[xnc123]

I'm new to this board and new to the diagnosis of ADHD. I've been having anger issues & depression and finally was able to see a psychiatrist yesterday. We already knew I was depressed but after going through the questions, she said she also suspected that I was adult ADHD. This blew me away since I didn't see myself fitting into what I thought ADHD was.
I've been researching this all day, taking assessments online and I can see how I can have ADHD. What is confusing to me is that when I was younger, after going through depression, I was told I had borderline personality disorder (BPD). A lot (not all) of the symptoms are the same and I seem to fit both conditions. I guess I'm confused because I feel like I had finally accepted the label of BPD and now I'm told I'm ADHD which is a bit devistating because I feel like there's just one more thing wrong with me. I want to get better, not find out I'm more messed up than I thought.
I'm taking 150 mg of Wellbutrin to start; it is supposed to help with the depression and the ADHD, so I'm hoping to see a change. I am also hoping that therapy will help with what I'm going through and hopefully narrow down my dx.
Thanks for listening.

[LMo]

Welcome xnc

Please reconsider feeling like somethign is 'wrong' with you because of a potential ADHD diagnosis. It's a processing difference, not a disease or disorder. I'm willing to bet that it isn't even very uncommon, diagnosing adult ADHD is a relatively new thing and there aren't any reliable statistics just yet.

Hopefully the Wellbutrin will help. We don't have a ton of ADHD members here at this time, but those that do post always offer some really good information and coping tips.

We're here for you!

[woods]

you know ive looked the same thing up too. bipolar is almost the same thing as adhd. well the same symptoms. well for a while i thought i had bpd. but i dont know. ive never been diagnosed before. my parents just said i have adhd. and that was it.
it bothers me alot now. but its the past right?

anyways i was just thinking is all

[DenVII]

Here's the way I look at it.

Last month (due to family members being diagnosed) I started investigating the possibility that I have ADHD.

I've always known there was something wrong with me. My chaotic life and many failings left no doubt of that.

The natural thing is to think it's your own fault (and many people are all too willing to help you to that conclusion and blame you for everything that goes wrong in your life).

It's one thing to have something wrong with you.

It's entirely another thing to have that "something" be YOUR fault.

I just recently realized that.....yes, there's something wrong with me.....and NO, it's not my fault--it's just the way I am.

There are some things I simply can't do, and some things I never WILL be able to do, and some things that I failed at before that I may do successfully with help from medication or better planning and strategies.

All in all, I feel much better now.....and quite hopeful.

Knowledge is power.

[reeltr]

I'm new here too and have been diagnosed with ADD since summer. I started a course of Strattera which helped me feel less frantic but I still lacked any focus/direction. I was changed to Adderall XR in the fall and things are better now although not perfect.

Like you, I never knew there was anything wrong with me, but looking back on my childhood and young adulthood, I can now see the pattern and the differences between the way I approach life and the way "normal" people do.

What finally got me the help I needed was a brief (6 month) narcotic addiction which got so bad, I lost my job and entered treatment and am now sober. I had never been addicted to drugs/alcohol in the past, but for multiple reasons at the age of 40, I was addicted.

Anyway, the path to discovering your diagnosis may be varied, but the first step has been taken. A good therapist/physician combo will help you find what works for you. It may be very different from what works for me.

I have heard people say that when the right treatment for their ADD/ADHD was found, they finally felt "whole" again.

Good luck in your search for wellness. <font color="#000088"> </font>

[AlliKamikaze]

Congratulations on going to the psychiatrist! That's such a big first step, especially for those of us who have a hard time getting started.

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We already knew I was depressed but after going through the questions, she said she also suspected that I was adult ADHD. This blew me away since I didn't see myself fitting into what I thought ADHD was.

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This sounds just like what happened to me. I had been taking depressants for the last 4 years but when I saw the psychiatrist he blew both me and my mom away saying that he thought I had ADD. I, too, had viewed ADD differently before and saw myself not fitting into it. But after a while all the puzzle pieces fit, and it was really quite enlightening.

I can imagine you must feel a little overwhelmed after almost figuring out BPD and having the label of ADHD thrown upon you as well. But I really do think that you might begin to see your ADHD as a blessing instead of a curse. Sure, it has it's moments (ask anyone here lol), but as I came to understand my ADD it was easier to see the good things about it.
People without AD/HD may see it as a disorder, seeings as it was labeled as such in the first place. But in a lot of ways, the way our minds work isn't wrong, it's just different. I think that problems from AD/HD result from trying to think like the rest of the world, when we don't, and learning to understand why. But I have no doubt that ADD really is a blessing. I wouldn't want to sacrifice my spontaneousness, my creativity, or my strange thought paths just to be like everyone else.
I hope I don't sound motherly in that :\
But I think that seeing ADHD in a new light would be really enlightening for you. It certainly was for me.

I'm glad you're getting medication. I have depression and ADD as well. There's so many medications that it may take a while for you and your psychiatrist to figure out what works the best for you. I went through a few different strategies, and each one worked pretty well, but when I found the right one (I do well with Aderall and Lexapro personally), it was like striking the right chord with my mind. I agree that therapy would be very helpful too. Mine helped me a lot with filling in the gaps between my medication and it helped me self-esteem because I understood myself better. I don't know if it would help you, but one of the advantages of having a psychiatrist was also that I could take my school tests in peace (in another room away from distractions and other students). The doctor can help you make accomodations so that things improve drastically.
Anyway, I wish you the best of luck and I hope things improve for you very soon.
And if you do need someone to talk to, even just to listen, I know that myself as well as many others in the community would be happy to.