[anushka]

This is kind of a silly issue but i am worrying a lot.

I have almost all of the symptoms of adhd (inattention type). I have them from childhood. I have been struggling a lot for a very long time. My career is primarily study based, since i am pursuing phd in physics. Whenever there is any assignment or exam, i cant at all organize and totally
mess up big time and underperform. Time management is zero. And whenever i need to read important papers i cant concentrate and cant remember. This is a maddening struggle and is killing me ever since i left the structured environment of school. At one point, I had tried very hard to change on my own but failed. For the last 10 months i am gradually also becoming very depressed, and one of the reasons i feel is my adhd symptoms and the associated helplessness and hopelessness.

When depression was gradually setting in, i went to doctor. My country is not developed, so you cant find adhd specialist, only general psychiatrist. I am sure he doesn't have much experience with adhd (most ppl here go for depression and ocd etc). Though i mentioned my symptoms, he just concluded anxiety and prescribed me antidepressants. It didn't even improve my depression. I went back after 2 months, he changed the medication and even that didn't work at all. So i thought maybe i should focus on therapy. I went for therapy regularly for 6 months (no diagnosis yet) , but no change in neither depression nor the adhd symptoms.

At this point i am heavily depressed. I feel the depression is half due to adhd but then, o cant be sure.

Finally i sat back and thought, in my country, where most psychiatrist and psychologists are not at all experienced in adhd, it will be hard for any of them to recognise my adhd(if at all i have) if i simply say 'concentration prob' etc. So this time i took a bolder step and consulted a psychologist who diagnoses problems and thought of directly saying her 'i want to have a screening test for adhd and depression'.

Next friday is the appointment.

Now i am very nervous. Sometime i am thinking that i am enforcing the stuffs. A part of my mind is telling me i am just making up. But you know, its true that nowadays i am so depressed that i can hardly getting out of bed. And on the other hand its also true that i always have had a hard time to get organised and concentrate on my priorities. Nowadays, my concentration problem, forgetfulness and organisational issue has become so worse that I cant concentrate on studies which is essential for my career and am lagging behind and just dragging along.

Is it okay to have adhd and simply remain undiagnosed and untreated and drag along like i am doing, constantly performing lower than my worth? Is it proper to simply take antidepressants to lift my mood and do nothing about adhd?

Do you think, under all these circumstances, my recent approach of directly asking for adhd and depression screening, is proper? Or am i self-assuming too much? Any alternative way of approaching both these issues?

Kindly tell me what you feel..

[Cocosurviving]

Hello there,

There are “some” individuals that have ADHD and can manage without meds. My 12 year daughter is in 7th grade this year and she does not take meds. However she use to take meds but asked to stop two years ago. My 24 year son works part -time and goes to college. He also has ADHD and takes meds. He tried without meds and it did not work for him. My son did psychotherapy many years ago when he was in middle school. It helped him with coping skills, time management, deal with emotions and organizational skills.
I’ve read of a person getting officially diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 40 years old. The person said they had been having symptoms since they were a kid. Whatever “it” is it’s not going to go away so why not find out what it actually is and try to get the proper treatment if it’s available.

-Best

[Llama_Llama44]

Being diagnosed can also help if your school has accommodations for people with adhd (disability services). You may be able to utilize some services, if you do have adhd. And if you don't, it would be useful to better understand what issues you DO have.

Either way, realize that the "testing" is not a 100% definitive answer, but will hopefully give you more information and guidance.

[WayOffTrack]

I think your insight is spot-on. It's helpful to be forward with your physician, don't worry about whether or not it's appropriate to go in and share your own diagnosis. You know you better than anyone else and though I'm not a doctor, what you describe sounds like ADD to me. And the depression is there too. I hope your able to get the right help this time, but if not, keep trying until you find what works for you. You're worth the effort. Good luck.