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Post by shinkansen on Nov 4, 2014 15:21:58 GMT
Thank you, Annie
Will have to wait several months before I get an appointment for an initial screening. Meanwhile, I'm taking Mirtazapine anti-depressants which help with sleep and do seem to sedate my mind most of the time.
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Post by shinkansen on Nov 5, 2014 12:35:21 GMT
Quick update - have an initial ADHD assessment on Thursday 13 November. This will be at St Pancras hospital. Several questionnaires to fill !
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Post by shinkansen on Nov 13, 2014 16:53:30 GMT
Just had first my ADHD assessment. There's to be another appointment as early as next Monday (17 Nov). My flatmate of 12 years and my parents are filling in some forms as 'referees'. The doctor who assessed me also wants to refer me for aspergers.
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jaysha
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Posts: 3
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Post by jaysha on Nov 13, 2014 18:45:37 GMT
hi I am new to all this, but wanted to reach out to adults with ADHD and their supporters, we need to to learn about how to communicate better with our 21 year old with ADHD and mild Learning difficulties. I have read so much and had advice from professionals but interested in people real experiences
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mlevin
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Posts: 8
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Post by mlevin on Nov 19, 2014 2:47:39 GMT
Hi names Martin, 32yrs old, Electrical Engineer
I have just been diagnosed with ADHD, which came to light after I tried to take my own life last year, which was classed as an impulsive suicide attempt! I struggled with high and low moods and very dangerously impulsive actions. So I was referred for a ADHD assessment. I was requested that I was accompanied with my parents. The long and short of it I was diagnosed with combined type. I am still getting my head around the diagnosis and where I go from here. I was told to go away and have a long think about what I want out of this assessment, I’m getting the medication no option in that, but more other help and what I want help with. For me it’s the impulsiveness, impulsive actions and impulsive comments. The other issues can be dealt with later. There is no question I will require help from experiences and advice.
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Post by 440ccfreestyler on Dec 1, 2014 1:22:31 GMT
Seems like a lot of people on here. Hey everyone with ADD / ADHD. Iv been tested at Uni not been the Doc's yet. Hope everyone's doing good, lots of positivity here! Improve weakness and monopolise on strengths.
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Post by blondelobotomy on May 25, 2015 22:40:25 GMT
Hi everyone, I'm new so sorry if I am posting this in the wrong place. Really need some advice.
I am 39 years old and have ALWAYS felt "different". I am "quirky", overly chatty,impulsive,can lack empathy,poor concentration,need to be told things several times to get them to sink in, terrible with finances and paperwork organisation, a constantly "busy head", find it impossible to switch off and have poor self esteem (although I do have self confidence). I have been a single parent for a long time and have teenagers (one of which has been told has "markers" of ADD). I have always managed through life, but always felt like I was "winging it", does that make sense??
It's not until the last year that things have really started to make me question whether there's something going on with me. My life has changed a lot recently and there have been many stressors, which I feel have contributed to me not being able to "wing it" any more and that whatever coping mechanism I had, is now broken.
I have been to the GP who gave me 2 weeks worth of diazepam which was great, I felt like I had respite from myself for a while!!
I do, however think there's more to it. I have googled ADD,ADHD and even Aspergers and I identify with a lot of stuff.
BUT, what I don't understand is,if I do have one of these? How have I got to 39 and not "twigged" before? How have I managed to hold down a job? How can I be doing a degree?
Feeling pretty confused and lonely just now, any thoughts anyone? please? am I going crazy??
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Post by chaoticwitch on May 25, 2015 23:18:42 GMT
Hi blondelobotomy, it seems unbelievable but I guess as we grew up with this we learned coping strategies. I know I did.
I was told I had ADHD about 4 years ago at the age of 44, given medication then signed off the mental health team to get on with it.
I have always had rituals in place to help me remember things, I have family and friends that I go shopping with to help me focus, I have developed many strategies to get on with life, without even realising it.
I have two teenage children myself and have completed many courses and diplomas and I often wonder how I did it.
I have found it both a relief and saddening to be told that I have ADHD at this point in my life. And I have found it very confusing, not being given much help or information about it.
Thankfully, with a lot of pushing and harassment I have finally been referred to the specialist clinic in Exeter. I am really hoping to get some answers there.
I certainly identify with always feeling different and the one thing I have found already on here is a sense of comfort from reading stuff that makes so much sense to me.
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Post by Foxtrot on May 26, 2015 7:50:11 GMT
Hi everyone, I'm new so sorry if I am posting this in the wrong place. Really need some advice. I am 39 years old and have ALWAYS felt "different". I am "quirky", overly chatty,impulsive,can lack empathy,poor concentration,need to be told things several times to get them to sink in, terrible with finances and paperwork organisation, a constantly "busy head", find it impossible to switch off and have poor self esteem (although I do have self confidence). I have been a single parent for a long time and have teenagers (one of which has been told has "markers" of ADD). I have always managed through life, but always felt like I was "winging it", does that make sense?? It's not until the last year that things have really started to make me question whether there's something going on with me. My life has changed a lot recently and there have been many stressors, which I feel have contributed to me not being able to "wing it" any more and that whatever coping mechanism I had, is now broken. I have been to the GP who gave me 2 weeks worth of diazepam which was great, I felt like I had respite from myself for a while!! I do, however think there's more to it. I have googled ADD,ADHD and even Aspergers and I identify with a lot of stuff. BUT, what I don't understand is,if I do have one of these? How have I got to 39 and not "twigged" before? How have I managed to hold down a job? How can I be doing a degree? Feeling pretty confused and lonely just now, any thoughts anyone? please? am I going crazy?? Just out of interest, I was diagnosed in February this year at the age of 39. I have a degree and a good job. How well people cope with ADHD depends on a number of factors including personality traits, IQ, the ability to develop coping strategies, avoidance of life style choices that would make matters worse. Comorbidities could also make coping with ADHD more difficult. I only discovered Adult ADHD in November hence the late diagnosis. Earlier attempts in life to get to the bottom of my problems and get help were thwarted by a health system that didn't even consider ADHD when assessing adults mental health.
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Post by blondelobotomy on May 26, 2015 9:43:29 GMT
Thank you for your replies Confined chaos and Foxtrot. It is so overwhelming and I am very pleased I have found this site. I have literally just made a GP appointment for this afternoon so will see if he will refer me for an assessment. Fingers crossed!!
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Post by vagueandrandom on May 26, 2015 10:00:59 GMT
Hi blondelobotomy and welcome! If you read these forums you will realise that there are loads of others here who are pretty much like you. I'm 48 and I've finally got a date for assessment. I didn't know anything about ADD until it was suggested that I might have it last year. I have an MA, but never finished an exam in my life. I have all kinds of rituals and mechanisms to keep my life in some kind of order. I cope. Like you, I always felt 'different', but surrounded myself with other 'different' people, who just think I'm quirky and creative and funny. In a way it's disappointing to realise that some of these thing may be down to ADD and not just my personality. I've got to a point in life where something has to change - coming here and finding that there's loads of other people who are very similar is quite comforting. Be prepared when you go to your GP and take a list of points, or print some stuff out. It's quite common for GPs not to understand. There's loads about this in Symptoms/diagnosis section. Good luck!!
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Post by blondelobotomy on May 26, 2015 11:11:36 GMT
Thank you Vagueandrandom, it certainly is comforting reading the threads, takes a lot of getting my head around.....but then so do most things! lol I will make a list now, thank you :-)
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Post by Foxtrot on May 26, 2015 16:04:22 GMT
Thank you for your replies Confined chaos and Foxtrot. It is so overwhelming and I am very pleased I have found this site. I have literally just made a GP appointment for this afternoon so will see if he will refer me for an assessment. Fingers crossed!! Hey blondelobotomy how'd you get on with your GP appointment?
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Post by blondelobotomy on May 26, 2015 16:39:04 GMT
Hi, so I just got back. He didn't dismiss the idea and said "yes I think it is something we can look into" but because I'm going through a really stressful time at the moment, he wants to deal with that first. My main current stress will be alleviated soon I'm hoping (I really can't go into detail) so he wants to deal with the "here and now". so, I've a weeks worth of diazepam, which although I'm "anti meds" I am pleased about because I know they clear the fog, even for a couple of days. He has also given me Mirtazapine to take for more long term. Know nothing about it but we will see what happens. So I guess it's not bad news as such, the fact that he has acknowledged what I have said?
Thanks for asking Foxtrot :-)
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Post by Foxtrot on May 26, 2015 17:25:34 GMT
That sounds like a good plan. Treating anxiety first, as a priority sounds sensible. That way you can deal with one thing at a time and give your body an opportunity to adjust to medication.
Just one thing though, waiting times for ADHD assessment can vary greatly from a few months to years. It may be worth checking out the average waiting time in your area. If it's very long, getting the referral in now may prevent significant delay when you are ready to look into ADHD.
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Post by blondelobotomy on May 26, 2015 19:59:47 GMT
Ah, I hear you. I have to go back in 2-3 weeks so I will ask him then. Is via the GP the only way I can find out? Thanks
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Post by Foxtrot on May 26, 2015 20:51:37 GMT
Ah, I hear you. I have to go back in 2-3 weeks so I will ask him then. Is via the GP the only way I can find out? Thanks Your GP should have an idea or could find out for you, but if you post a note here stating your area and make it clear you're looking for info about average wait times, someone on the forum may be able to advise. Once you know what's involved and how long it's likely to take, you can make a decision about whether it's something you feel up to taking further. Take things at your pace but be aware, if the wait times are very long, you may prefer to get on the waiting list sooner rather than later.
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Post by vagueandrandom on May 27, 2015 11:47:53 GMT
I agree with Foxtrot, if you think you're ready, or will be ready after you've got over your current difficulties, I would ask to be referred, because it generally takes some time. I'm glad that your GP was positive
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Post by blondelobotomy on May 27, 2015 15:35:09 GMT
Will defo suss waiting times out. Does anyone else "zone out" when people are talking to them? not to the point that you can't hear them, more that you aren't really absorbing what they say? Also, I'm very.....hard to explain, but I guess addictive is the right word? I get addicted to things, for example, my mobile, a friend pointed out the other day that I am always checking my phone, so I've kind of observed myself, and it's true. Even just checking the weather or something like that, I'm constantly checking something on it!! Does anyone else get paranoid too? If something negative is on Facebook or something, I automatically jump to the conclusion it is aimed at me, even though I know I haven't done anything wrong, and turns out not to be anything to do with me!
xx
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Post by Foxtrot on May 27, 2015 20:53:45 GMT
Yes to everything
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Post by blondelobotomy on May 27, 2015 21:49:56 GMT
Phew! so nice to know I'm not alone!! x
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Post by manson88 on May 28, 2015 5:38:19 GMT
Just be careful on mirtazapine you will gain weight on it it's a common problem with it but great for a nights sleep
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Post by manson88 on May 28, 2015 5:38:22 GMT
Just be careful on mirtazapine you will gain weight on it it's a common problem with it but great for a nights sleep
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Post by blondelobotomy on May 28, 2015 10:49:10 GMT
Oh heck, cheers for the heads up manson88. Took my first one last night and certainly slept well, but was really hungry when I woke up! Will have to be very careful as I teach fitness classes and am very weight conscious!
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Post by blondelobotomy on May 28, 2015 19:26:54 GMT
If I do manage to get referred, is it a Psychologist or Psychiatrist I would see? I'm not bothered who, as long as I get some answers, just curious.
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redhill54
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Post by redhill54 on Jun 17, 2015 8:13:18 GMT
Hello
I have just been diagnosed, at the age of 61.
The diagnosis only took five months. in December 2014 I saw a book about ADD just by chance in a charity shop. I wasn't looking for it or a diagnosis, but recognised myself in the book. I looked at several books, and the article in Wikipedia on adult ADHD, so I could understand adult ADHD. The most useful books I found are
"Taking Charge of Adult ADHD" by Russell A. Barkley,
"Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for ADHD in Adolescents and Adults" by Susan Young and Jessica Bramham,
"ADHD: the facts" by Mark Selikowitz.
I was able to use what I learned from those sources to explain why I thought that I have ADHD, and why it was not diagnosed earlier. My ADHD is the inattentive kind, and was so even when I was a child.
I went to my GP, who referred me for a telephone consultation with the Back-on-Track service run by the West London Mental Health Trust. This happened within a week, and they agreed that they were not the right service to help me and wrote to the the GP to say so. I saw the GP within a week or two near the end of January, and they referred me to the West London Mental Health Trust (WLMHT).
I got an appointment in April with a support worker in the WLMHT, and that lasted over an hour. They went through the whole of my life and the various ways ADHD showed itself. They recommended that I be seen by a consultant in the WLMHT.
In June I saw the consultant at the WLMHT in a two-hour appointment. A trainee doctor went through a lengthy questionnaire with me. The trainee doctor then saw the consultant, and then I saw the the consultant and trainee doctor. They confirmed that I did appear to have adult ADHD, and told me about the possible treatments. Atomoxetine is medicine that is prescribed for anyone over 40, and the side effects include increased blood pressure. The drug treatment can be arranged at the next appointment in six weeks, when I have been able to consider what treatment I want. Psychological treatments can be arranged in a month or two.
This probably means that I have been able to get a quick and straightforward diagnosis, but I know that unless I was prepared and able to argue for a diagnosis no-one, even the people I know who have confirmed that I have the symptoms, would have suggested it. I have been assessed for depression and anxiety several times over the past 15 years, and ADHD was never even mentioned once.
So the key point I would make is that it is important to read up on ADHD so that you can understand your condition, and so can show other people that you have it, so that you can get an adequate diagnosis and treatment.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2015 11:26:23 GMT
redhill54I was diagnosed well over 40 - nobody has ever mentioned atomoxetine* to me and I've been diagnosed 3 times. Age is unimportant for meds if you have no blood pressure, glaucoma or heart issues and suggesting atomoxetine as a first line treatment goes against guidelines (NICE CG72) Hang about on this forum and do some digging around to see what the norms are. * I have talked atomoxetine with my psychiatrists but that's because I have a 'professional' interest in what other people take. There was no suggestion that I considered taking it.
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tes
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Post by tes on Sept 6, 2015 11:21:28 GMT
Hello I have just joined this forum not because I have ADHD it is my teenage son who has recently been diagnosed with ADHD & will be going on trial medication soon. I feel very nervous about this because of the side effects but I want to help my son the best I can. He has terrible memory & organisational problems which affects him daily & im hoping the medication will help him somewhat. I don't know anybody else with ADHD kids so don't really have anybody to talk to so I'm hoping this forum will help.
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donsimon
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Posts: 22
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Post by donsimon on Sept 11, 2015 15:09:28 GMT
Hi tes,
I can relate to what your son may be going through. Memory and organisation were a complete nightmare for me at school and I was always in trouble for lost/missing equipment, not doing homework etc. It also affected my ability to bond with people: I am terrible with names and faces and can barely remember conversations from one day to the next, even though I might have been the one who took them over and held forth!
I'm new here too. All the problems of my teens just got worse rather than better as I went into my twenties. I was always considered a 'high achiever' and walked GCSEs with out having to do a lot. My organisational, memory and social skills were put down as "scatty professor" type qualities and in the 1990s teachers were very sceptical about "medicalising" things like that. The fact is, though, I was, and am, a terrible procrastinator, shambolic self-organiser and rarely manage to focus on anything for long enough to gain any kind of in-depth knowledge or expertise. I'm often left with the idea of being very shallow: a 'jack-of-all-trades-and-master-of-none'. When I found I could no longer get by on natural aptitude and ability - my Law degree and then the world of work, my self-esteem just eroded away uncontrollably and I was left with serious anxiety and depression.
So I've been being treated for that for nigh-on ten years now, but nothing that I've done has actually made any of it go away. Temporary relief is all I seem to be able to get. I've now finally managed to get my GP (I have had many) to refer me on to more specialist treatment, but am on the dreaded NHS waiting list. I feel sure it's ADHD. The list of symptoms is a description of me. It may sound silly and simple to some, but the idea of being able to focus, prioritise and organise is such an exciting one. I really hope I can get somewhere this time and reclaim some of the lost years!
So that's me. Hi.
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Post by contrarymary on Sept 12, 2015 5:33:17 GMT
hi tes and welcome to the forum we are mostly adults with adhd, some of whom have children, some of whom have adhd by reading the forum you may get a good cross-section of stories of what it feels like to live with adhd, in a way that you wouldn't from a forum for parents of children with adhd if you wanted to find information and a forum specifically for parents of children/young adults with adhd www.adders.org
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