When I was diagnosed with ADHD I didn't want to tell anyone. The only one in my life that knew at first was my fiance, who is now my wife. But that was it.

I was actually afraid to tell people because I wasn't sure how they would react. But when I was diagnosed I would blame all my faults on ADHD, which isn't entirely true. Sometimes its not really your ADHD that is at fault, its just dumb luck or something else.

I believe 90% of what happens isn't your fault, you can only control 10% of what happens to you, the rest is all set on variables. Anyways, I did in fact start telling people that I have ADHD and some were understanding, but some... well they either ignored the fact that I had it, and didn't cut me a little slack while trying to cope with it. Or they just argued the fact it was just sheer laziness and not ADHD. I tried to explain to them it was and it was useless.

One friend of mine, argued all the time that I didn't have it, until one day when I blinked through an entire conversation with him and didn't even realize it. When he ended his talk with me, I started up again asking him the very first question of the conversation. I had not remembered anything he said. I call it blinking because I read about that in Driven to Distraction (great book by the way). Since then, he is understanding towards my ADHD.

But there is lots of qualities I love about my ADHD, when it comes to books (especially Dean Koontz's books) and computers, I love my hyperfocusing. It calms me down to read a great book, or fiddle with the computer for hours on end.

Quote

i understand where you are coming from. I have given up on the idea of trying to convince anyone of my ADHD. I on the other hand do expect my husband to have some understanding.

It is difficult sometimes to follow a conversation especially if the person is going on nothing of interest to me. life can come at you fast, I do my best but sometimes it is so frustrating my screw ups. like today I thought I heard 11:30 and missed the parade.

Instead of my family making sure I knew the time they assumed I heard them correctly. Sometimes i just want say it really was your screw up because you assumed. I wonder if I ever will get it. or GOD forbid I am Alzheimers. But then I amaze myself with my intuition or inventiveness, I have probably at least 20- passwords for my computer accounts that I remember; and can read a book in a day and half. And I say Pure genuis.

Quote

I'm going to the doctor this Friday to be evaluated for ADD. I am positive that I have it. However, I remember that the last time I even suggested to this psychiatrist that I might have it, he immediately dismissed my suspicions -- citing that I was too smart.

Last night, my grandmother told me that there's no such thing as ADD, I'm very smart, and that if anything I'm just too stubborn and don't want to learn certain things. (I'm incredibly bad with directions and knowing where I am in my city. Although, I had no problem navigating in Pinellas Park, FL where the streets are organized by a numbered grid-like system. SO much easier. Oy!)

What should I tell my doctor? I will be honest with him and tell him exactly what symptoms led me to believe I have it. But, I'm afraid that he won't believe me. I'm sick of being called lazy, a smart girl who doesn't live up to her potential, stubborn, unmotivated, scatterbrained, and impulsive. Most of all, I'm tired of feeling like a moron when I have an IQ of 140 and various other intelligence-validating things. sigh

Quote

the1bun,

You may have to find a doctor who is knowledgeable about ADHD. Child psychiatrists and pediatricians generally know more about ADHD because they have had more training with it. My husband had seen 5 psychiatrists and none of them picked up on his ADHD. A general practitioner, who was extremely knowledgeable about ADHD picked up on it. I knew he had it before that but he didn't believe me at the time.

Intelligence has absolutely nothing to do with it. In fact, in my experience, most of the individuals I know with ADHD are very intelligent. There is evidence that Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein might have had ADHD. Our neighbor, who has an IQ over 180 and has taken part in special tests regarding his high intelligence, has a severe case of ADHD. It's quite obvious to anyone who knows him.

Elaine

Quote