these things are affected by age or hormones or whatever. Regardless, they're there... and I'd like to find a way to get around them.

Any ideas? Or any Ritalin or Adderal you wanna share?


EDIT: It would be really telling (and humorous) if I'd already posted this same question before! Yikes! Did I!!

[playawannabe]

My sister is an "alternate program" teacher (spec. ed.) and she has told me numerous times that I am the biggest adult ADD case that she has ever seen. I have never done anything about it, though


From your list of symptoms, I would say I have the following:


How often do you have trouble wrapping up the final details of a project, once the challenging parts have been done?


How often do you have difficulty getting things in order when you have to do a task that requires organization?


When you have a task that requires a lot of thought, how often do you avoid or delay getting started?


How often do you feel overly active and compelled to do things, like you were driven by a motor?

[kayt707]

I see you've met my mother

This describes her to a tee. I have no idea how to get around it. Ive been trying for years. The one thing was that the angioplasty put her out of commission for a breif time. Which was really good because she finally got the rest thst she need to get better because she couldnt get up and busy herself.

Now if you could tell me how to get my mom to stop fidgetting and relax and how to give some of that excess energy to my husband Id be thrilled!

[jamesblonde]

I talk about having AADD all the time. Not really sure if I do, but I seem to be able to relate to all of the above. People irritate me more then they used to. I think my patience level has decreased as the years have gone by. Not sure if it's ADD or age related. I treat it with wine. Seems to work for me

[PlayaGroom]

I have two friends that were professionally "diagnosed" with Adult ADD a couple years ago. One went in for depression, found out that the ADD was causing anxiety in other areas of her life (bad grades, ulcers). When one was diagnosed, the other felt the same way so they were checked by a different psych, and in turn diagnosed.

There were really big differences though in their "treatments." The first, tried low doses of medication (can't remember which one). It really mellowed them out, and they are really happier. She is doing the yoga thing and it's helping a lot as well.

The second, the doc simply told them to change their lifestyle. To turn everything down a notch or two. He called it a "fast metabolism" and that the person should just try slowing down a little. He stopped a few activities, and changed his attitude about exercising, more into an enjoyment activity rather than a chore that had to be done at a certain level at all times. It too is working for him, and he's a much calmer person.

All three of us were very active, and had very similar habits, grades, personalities, work habits. I'm almost sure that if I went in, I'd be a case as well. I have a very hard time focusing on a task longer than an hour or two, no matter what it is. I always feel like I need to be doing something, etc etc etc. I'm not about to do meds though, just a personal choice.

With this in mind, it's hard to decide whether this is really a "disease" per se, or if it's just hyperactive people that can just settle down.

[Jacko]

Ideas? A Time Management class....here is an outline of one we taught here...

Organization & Time Management – Session 1

F&B Management Training Session,

I. Symptoms of Disorganization

A. Clutter (Desk, Office, Flat Spaces)
B. Condition of Your Car
C. Noticeable Lowering of Self Esteem / Confidence
D. Series of Forgotten Appointments, Unreturned Telephone Messages, and Missed Deadlines
E. Tendency to Invest Energy into Unproductive Tasks
F. Feeling Poorly About Your Work
G. Absence of Personal, Quiet Reflection Time
H. Diminished Quality of Personal Relationships

II. Seize Control!

A. Resolve to Control Your Time
B. Discipline to Control Your Time

III. Visualize Time as an Asset

A. Money vs. Time
B. Time Must Be Budgeted
1. Fixed (I Must Do)
2. Discretionary (I Like To Do)
C. Time Must Be Invested
1. Understand Your Mission
- What’s Important?
- Stay “On Task”
- Eliminate Distractions
2. Understand Your Limits
- Skill (Ability, Knowledge)
- Physical (Health, Strength, Diet, Exercise, Sleep, etc.)
- Heart (Mental, Emotional, Spiritual)*
* MUST be budgeted for the gathering of inner strength to face challenges and adversity
3. Understand the Absolute Necessity of Training
“If I give a hungry man a fish, I feed him today. If I teach a hungry man how to fish, I feed him for a lifetime.” - Ancient Proverb
- Minutes Invested in Training Today “Buy-Back” Hours Tomorrow
D. Time Must Be Secured
1. Time is More Precious Than Money
2. Borrowed Time vs. Banked Time
3. What’s In Your Wallet?

[Susie Q Roo]

Originally Posted by PlayaGroom

...I have a very hard time focusing on a task longer than an hour or two, no matter what it is...

An hour or two! I bounce between things at least every 20 minutes if not more often. And I don't have the hyperactivity part of it, except maybe mentally. For example, I can NOT talk on the phone without doing something else at the same time, like a computer game or something. And about the only way I can watch TV is if I have ironing to do, or food to prepare in front of it. I have to do everything in bits and pieces and I almost never complete any task, start to finish, without doing some other task at the same time. If I'm lucky, I get back to the first one. If not, it sits undone until it makes me crazy or I bury it under something else.

[Babaloo]

sorry, Jacko
this is more than a time management issue

i'm sick

i'll finish this post later

[PlayaGroom]

Originally Posted by Susie Q Roo

An hour or two! I bounce between things at least every 20 minutes if not more often. And I don't have the hyperactivity part of it, except maybe mentally. For example, I can NOT talk on the phone without doing something else at the same time, like a computer game or something. And about the only way I can watch TV is if I have ironing to do, or food to prepare in front of it. I have to do everything in bits and pieces and I almost never complete any task, start to finish, without doing some other task at the same time. If I'm lucky, I get back to the first one. If not, it sits undone until it makes me crazy or I bury it under something else.

Ya got me. What I meant was, for tasks that require a few hours to complete, I can never sit through it. I can only go at it for about an hour, then I have to multi-task or work on something else for a while.

I fidget all the time, usually bouncing my knees or twirling pens or doodling or etc etc etc. The only thing that I've found to help is upping my amount of aerobic exercise. Started running a few years ago and it's gotten better. I sleep better at night, and don't feel so full of energy all the time. The only downside is that if I don't get my exercise, I turn back into that bouncing mess again.

[Seakony]

This is worth re-posting again.
For those of you that don't get this, you will, your day is coming................................
AAADD - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder

This is how it manifests . I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing. As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the front verandah table that I brought up from the letter box earlier, just after the mailman had been.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I put my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage bin beside the table, and notice that the bin is full. So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first.

But then I think, since I'm going to be near the post box when I take out the garbage anyway (and the mailman picks up the mail at noon) . I may as well pay the bills first. So, I take my cheque book off the table, and see that there is only 1 cheque left. My spare cheque book is in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking earlier this morning.

I know I going to look for my cheque book, but first I need to push the Coke can aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. The Coke is warm, so I decide to put it in the refrigerator to make it cold again. As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the dining room table catches my eye -- they need water.

I put the Coke on the dining room table and discover my reading glasses that I've
Been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to put more water in the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the table, go to the kitchen sink to get a jug and fill it with water and suddenly spot the TV remote on the window sill. Some-one left it there.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the window sill, so I decide to put it back in the lounge room where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers. I pour some water in the jug, but spill some on the floor. So, I set the remote back on the kitchen bench, get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

- the car isn't washed

- the cheque's aren't written for the bills to be paid

- there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the dining room table

- the flowers don't have enough water,

- there is still only 1 cheque in my cheque book,

- I can't find the remote,

- I can't find my glasses,

- the garbage hasn't been taken out

- and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day, and I'm really tired now.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.

[queencityfan]

These symtoms sound like some of them can be a sign of the times we live in.

Too many things to get in order.

Too many appointments and obligations.

No time to just sit still and relax.

Feeling guilty for not being productive every waking hour.

Dreading a task or assignment just because we know our plate is way too full as it is.
Maybe medication is not the answer for a lot of this, simplifying our everyday lives would go a long way to reducing the stress we have created for ourselves.

Now if I could just take my own advice......

[kayt707]

My mom always feels life her life is out of control. She makes lists of all the stuff she wants to do and then makes lists of the lists but never actually gets to the things on the list. Shell complain that her finances need to be straightened out and then go reorganize the pantry for the 100th time. She wanders from one thing to another and never really finishes things. Drives me nuts! I love her dearly but if Im going to do something I just want to do it.

[kayt707]

Originally Posted by Seakony

This is worth re-posting again.
For those of you that don't get this, you will, your day is coming................................
AAADD - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder

This is how it manifests . I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing. As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the front verandah table that I brought up from the letter box earlier, just after the mailman had been.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I put my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage bin beside the table, and notice that the bin is full. So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first.

But then I think, since I'm going to be near the post box when I take out the garbage anyway (and the mailman picks up the mail at noon) . I may as well pay the bills first. So, I take my cheque book off the table, and see that there is only 1 cheque left. My spare cheque book is in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking earlier this morning.

I know I going to look for my cheque book, but first I need to push the Coke can aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. The Coke is warm, so I decide to put it in the refrigerator to make it cold again. As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the dining room table catches my eye -- they need water.

I put the Coke on the dining room table and discover my reading glasses that I've
Been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to put more water in the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the table, go to the kitchen sink to get a jug and fill it with water and suddenly spot the TV remote on the window sill. Some-one left it there.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the window sill, so I decide to put it back in the lounge room where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers. I pour some water in the jug, but spill some on the floor. So, I set the remote back on the kitchen bench, get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

- the car isn't washed

- the cheque's aren't written for the bills to be paid

- there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the dining room table

- the flowers don't have enough water,

- there is still only 1 cheque in my cheque book,

- I can't find the remote,

- I can't find my glasses,

- the garbage hasn't been taken out

- and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day, and I'm really tired now.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.

That is sooooo my mom. I think she was going to put this up in her house but.....

[Susie Q Roo]

Originally Posted by queencityfan

These symtoms sound like some of them can be a sign of the times we live in.

Too many things to get in order.

Too many appointments and obligations.

No time to just sit still and relax.

Feeling guilty for not being productive every waking hour.

Dreading a task or assignment just because we know our plate is way too full as it is.
Maybe medication is not the answer for a lot of this, simplifying our everyday lives would go a long way to reducing the stress we have created for ourselves.

Now if I could just take my own advice......

I'd say you're right... if I wasn't retired on a beach in paradise. Sometimes it seems the less I HAVE TO do, the lazier I am. And down here, what is there that I really MUST do?

[Seakony]

Originally Posted by Susie Q Roo

I'd say you're right... if I wasn't retired on a beach in paradise. Sometimes it seems the less I HAVE TO do, the lazier I am. And down here, what is there that I really MUST do?

Yes.. but that can happen anywhere...I go for days with nothing "I have to do". It comes in spurts but I have them just the same. This week, I have a wake and a funeral to attend...going to be a real busy week in my book.
I am getting very concerned about my memory...Freinds talk about stuff that happened a few years ago and I don't remember any of it. That's scary.