[sideblinded]

Hi all

I have been on the borderline personality forum for a little while and have had some great feedback there. I am still perplexed as I have a pdoc who thinks I have ADHD and a psychologist who thinks I have BPD and does NOT think I have ADHD due to a 14 minute space bar test and a mmII one and a one and a half hour personality type test one of these was a conners test? Anyway, the psychologist could say" you don't have ADHD at all" after these tests. I am an older adult who was not diagnosed with ADHD as a child but I can't for the life of me just dismiss the possibility of ADHD. I may very well have BPD, that doesn't bother me the most. It is the fact that she can eliminate ADHD only seeing her 3 times. These are my key symptoms:

(hyperactivity, restlessness, fast mind, lack of motivation, lack of being able to focus on something as I get bored easily, I act before I think or I can't resist urges to interrupt or jump up to intervene when it isn't warranted. I speak from the hip but not to hurt anyone, I am inappropriate in behavior sometimes and I am easily distracted by anything, I am awkward in meeting new people) There is more but I see all of these.

What do you think, do I have predominately ADHD or predominately BPD? Do I possibly have both? I am leaning toward both. I dunno....

[TheatreKid]

Just responding because you listed "fast mind" as a symptom. Have you heard of the book Fast Minds? It's for people with ADHD and people who feel they do or have similar symptoms. I found it in my library and it has been helpful so far in just affirming that I have these symptoms.

The thing with internet diagnoses is that we know you even less well than that psychologist who saw you three times. We couldn't possibly know better than they did.

Even if you don't get an ADHD diagnosis, you can treat your symptoms as if they are without the label. Read about it, find strategies that work to cope with the symptoms. It's harder to get accommodations, but if that trips you up you can always try and see a specialist to know for sure.

[sideblinded]

Originally Posted by TheatreKid

Just responding because you listed "fast mind" as a symptom. Have you heard of the book Fast Minds? It's for people with ADHD and people who feel they do or have similar symptoms. I found it in my library and it has been helpful so far in just affirming that I have these symptoms.

The thing with internet diagnoses is that we know you even less well than that psychologist who saw you three times. We couldn't possibly know better than they did.

Even if you don't get an ADHD diagnosis, you can treat your symptoms as if they are without the label. Read about it, find strategies that work to cope with the symptoms. It's harder to get accommodations, but if that trips you up you can always try and see a specialist to know for sure.

Hi TK

I did see the book on amazon. I am not a person who takes physical risks but I do take gutsy risks like moving to another state 1500 miles away with no people I know there and no job there ....go figure. To me my executive function seems to be a bit out of whack. My fast mind is what I think got me misdiagnosed with bipolar. I was let out of that Dx a year ago. My career was chaotic (ER trauma and code blues) and I had to be a fast thinker so it helped me there. I haven't found it too useful outside of chaos, though. I just get stumbled upon by it. Thanks for your reply. I may buy that book and see if it helps me. I agree labels are not everything but when it comes to getting the right meds, sometimes labels are everything. take care!

I didn't know you took all of those tests....It sounds like a fairly extensive diagnostic work up, don't you think? I've never had the opportunity to take the MMPI or similar test but would like to take it sometime. Were all of the results explained to you?

Anyway, i brought up these same issues with my therapist a few weeks ago. (no wonder i respond to your posts-everything sounds familiar) I think what you are describing might be your temperament, maybe related to genetics that express alcoholism? My Dad was an alchoholic, his father and his fathers father... My therapist said some of this can be issues that those with addictive biology have. I don't drink much, do you? (i used to when i was younger) Ill have to ask him about this more since i don't remember what we concluded except he said i might have an adrenaline-seeking, novelty-seeking temperament.

I can tell you that I've worked at over 30 employers and can be very brave and risk- taking despite high levels of anxiety. I've never been fired from a job; i just thrive on the newness and challenge. I've also, like you, excelled at high-stress jobs and always got promoted very quickly being known as someone who could quickly make difficult decisions in chaotic environments. I have trouble getting started when there is no stress; i procrastinate, procrastinate, and procrastinate. I wish i knew this before i chose a new career. I've taken off and traveled far away too, moving at the spur of the moment. Ha...

Anyway, you might be interesting in looking up novelty-seeking, adrenaline-seeking, and 'open to experience'. There are interesting theories about the brain's different arousal thresholds that might make sense of it. And even if you don't have ADD, the ADD type of medications can probably help with your issues. But like i said before, i wouldn't want to depend on those in the long run. But maybe they somehow regulate the arousal levels?

These are actually good personality traits when paired with conscienctious personality traits, which i think you have. And if you think about it from an evolutionary perspective, people with these traits would be very useful to a society. Gotta look at the whole picture. If you ask your psychologist about this, let me know.

[sideblinded]

Originally Posted by skies

I didn't know you took all of those tests....It sounds like a fairly extensive diagnostic work up, don't you think? I've never had the opportunity to take the MMPI or similar test but would like to take it sometime. Were all of the results explained to you? [QUOTE/]

Anyway, i brought up these same issues with my therapist a few weeks ago. (no wonder i respond to your posts-everything sounds familiar) I think what you are describing might be your temperament, maybe related to genetics that express alcoholism? My Dad was an alchoholic, his father and his fathers father... My therapist said some of this can be issues that those with addictive biology have. I don't drink much, do you? (i used to when i was younger) Ill have to ask him about this more since i don't remember what we concluded except he said i might have an adrenaline-seeking, novelty-seeking temperament. [QUOTE/]

I can tell you that I've worked at over 30 employers and can be very brave and risk- taking despite high levels of anxiety. I've never been fired from a job; i just thrive on the newness and challenge. I've also, like you, excelled at high-stress jobs and always got promoted very quickly being known as someone who could quickly make difficult decisions in chaotic environments. I have trouble getting started when there is no stress; i procrastinate, procrastinate, and procrastinate. I wish i knew this before i chose a new career. I've taken off and traveled far away too, moving at the spur of the moment. Ha...

Anyway, you might be interesting in looking up novelty-seeking, adrenaline-seeking, and 'open to experience'. There are interesting theories about the brain's different arousal thresholds that might make sense of it. And even if you don't have ADD, the ADD type of medications can probably help with your issues. But like i said before, i wouldn't want to depend on those in the long run. But maybe they somehow regulate the arousal levels?

These are actually good personality traits when paired with conscienctious personality traits, which i think you have. And if you think about it from an evolutionary perspective, people with these traits would be very useful to a society. Gotta look at the whole picture. If you ask your psychologist about this, let me know.

Yes I will let you know what happens!! We sound very similar. I am wondering if I have both ADHD missed from childhood and some type of bipolar (on the bipolar spectrum) like bipolar II (hypomania) and borderline traits from an alcoholic home and I have been wondering if my mother had borderline personality with some type of bipolar which she medicated with alcohol. She was not impulsive, though. She was very smart and very grounded, so I do not think she had ADHD. She smoked and drank while she was pregnant...I was born under weight and 6 weeks premature. Risk factors for developing ADHD or aspergers. spelling? Yes, I am now wondering if bipolar wasn't so far from a correct diagnosis for me. The ADHD was missed and I believe that those ADD tests do not measure hyperactivity and disorganized fast speech like I have. I overcame a lot of the attentive ADHD problems I had as a child but not the motor like hyperactivity I feel all the time. Those tests cannot measure dopamine deficiency, either. I get to see my old pdoc on the 31st ...yeayyyy and a new therapist who I can afford on the 25th. I will keep you posted. Oh, I do not drink at all. I have no interest to drink. I don't think I have an addictive personality. I do seek novelty when I get complacent and impulsivity has ruined my life! HUGS!

[sideblinded]

will someone PM me and explain how to answer inside of quotes or rather how to respond to parts of quotes at a time..?

[sideblinded]

I know I am sorta grasping at straws as far as labels. I realize that my pdoc is going to treat my symptoms so labels are kinda important although not everything. Maybe I don't have ADHD...ha! I just am not convinced yet. The number one reason is...with mood disorders, they are episodic and change. My hyperactivity is constant. It is every single day from the time I wake up until bed time.

On a lesser note my impulse control is horrible. I can't stop interrupting people....it is very rude but I can hardly stop doing it. This could be pressured speech as in bipolar so I may have overlapping traits there.

This constant motor hyperactivity is the key symptom that has me stuck thinking it is ADHD. I am open to a differential diagnosis if it can be explained to me.

[sideblinded]

How is ADHD diagnosed?

There is no single medical, physical, or other test for ADHD. To determine if you have the disorder, a doctor or other health professional uses these tools:

1.A checklist of symptoms
2.Tests that tell him or her about the person's behavior
3.Answers to questions about the person's past and present problems
4.Information from family members or someone close to you
5.A medical exam to rule out other medical causes for symptoms

ADHD tests do not diagnosis. There is no single test that can diagnosis ADHD.