Am I ADHD?

Hi everyone, I'm new here and I have a couple of questions.

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder about a year and a half ago, and ever since I started taking medications and was diagnosed, I've become more aware of who I am and have started to pay attention to how my mind functions.

I started noticing that after being on medication, I had difficulty concentrating. And it's become a problem. I also started losing track of conversations, and I didn't feel like I was always "there." So the natural thing to do was talk to my boyfriend (who I've been with for 3 1/2 years...since before I was diagnosed with anything). He told me that I've always been sorta out of it in conversations and stuff, but before I was taking medicine, it seemed as if I didn't care what he had to say or that I would change topics abruptly and cut him off and not even notice that I was being rude or inconsiderate. According to him, after I started the medicine, he could tell that I was actually *trying* to pay attention, but that I couldn't exactly keep a grasp on what was going on. And then I started thinking about my past...

When I was a kid, like between 5 and 9, I was really smart but I got into a *lot* of trouble (for a girl, at least). I would get into fights with people or do reckless things, and in that time period I got in-school suspensions about 5 times. I always got decent grades, but I'm lucky because I've never been the type that needs to study a lot or work very hard to get good grades. But even at that age, I had problems with procrastination. The only reason I would ever do work is because my parents watched me like a hawk.

I recently graduated from college, and I found out about my bipolar when I was in college. I had difficulty completing any assignments during this one semester because I was severely depressed. Even since I've been on my bipolar medication, I procrastinate CONSTANTLY and I can't ever seem to get any work done unless I'm under a serious time constraint. I still get really easily distracted by the TV or friends or the internet. In fact, I used to write my papers pencil-and-paper style despite being a technologically oriented person because that way I couldn't get distracted. I also get tired really easily...sometimes it gets so bad that it becomes difficult for me to function during the day when I have a lot of stuff to do.

I just moved and I don't have a doctor yet in this area, and this is a relatively new perspective on my condition that I haven't had before. Does anyone have any thoughts? Also, if anyone has both bipolar and ADD, how did the doctor distinguish between the two and how was he/she able to determine that you have both?

It's possible to have both Bipolar and ADHD, and unfortunately, it's really hard to sort out the two. It certainly sounds to me as if you could benefit from a thorough diagnostic assessment, including testing for ADHD. At any rate, I do think that all of your symptoms/concerns could and should be addressed by your doctor, regardless of whether you have one or the other or both diagnoses. Hopefully you've been able to find a good doc by now who can help you sort this out and function to your highest potential.

Moving is stressful. I hope you're all settled in now and can relax and enjoy.

Take care,

gg

Hi Nellie,

Read my post next to index adhd/bipolar overlap. Its the last index listed at the top of the page,i think it may answer a question or 2. Alot of us have the same problems as you.

Lisa