Parents: Do your kids have ADD or ADHD?

Question

What are their symptoms?

What is their treatment?

I am 18 years old and since I was really little doctors, teachers, parents of my friends have all said they thought I had ADD.

I know I don't have ADHD because I am not hyper.

Although, I can't focus on anything to save my life. Thoughts run through my head at a million miles an hour and even when thinking to myself I bounce from one thing to another.

I am easily distracted.

I lose my train of thought easily.

When someone is talking to me, my mind wanders and I end up not hearing a word they say, especially if the topic doesn't interest me.

I can't focus in class, I find myself daydreaming.

Its not like I do any of this on purpose, like the not hearing what people say, I try to stay focused but it doesn't work.

I think I need to try something but I don't know what.

Help?

Answer 1

Our youngest son has adhd with oppositional definace disorder... his symptoms are yelling and screaming, one fit right after the other, not sitting still, fighting , pushing, throwing things, cussing, hitting us ... he is on  a high dose or ritalin which is 40 mgs he gets 2 in the morning and 2 at night... as he gets older we hope to cut it back some but he was born drug addicted so every day is a new challenge with him... he is our foster son and i have had him since he was 6 months old ... ODD  is they dont understand nor no the word NO and they buck the word and dont care about the consequences... start your child on a low dose of what ever they prescribe and it could work good for u...

Answer 2

i have adhd but the doctors took ages to accept it

it was first picked up on by my mother when i was 3 with my complete lack of fear ( i was on holiday in Italy and walked strait into the the sea until the water was nearly over my head.)

adhd is a bit misunderstood - brat syndrome but it has other aspects to it to.

Answer 3

There are many possibilities you have to consider but you should go to a psychologist or perhaps a neurologist to get a real evaluation. Teachers, parents, and most normal doctors don't know anything about ADD and its causes.

It is very over diagnosed and medication seems to be the most popular way of dealing with it.

One other question, do you have fits of rage , for example when something or someone does not meet your expectations. When they don't do what they wanted you to do? Tourette's Syndrome is often over looked and called ADD.

Answer 4

2 years ago the Doctor diagnosed my 6 years old girl with ADHA but I didn't stop there... I took her to more testing like learning tests.. reading test... in the end they found out that she was dyslectic and not ADHD the thing is some time there are other problems that have the same symptoms like ADHD.. but they are not.. for example she always was distracted and never able to concentrate and looks like hyper.. I found out this is the way she dealt with her frustration of not being able to read or see the word clearly.. she got board because she was doing nothing..so my best advise is please try to get all the testing before you diagnosed yourself

Answer 5

The length of your question suggests that you were able to stay on task for a significant period of time in order to ask it.  The fact that it is easy to read and understand means that you were able to put your thoughts together and not only maintain your train of thought, but effectively convey it to others.  

ADD is a trendy thing to put on other people.  The only people who are qualified to tell you that you have ADD are doctors, not your parents, friends, teachers, or anybody who answers this question.  And even with doctors there are many, many others who believe it is overly diagnosed.  ADD is a good way for many doctors to push medication and make a lot of money.

From what I understand, inability to concentrate can be associated with many things, including depression, fear of something, or a lack of confidence.  Meaning, a lack of concentration could be a symptom of another problem, not the problem itself and, therefore, not ADD.  A psychologist can help with this. That might sound drastic and presumptuous for me to say but the main reason I suggest a psychologist is that they don't push medication, so they are more likely to actually listen and give practical advice and information about the brain. If you do this though, don't force anything.  If you feel the slightest bit uncomfortable, find another one or try something else.

Another thing, concentration is also a skill that can be developed and requires motivation and energy to do so.  So maybe there is no actual "disorder" or underlying problem,  just an undeveloped skill, which is something that your parents and these teachers are supposed to help you with in the first place.  The very purpose of their job is to help you with your development and maybe they aren't very good at it (not to insult your parents).  They don't realize it or want to admit it so they put it on you.

I am just an everyday person who doesn't know you, so I am not really qualified to tell you what to try.  But I guess my suggestions (in summary) would be:  STICK TO THINGS THAT INTEREST YOU or try games or exercises that require concentration; talk to a psychologist, but be picky; and/or question authority.

It is my take that when all these people tell you that you have ADD, you don't believe them or else you wouldn't be looking for an answer here,  so I just wanted to help by presenting only a few alternative possibilities that I know, and that nobody else may be telling you.  

And sorry for the long answer.  Lol, if you managed to read this entire thing, you definitely don't have ADD!

Answer 6

I was diagnosed with ADD when I was 16 or 17. The doctor gave me adderall pills that made me focus. The pills made me focus so hard that I saved them to cram for AP History tests and quizzes fitting in an entire two weeks of lessons into a couple hours staying up late chain smoking by my window....

Trust me, the drugs are more trouble than they're worth.

I have come to realize that I learn differently than other people and like you, my thoughts are constantly jumping. But I don't believe in ADD anymore. I think people in our younger generations just have short attention spans from fast-paced games, movies, tv, Web sites etc.

I think it's best to accept yourself but work for positive change. Add things into your life that calm and relax you: meditation, green tea, reading actual books, distance running.

I'll bet you have short attention for most things but really kick *** at the things you care about. Use your particular mind for power - as a way to do only what you care about in life.

I became a journalist because I don't have patience for things that bore me.

Always love yourself and try to turn things around so they work for you. Maybe you'll never be "Average" but trust me, average is a bore!