[AtlantaFalcons]

Good Day All,

My mother was told while I was in Elementary School that I had ADD. She told me this after I had informed her of a commercial I had seen on TV describing the symptoms. Her reply being a Psychiatric nurse was that she didn’t want me on Ritalin which was the solution at the time. My grades continued to worsen from my lack of focus. I would read and jump all around the page and then my mind would begin to wonder. I was also very hyperactive which I later learned to manage as an adult by not doing such outlandish things as I did as a child. Today I just burst out in song every now and then which some people find funny. Teachers would always say that I was not applying myself and that I was very bright. My family says that I started reading at 2 years old. (Now I can’t finish a book) And I could hold above average conversations with adults at a young age. So of course when your family see's all of the potential and then the results from school show something completely different they begin to come down on you. My family is African American / West Indian and I have come to realize that our race doesn’t like to acknowledge mental disease. Anyway, I struggled and got lucky in a lot of places which has allowed me to become a decent citizen. But I have always known that I was able to achieve more but something somewhere was lacking. The ADD has become more prevalent now that I am an adult studying for IT certifications and starting a business. It is like I have hit a ceiling and can’t break the glass. So I went to my doctor and told her of my ADD suspicion and she sad that it SOUNDS like I have ADD and that I will need to see a Psychiatrist for that to be determined. So, two weeks from now I have my first appointment with my Psychiatrist and I can’t wait. I will let those who choose to read this post know the outcome.

Thanks
Atlanta Falcons Fan

[Rising Phoenix]

I can relate a lot to your story. I was diagnosed as a kid (and put on medication that made me sick) and learned to deal with my symptoms to an extent. I just had my second kid and have lost a lot of my ability to function (I could hardly function before.) I'm also hoping to get on medication soon. I can't predict how your visit with the Psychiatrist will go (my therapist is well aware that I'm ADHD and communicates with my doctor), I really hope it goes well and you get the treatment you need. Let us know how things go!

[redbull]

I can also relate to your story. My mother was told both me and one of my older brothers had ADHD when we were kids and she put my brother on Ritalin for only one week. She didn't like him being on the meds so she took him off of them and the two of us struggled all throughout school. My brother really suffered as he also has dyslexia. We never saw any doctors for our ADHD after that.
My moms answer to everything is pretend nothing is wrong, I guess she figures everything will just turn out ok somehow.