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| Thread : Need a Diagnosis: Could It be ADD/ADHD ? | |
16 Jul 2008 @ 12:33 PM
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| kallard |
Join Date:
Wed 16th Jul 2008
Threads: 2 Posts: 2 |
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Need a Diagnosis: Could It be ADD/ADHD ?
I have been struggling with my daughter's mental health for years and have seen her continually get worse. First off, she is a triplet and hates it. She also has 2 younger siblings, and hates the competition that a large family brings. She had separation issues in preschool and has difficulty spending the night at some family members' houses, but not others...but can spend the night at a good friend's house. She talks and begs constantly to myself and my husband and is in desperate need of attention. She has an explosive temper, and we have had to call the police (recommendation of psychiatrist) to send a message that this is not acceptable. She is gifted in the area of language arts and very artistic, but struggles significantly in math. She is often uncooperative and defiant at home, but just the opposite at school. However, this year (6th grade/middle school) she missed a considerable amount of school due to stress, feelings of inadequacy, insomnia, and inability to get up in the morning. (She has trouble getting up even on days that she does NOT have school.) She spent some time in an out-patient program at a mental health hospital, then 3 days in when we called the police. She has been diagnosed with a variety of problems from various doctors: depression, generalized anxiety disorder, operational defiant disorder, and possible bipolar disorder. I have a cousin with bipolar disorder. My 6 year old daughter has been on ADHD medication for 1 year, and I was recently diagnosed with ADD. Now I'm wondering if this aspect has been overlooked. She has been tested through school and it has not been an issue that has shown up as a possible cause, but she is constantly telling me she can't concentrate, she is distracted, and homework that should take 20 minutes can take up to 2 hours for her (she's usually capable, but wants to do other things, so can't focus). She flunked the second semester of 6th grade and I am really afraid for next year..don't know what to do with her. She has been much easier to manage now that it is summer, less anger/stress. |
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23 Jul 2008 @ 9:01 AM
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| Anni |
Join Date:
Thu 25th Oct 2007
Threads: 18 Posts: 416 |
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Welcome
Hi kallard: Welcome to the ADDitude forums - I hope we can help! I feel for you in this situation - you desperately want to make things better for your daughter, but don't even know the beast you're fighting. As you likely know, roughly 50% of people with ADHD also suffer from some comorbid condition(s) like anxiety, depression, OCD, bipolar disorder, etc. Sometimes, these conditions are caused by the ADHD (if ADHD slows you down in the classroom, you begin to feel inadequate and develop low self-esteem). Other times, the conditions exist in tandem but separately (if the ADHD symptoms decreased with medication, the bipolar would not just go away). My best advice would be to find an ADHD specialist who understands the full spectrum of comorbid conditions and can test for them, as well as for the ADHD. Discerning what she's up against is critical in devising the right treatment plan, as you know. Here is some add'l information about comorbidities and diagnosis that might help you: Diagnosing Related Conditions in ADHD Children and Adults: http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/774.html Common Comorbid Conditions Associated with ADHD: http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/1476.html Beyond the ADHD Diagnosis: Understanding Common Learning Disabilities in ADHD Children: http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/787.html An Accurate ADHD Diagnosis for Children: http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/1591.html I hope this helps! |
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