(Cross-posted from my personal journal.)
I wrote this as a comment on a blog in response to a woman who is homeschooling her son and is pretty sure he has ADHD. She hasn't sought a diagnosis for him, probably because she is able to meet his educational needs through homeschooling rather than making him sit down in a classroom for several hours a day. I'm reposting it here for posterity, and because I think it's important information:
Speaking as someone with severe ADHD that wasn't diagnosed until my 20s, I REALLY REALLY REALLY encourage you to pursue a diagnosis for your son even if you do not put him in school. When people grow up with undiagnosed ADHD, they learn from society that their problem behaviours are due to character flaws--as one popular book on ADHD puts it, that they are lazy, stupid, or crazy. Most of the adults in an undiagnosed ADHD child's life usually communicate this to them--you're probably not doing so to your son, since you know what's going on with him and try to work with his brain rather than against it, but any other adults your son encounters probably will. ADHD traits annoy authority figures, and are generally perceived as originating from lack of effort. Most people, when they see a person who is late all the time, doesn't remember things, and can't pay attention, don't think the person has ADHD. They think "Oh, that person doesn't care about what they're doing." That is how people will likely react to your son unless he gets a diagnosis.
Most people with undiagnosed ADHD end up with very low self-esteem, along with other mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, by adulthood as a result. A diagnosis is a godsend for them, because they finally figure out that no, they couldn't have made all their problems go away if only they'd tried harder, so they don't need to hate themselves for not trying hard enough. However, it is very difficult to undo the effects of all the derogatory messages they have gotten from society for so many years, especially since anxiety and a failure to understand one's own limitations can worsen ADHD symptoms.
An ADHD diagnosis is by FAR your son's best shot at avoiding some of this. There are still a lot of people who don't understand ADHD, and some of them really don't WANT to understand, but the level of ADHD knowledge among people who work with children for a living is way better than it used to be. If people working with your son know that he has ADHD, they are much more likely to accept his limitations and recognize when he is making an effort, rather than criticizing him for behaviour he cannot control. Furthermore, if you educate your son about how his brain works, he will have a narrative about himself that makes sense, which he can use to counter negative messages that he gets from society based on his ADHD traits. A diagnosis will give him a chance at decent self-esteem and dramatically improve his chances of a healthy, happy adult life.
Your son would probably also function much better on ADHD medication. For most people with ADHD, it is much easier to function in life if they are on medication. The need for medication becomes more acute in the increasingly demanding situations that people encounter as they get older, such as college classes and jobs, and many people with untreated ADHD who functioned well as children become less functional as life's demands get greater. Medication also makes it easier to avoid earning the ire of people who will denigrate anyone who shows ADHD traits (and that's a LOT of people), which is very helpful for self-esteem and life success.
Please carefully consider what I'm saying. If your son truly has ADHD, diagnosis and treatment are extremely important for his long-term welfare.
(ETA: Just changed the entry from members-only to public so I can link to it for people outside this community, with one comment on the entry. I hope that's okay.)
...five minutes after taking your medication, you wonder, "Wait, did I just take my medication?" and you actually have to check.
Is anyone here working a 12-step program? How was it for you doing the 4th-step inventory? I tried 25+- years ago, and am thinking about it again, and it just makes my ADD head swim. I could only ever do it piecemeal, a comprehensive inventory was just too much for me to wrap my brain around. Piecemeal's better than nothing, but I'd really like to do a comprehensive if there's a way I can manage it. If anyone here has managed, I'd be grateful for some 'experience, strength, and hope'. How'd you do it? I'm just emerging from a period of coming to terms with my disability, and ready to start trying to find a new balance between beating myself up for my flaws vs. not taking responsibility for them. So I guess that's 2 questions: how to break the project down so my ADD brain can handle it, and how to treat disability-related shortcomings? Like, I was late for my job almost every day for 19 years ... ADD gives me trouble with punctuality, but at some point I need to take responsibility for finding a way to overcome that trouble, right? Just e.g.
For the benefit of the non-12-steppers, I'm referring to the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, later adopted by many others with issues other than alcohol, and the 4th step reads "Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves".
Screening comments for anonymity (my own LJ is anonymous, so I'm not bothering to friends-lock). If you'd like unscreened to share your es&h with the lurkers, let me know.
PS, an LJ friend and I are interested in starting a "12 Steps for Everyone" community on LJ -- no addictions required. If you'd be interested in participating, please let me know here or by pm. Unless it got really big we're not thinking about doing something formal like virtual meetings, just sharing our es&h with people who share that common approach & language.
Thanks.
I need some help please.
Recently, I was given amoxicillin (antibiotics) for something going on with a tooth. I'm supposed to take it four times a day until its gone. The ADD medication I take is Vyvanse (70 mg).
My problem is I've been feeling really, really tired these past few days. I know its not from lack of sleep because I've gotten at the very least 7 hours of sleep each night. And I really shouldn't be this tired while on my ADD medication. I'm just worried this is from mixing drugs or whatever. I made it very clear to the doctor who gave me the antibiotics that I was on Vyvanse, that it was for ADD, and that it was a stimulant. But you never know.
I don't know...I guess I'm wondering...have any of you had experience with something like this? Should I call my psychiatrist or am I overreacting? etc
I seem to be two quite different people when using and when not using Ritalin-
I found myself making a list of pros and cons-
Ritalin FencerT Pros:
Focused, Productive, Learns/Retains, Enhanced academic performance, Improved career prospects, Higer IQ
Ritalin FencerT Cons:
More anxious, Over-focused, Less social, Less personable, Less fun, Can't sleep without Ambion
No Ritalin FencerT Pros:
Playful, Relaxed, Fun, More physical, Happier, Sleeps without aid, Possibly more creative in certain ways.
No Ritalin FencerT Cons:
No career, Unfocused, Poor memory, Reduced IQ, Poor learner.
Not sure what to make of it all... least I can be both in a good week, long as my work doesnt require me to take the Ritalin every day.
What did you get done this week?
What did you get done today?
I cleaned the bathroom, was on time for my dentist appointment and my eye appointment, chose awesome glasses for my new prescription, and finished watching Angel season 4.
-
- Current Mood
-
hungry
