[Simpdonny]

Can this be possible?
Alright, I'm in my thirties; not too old to realize that these disorders are real identities to a bundle of functions a person carries, but not too young to feel that it carries the stigma of copping out of the responsibility of organization and being active mentally and physically.
Before I digress further, back to the question. Given the concerns and background thoughts of ADD and ADHD, I have found more traits in common than not to this disorder and cannot avoid questioning whether I'm just being a lazy bum, hypochondrical bum I should say; or, is there more merit and perhaps a path to reign in my overactive mind, focusing it on the task at hand, life.
My brother and I exhibit the same traits; but, are not intellectually on the same level. I'm not saying that I am more intelligent or that he is less, but we each are savants in separate, different areas with little overlap, if any. For the longest time, I figured that we were manic-depressive or at least were borderline in that regard. I turn the depression and anger inward until my thoughts are too loud. My Brother exerts his anger often without thinking.

How can we identify what is relevant and singular, given that he and I relate to ADD/ADHD?
Secondly, he and I are in our early thirties; I being younger than he by three years. We have aspirations of grandeur which, I fear, an official diagnosis would or could jeopardize these paths. How do I address this... I fear diagnosis. I fear I have this, but somehow moving forward with getting help will make it more real and more controlling on what I can or cannot accomplish.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

[InsaneMax]

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Simpdonny said:
Can this be possible?
Alright, I'm in my thirties; not too old to realize that these disorders are real identities to a bundle of functions a person carries, but not too young to feel that it carries the stigma of copping out of the responsibility of organization and being active mentally and physically.
Before I digress further, back to the question. Given the concerns and background thoughts of ADD and ADHD, I have found more traits in common than not to this disorder and cannot avoid questioning whether I'm just being a lazy bum, hypochondrical bum I should say; or, is there more merit and perhaps a path to reign in my overactive mind, focusing it on the task at hand, life.
My brother and I exhibit the same traits; but, are not intellectually on the same level. I'm not saying that I am more intelligent or that he is less, but we each are savants in separate, different areas with little overlap, if any. For the longest time, I figured that we were manic-depressive or at least were borderline in that regard. I turn the depression and anger inward until my thoughts are too loud. My Brother exerts his anger often without thinking.

How can we identify what is relevant and singular, given that he and I relate to ADD/ADHD?
Secondly, he and I are in our early thirties; I being younger than he by three years. We have aspirations of grandeur which, I fear, an official diagnosis would or could jeopardize these paths. How do I address this... I fear diagnosis. I fear I have this, but somehow moving forward with getting help will make it more real and more controlling on what I can or cannot accomplish.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

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Nothing you stated here is particular to ADHD (ADHD is the diagnostic term; ADD is the old term).

What specific symptoms do you have that you consider to be indicative of ADHD?

Laziness is pretty meaningless diagnostically speaking, and isn't an "ADHD trait." This is a part of the stereotype that ADHD gets in the media.
However, feeling as though you are lazy however could be due to procrastination--another common behavior that isn't a diagnostic symptom of ADHD either, but many ADHDers do at least outwardly appear to be procrastinating whether they are or not; however this is not specific to ADHD either.

I understand your fear of a label, and I understand the fear of stigmatization, but you do know that just because you see a psychiatrist or a psychologist, it doesn't mean you have to go around telling everybody; in fact, I recommend against doing that--- not because it's shameful, but because many people are ignorant, and also because its no ones business but yours what your health record says. If you do have ADHD, it is far worse to let it go untreated and wreaking havoc in your life, than it is to seek treatment. The first step in this is to make an appointment with a clinical psychologist who has experience in ADHD treatment and assessment in adults (I never recommend seeing a psychiatrist for diagnosis). It's important to rule out other things that could account for your distress too, and they do that when they assess you. If you pay out of pocket, no one could find out unless you tell them; but it will likely be expensive, so only if you have money to spare would I recommend that route.

Your brother has got to make his own decisions regarding seeking help; that is, if he thinks he has a problem and wants to seek help for it. Maybe it would work best if you went first, and that might encourage him to go. If it is ADHD, when you get proper treatment, it's like turning on a lightbulb, and everything gets clearer... it's not magic, but the longer in treatment for ADHD, the better it gets over time.

There are very few employment categories that will be destroyed by a diagnosis of ADHD or anything else. I would say that it is something to consider dealing with after you take care of yourself first.
Don't worry about ADHD too much-- it's quite a GIFT when its under control.
BEST OF LUCK TO YOU@!!!!!!

[Simpdonny]

That's just it; I would not leap to find a condition that I fit. I would only provide that I feel sometimes a passenger on a runaway train heading for some impending disaster with nothing to do but watch. I know it's an overused analogy, but it is the best way I can describe it because I know of no other way.

I have periods of success; ten years in the military, a B.S. in Computer Information Technology, some awards, competitive sports victories and such.

But I find that I cannot organize. I do not keep notes. I cannot break down tasks (related to my career) or follow them through without them being perfectly linear. So, I cannot multitask as I should. I have fleeting thoughts which come at any given moment. Everyone does, do they not? But mine have the capability of moving me off-task to research that particular thought, no matter how important the latter task was. There was a show called "The Pretender" that I related to; but would not go as far as to say that I could be a savant or prodigy. For example, today I looked into the prospects of me being a helicopter pilot. Not in an innocent wishful thinking way; I, in all seriousness, wanted to pursue that lifelong dream, right now.

I am a computer geek, which one day said, "Hey, I might want to do this as a career" so I went to college and earned a degree in the field. Yet, I find that I want to leave the field for something, anything other than information technology. It's clear that I am not happy with what is going on and where I am, but I do believe that you're right. None of these symptoms exclusively belong to the ADH Disorder.

I have heard the other saying before as well; that it can be leveraged, to paraphrase.

We'll see. Just so happens that my former Psychology professor is a Clinical Psychologist; though I would never solicit for her time, I would be sure to ask that she point me in the right direction.

I will add as well that those who are diagnosed with ADHD do not have ownership or the rights to be classified as such. Or, those who are not, do not have the rights to think that they do; I would waiger that there's a large percentage of persons walking the world who legitimately need identification and help. I would not want to be the one who muddy's the water for the rest.

Oh, and I took both quizzes, the long and short.... scored pretty high. I am sure not to hold stock in their ability to gauge my issue; but in both cases the scores warranted a message that I should seek a professional opinion or two. And, perhaps I should.

I want to deal with this at the lowest level for the time being.