Can one have ADHD and hypervigilance?

I read that people with ADD or ADHD have problems picking up on social cues. ADDers are very empathetic if they know there is a problem. The problem lies with not being able to see under the surface.

I have ADHD symptoms BUT I also have hypervigilance. I read that hyperactivity can be due to it hypervigilance. Also, I am hyperaroused. I pick up on people's emotions all too well. I was abused as a kid and I have PTSD.

I am not always appropriate at handling others emotions but I see them very quickly.

Does this necessarily mean that I do not have ADHD?

I'll respond to my question.

1) I seem to post boring information.
2) I ask difficult questions that are hard for anyone to answer if they are not a therapist.

Sorry, gang

I really need to be patient and talk with my new T in a week. I am really not sure of my dx's .

I only know that I have certain symptoms and they are very complex. Too difficult to put neatly in a box, so I will hunker down for a while.

Bye for now.

I only just got to your thread, SideBlinded, but with that said, yeah...hard to be sure. I am all that you are but my dx is BPD and ADD.

When you talk to your T, ask them...as they will be much more help. Meantime, just know you're not alone. I'm also a rapid cycler so I'm always having lots of fun every day! lol

I have the same diagnoses for the same reason you do. I am always hypervigilant but not always hyperactive. If there's a connection, I've never noticed it, though now that I think about it, when I am hyperactive, I don't think I am quite as hypervigilant as usual. Does that make sense?

I am supersensitive to others feelings and do not always respond appropriately either. I think that's more symptomatic of ADHD than PTSD.

I'm assuming you've been formally diagnosed by at least one psychiatrist with this, if not, you need to be tested. For what it's worth, I wasn't diagnosed until I was over 40 so you seem to be way ahead in the game compared to me.

I am so confused right now. One pdoc diagnosed ADHD without doing any tests. I gave her my history. One psychologist diagnosed BPD AND said I did NOT have ADD because she did do some testing. I gave her hardly any history.

I may not have ADHD and I may not have BPD. I was abused as a child and I am very hypervigilant. I use soothing behavior like rocking myself to sleep and rock all day in a rocking chair (habit) and maybe I am just traumatized from childhood. Then I went into medicine where there was chaos, trauma and lots of death. I had a nervous breakdown after 15 years of it. I was an RT who covered the ICU and ER. I was part of the code team. (airway management) and I saw a lot of trauma. That didn't help me to calm down from my abusive childhood at all. Now I am hyperaroused and startle easily and am restless most of the time. I don't know what all this fits into, really.

A label is just a label and is really only useful to help you get services, otherwise you spend so much time twisting yourself to fit the label. I was misdiagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder at one point and totally overidentified and found myself limiting myself and deciding I couldn't do things like socialize and make eye contact... total BS. I can socialize fine, and eye contact is a little unnatural but I'm fine with it. But I had decided that this label meant I was incompetent at some things. I'm so glad I'm not defining myself like that any more.

It might serve you better to let go of labels and find someone who will treat the symptoms you DO have. No one fits a label perfectly.

That is scarey to me in a way....if they diagnose the wrong thing...I will get the wrong meds....I do see what you are saying, though. I need to stop fretting over it. Thanks for your support!

If I were you, I would start with a licensed mental health counselor LMHC and don't share your prior diagnosis, but DO share what you are sharing in this post regarding the childhood abuse, professional trauma, and your soothing behaviors. It will take more than one session to properly assess you, and then the two of you can decide if medications would be helpful, and the therapist can recommend a good psychiatrist. I have always had a LMHC working in conjunction with my psychiatrist which is why I am making progress. I still have bad days, and maybe I always will, but I also have the comfort of being just a phone call away from a professional who can help any time of the day or night.

I hope this helps.

WW

Thanks so much werewoman!

I agree that I need to discuss all of this to a T who is willing to listen before they shoot me with a quick assessment. I most probably have BPD and PTSD.

I just talked to the psychologist who said I do not have ADD and I do have BPD and maybe bipolar, on the phone. I was actually requesting the ADD conners test results and she said she could not release them by law. I told her that I am not convinced with her assessments as she did not get a history from me. She seemed defensive. So I will be patient and talk to a new T on Friday. We will see.

Thanks again

Whoa! Yeah, you need to get as far away from that so-called psychologist (have you verified that she has a license to practice?) as you can get. ANYTIME a mental healthcare 'professional' gets defensive, that's a huge red flag. It means they are making it personal when they should be more objective.

PM me if you want and let me know how things go on Friday.

WW

OK, thanks! Will do!

Sideblinded, I have PTSD and I improve with Adderall. Interestingly last hospital, after brouhaha about giving me adderall with violent ideation decided I was major depression and borderline traits. I saw it as a way to treat me effectively without getting spanked for giving ptsd stimulants.

At some point categorising the symptoms into cluster isnt as important as treating symptoms. Psychiatry isnt a logic puzzle. It is adjusting your brain by whatever means are available for optimal functioning.

Gabor Mate is a drug addiction ADD pdoc with a lot to say about ADD and early childhood psychological injury and trauma. Hes on youtube. His books are invaluable.

I know too how frustrating to have deep or complicated questions and get no response.

I will look up Gabor Mate on youtube. I agree that I am too focused on dx and the right label. You are correct, my pdoc is going to treat my symptoms anyway. It is confusing when I have docs who diagnose different things and don't agree with each other. Psychiatry is so much guesswork, it is very complicated. Thanks so much for your support!

Hypervigilance? You mean as in hyperfocus? Yes, it can be one of the symptoms.

NIMH · Home

I have found the National Institute of Mental Health website to be by far the most informative for any questions I have about my diagnoses.

Hypervigilance is a state of constant arousal. You are constantly looking over your shoulder and all around you for potential danger and if any is detected (either real or imaginary) a fight or flight response usually ensues.

Hyperfocus is the ability to focus on a singularity, be it a book, video game, daydreaming, person, etc. at the expense of everything else going on around you. When in a hyperfocused state, it may take several attempts for someone to get your attention. The joke around my house is that when I am in this state, a bomb could go off next to me and I might look up and go, "What was that?"

Ok, I finally saw a really good different T today and she is very sharp! We talked for an hour and a half and she did my initial assessment to get back in with my old pdoc who released me from bipolar disorder a year ago. She had to refer me to another T because she isn't taking on new patients, but I am very hopeful as she referred me to a male T who specializes in childhood trauma. I see him on Monday the 28th. I am so happy to be seen so quickly as he had a cancellation. She did not see any reason to doubt my old pdoc's release of bipolar disorder. Yeayyyy.

My diagnoses are (and I believe that this T is correct) are:

MDD
GAD
ADHD (Predominately Hyperactive-Impulsive Type)

Axis IV: social/emotional, daily living, grief and loss

Although I had a few criteria for BPD, I did not meet enough of the DSM-V criteria for an official dx.

She will inform my new T that we need to further explore PTSD as a dx.

This is a relief to me as now I have a T and one pdoc who agree with ADHD. I also have my old pdoc and a T who agree I do not have bipolar. The BPD was only getting started as a discussion but not diagnosed and this new T believes that it is out of the question.

Whew.....finally I feel that I know what I need to start working on and maybe now I will get better meds to deal with all of this!

Thanks guys for your concern and support. I will continue to be around and share.

AWESOME!

I am really glad you made progress! ***hugs***

I think the single most important thing in my therapy has been getting my 'label' - it geared me towards the right reading material, learning how to recognize what was happening, and more. Of course we know what our symptoms are, but its very helpful to know why. Especially for clinical purposes in developing treatment methods, and nevermind medication.

Oh, I am hypervigilant too! So, do you like position things very carefully around you to make sure no one messes with your things while you step away to get a cup of water? Haha Ok its not funny... especially since you were abused. I am laughing at myself. Even while I know I will be continuing to monitor my surroundings for 'danger'. XD

I never mind humor, Kimaya! I'm kinda a jokester to those around me as well. I totally agree that it helps to know a direction to walk in to get help for one's self. I also like to research about my problems. I have been on so many meds in the past and have had to discontinue so many meds due to side effects. So for me knowing the right labels will IMO help to get more appropriate medications. I hate meds but I do need something for my depression and a better one for my insomnia.

Well as far as hypervigilance, yes, yes I do like to watch my things very carefully, but in a way, that isn't a bad thing! But, I seem to be a safety freak always checking to see if my tires are flat and I keep mace around and a small knife in my pocket. I sometimes carry a bigger knife around. I, too am trying to decrease my anxiety about harm around me. It's like I feel that I need to be ready for anything.

Well....what a crock!

I saw an intake T last week. She informed me that she wasn't taking new patients. OK, I can deal with that. She referred me to a male T who said "he was good at childhood trauma". I met with him yesterday and his schedule was full for a month and could not guarantee me at least 2 times a month. Also, he acted as if he was lost as far as childhood trauma.....urghhhhh!

So now, I have been referred to another T, who will see me on the 12th of August. Waiting...waiting.... waiting.....did I say waiting? I'll be 95 when I get healed....lol

Well....guess I should take back my celebration, huh?

By all means, keep trying. Persistence has always paid off for me, and because of that, I have learned to see myself as a survivor of child abuse and no longer (usually, anyway) a victim. I still have my bad days, but there are fewer of them as time goes by and I am usually able to function normally.

The celebration is coming...I can feel it in my rickety bones.....So we will celebrate soon!!

Hehehehe, hang in there missie

Just an update:

I just saw that male T and he is actually very good to talk to. All that worrying for nothing. They made me go around in circles but I was assigned to him again and I went for it and it turned out just fine. Now if only his schedule would open up some. I see him again in 3 weeks. I am not celebrating until I can see him regularly. Soon I can celebrate...soon, I hope.