Doc thinks i have ADD?

Hiya everyone, i'm Max, i'm female and I'm 44, my GP thinks i have ADD, it's not the first time someone has mentioned it to me, and it didn't actually come as a surprise. My whole life i have just bumbled along, and lived with chaos!!. I have underachieved gone from job to job, relationship to relationship. I have also been depressed these past few weeks, which makes the confusion, memory problems and concentration worse. Does anyone know if meds are the only way to help with the poor memory and concentration? i would give anything to improve these areas!!

Hey max...welcome tp pc.

Dunno about memory and meds but I do know meds worked on my concentration. And focus as well. So it does help.

Keeps me from being so hyper....lol

Hope this helps
Colleen

Hi ct, i don't really have a problem with being hyper, trying to retain info, and concentrating are real problems though....as is zoning out. There are probably techniques for dealing with it, but where to start first is confusing?....., :O)

Yup figuring where to start is hard.

But there are coping techniques. I make lists......then the hard part is not losing them....lol

But you've gotten this far in life so you are coping whether or not you realize it.

We all have ways to get by and for me ritalin helps with retaining info. Are you on meds yet?

Colleen

No meds yet, not been referred yet, i just wanted to have xmas and think about it! the only reason i went to the doc is because i have just become unemployed again!!! i know i need some help!!!! I have coped quite well, you are right about that, i have always kept the attitude, accept me the way i am or stay away!! :O) but the older i get the harder it gets to find employment, and i would like to go back to school, but can't keep it all together, i have dropped out of that many courses i have lost count...lol i spend a lot of time, in a state of confusion, or zoned out :O)

Youll get there. just have patience. Ritalin has helped me greatly! and i think it also helps with my "moodiness".

So as soon as you can get in. GET IN THERE!!! LOL you will see such a difference. I know there are a lot of people who dont believe in meds ( im NOT one of them...lol )

Take care and feel free to pm me anytime,
Colleen.
PS. also focus on the add good stuff. i know a lot about that. <wink>

Hi Max ...

I'm new here but I have a daughter with ADD/ADHD and I know Ritalin has helped her ... even though the downward spirals can be the pits. Like you, she might have done a lot better if she'd been DXed early enough. I think it's more difficult to "retrain" your brain as an adult but it CAN be done!

There are also some great "tools" out there to help with memory and retention. I saw one on TV that works with a Nintendo set (it asks you questions which you answer on a keypad) but there are also free places on the Internet that might help.

Do you play bridge? Spades? Hearts? They may be a games but you must concentrate to play them, and you must remember what cards have been played. From what I understand, anything you do like that will help to "sharpen" your brain and memory!

LOL ... my daughter thinks I might have a touch of ADD, too! I tell her I'm 60 and have been on pain pills for chronic pain for over 20 years, not to mention the fact that I actually lived thru the 1960s and recently had what the doctors think was a mini-stroke. I play one or two games of Freecell every morning just to make sure my brain didn't die during the night! I lose things ... sometimes within minutes of seeing them last ... but I know they're in the house somewhere. I flit from one thing to another and am happy doing so. ADD? Maybe. The point is, you've got to keep your sense of humor!

Good luck and hang in there!

Trying to be a Good Mama

There's a good little adult test on the site here: http://psychcentral.com/quizzes/adultaddquiz.htm and the scoring is followed with where to find informational articles that are good also. Maybe something will catch your eye there, Max?

My brother's 61 GoodMama, and my sister-in-law swears he's ADD/ADHD :-) I just sent her the test to see if she could test him when he wasn't paying attention, LOL.

LOL! My daughter sent me that site and I scored a 7. Guess that means I'm just a lazy, slightly crazy, old broad who flits around the house, happily losing things and finding new ones while trying to understand where all the hours of my day went? (She asked questioningly)

Which reminds me of a magnet I used to have:

Being disorganized means you're always making exciting discoveries

Good for a chuckle, if not a cure! Take care and thanks for posting to me.

Trying to be a GoodMama

LOL, I got a 7 also!