In fact, 30 to 50 percent of ADHDers also suffer from comorbid conditions such as OCD. Here is a great article about obsessive-compulsive disorder and its symptoms as related to ADHD.

I hope this helps. Dena

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The problem with all these labels is that they over simplify complex brain abnormalities that cannot be accurately described with a three letter acronym. According to Dr. Amen, there are six different types of A.D.D./A.D.H.D. based on his research of Spect brain scans & "typed" behavior patterns that are reflected in those scans. Take a look at this: http://www.amenclinics.com/clinics/information/ways-we-can-help/adhd-add/

I have A.D.D. & take medication to manage to the symptoms. I've not had the opportunity to get this diagnostic brain scan, but I can very clearly see by the list of behaviors/symptoms which type (or combination types) that I mostly likely have going on. Some of the descriptions could've been written by me! My meds have since been adjusted to accommodate that idea & I'm following the other non-med guidelines as well. HUGE difference.

As for people picking up on an "odd" or "rigid" behavior and assuming it's OCD or ADD or insanity...I say, "There are worse things I could be than hyper-organized." If I'm doing something to keep myself on track & it doesn't interfere with someone else (that may have their own issues they're managing), I will calmly explain my "process" & I will make a friendly request to be supported in doing my best possible work. It doesn't have to be a confession of having A.D.D., just a way of being in the workplace.

I've worked with plenty of people who were unaffected by brain chemistry in-balances, (according to them), and there were times when I wanted to give them a business card to my doctor. To maintain peace & well-being among those that may misunderstand your process at home or at work, I accept that many people are unaware of themselves, so it would be a stretch for them to understand me! When I do mention A.D.D. as one of the challenges I take full responsibility to handle, I will include that it's no different than managing diabetes or some other medical abnormality that people deal with on a daily basis. The benefit for me is that I've been diagnosed & successfully treated, unlike many people that struggle & they don't know why or what to do to have a different outcome in life.

Personally, I'd rather have a chef that was hyper-sensitive to their work area because that would indicate to me that they are methodical in their work & more likely to be cautious about cleanliness, food contamination, etc. Bravo for you!!

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I'm with you. I've got a whole lot of alphabet soup thrown together. What it boils down too is this... when you've got one sort of difficulty, most people react by compensating. OCD is a very common compensation reaction for people with ADD. I often feel so out of control and lost by the distractions and things in life that need to be juggled, that I reacted by becoming obsessive-compulsive about where things are. It was the only way I could be sure that I'd actually find what I'd gone into a room to retrieve before becoming distracted and forgetting why I went into that room to begin with.

Plus, you've got children now. Children are not a controllable influence on your life. Adding that to the brain chemistry you already cannot control is just stoking the fire and the need to control everything else.

Bottom line... don't worry about the labels. Find the help and solution that works for you so that you can enjoy your family and your life. I'm routing for you!

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Thank you for the reply. That will actually help me live with myself.

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Hi. I am in aggreeance with Sandy. I also have ADD and I have co-morbidity in the form of depression and OCD. Unlike you I do not have children but I have a friend who insists on picking things up and not putting them back where they originally found them, and they wonder why I stand screaming into their face that they are stupid and blind - or blind and stupid. I dislike immensely people coming into my home so when I do I am literally on protective guard. So much so that when they have finished in the bathroom I have to check to make sure it is how I like it. The amount of times I have shin kicked my friend for leaving both toilet seats up is unbelieveable that we have lost count - but he still does it and I still shin kick him. By the way - I am not on any form of medication and never have been.

As Sandy said - forget about the labels and obtain the help you feel you need. Having children who insist on picking things up and putting them somewhere else must drive you crazy crazy crazy. It does me and I'm just thinking about it.

What's important is you. Remember that above all else.

Blessings.

Charlotte.

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I have come to know that I was an undiagnosed ADD "chatty cathy" growing up. It was not until my children began displaying some of the same behaviors as I was seeing in my students (I'm a speech language pathologist) that I began to see my similarities with my children. Over my recent years under a neuropsychiatrist's care, I have come to believe that there are two types of distractability that are associated with ADD: external distractability caused by things in the environment, and internal distractabbility caused by my own thoughts in my head. I found this out when I noticed that when my meds began to get a handle on my external distractbility......I was left with so many thought in my head that I needed a traffic cop! I'm pretty sure the thoughts were always there, but I was too distracted to hear them! Falling asleep became a challenge....not because the stimulants were keeping me awake, but because I would get sticky thoughts that would play over and over in my mind

Growing up my mom used to say "penny for you thoughts" and in my adult life I have met those that I asked that of who have told me they were not thinking anything. At some point I remembered that and asked my doctor about it. He said he'd been waiting for the day I realized that this internal distractabality was part of my problem, too. For the past 5 years I have taken Prozac (80mg) together with my stimulant and have been amazed by how enjoyable it can be to think nothing if I should desire to, When my sisters and I entered puberty we used to ping something fierce once a month (PMS)...............my dad used to say he needed to wear a striped shirt (: Golly day was I ever pleased when I realized that the Prozac was also reducing my PMSing every month (: It was a happy day for my husband and our 4 sons! Hope our experience might be helpful for someone out there!.

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I have come to know that I was an undiagnosed ADD "chatty cathy" growing up. It was not until my children began displaying some of the same behaviors as I was seeing in my students (I'm a speech language pathologist) that I began to see my similarities with my children. Over my recent years under a neuropsychiatrist's care, I have come to believe that there are two types of distractability that are associated with ADD: external distractability caused by things in the environment, and internal distractabbility caused by my own thoughts in my head. I found this out when I noticed that when my meds began to get a handle on my external distractbility......I was left with so many thought in my head that I needed a traffic cop! I'm pretty sure the thoughts were always there, but I was too distracted to hear them! Falling asleep became a challenge....not because the stimulants were keeping me awake, but because I would get sticky thoughts that would play over and over in my mind

Growing up my mom used to say "penny for you thoughts" and in my adult life I have met those that I asked that of who have told me they were not thinking anything. At some point I remembered that and asked my doctor about it. He said he'd been waiting for the day I realized that this internal distractabality was part of my problem, too. For the past 5 years I have taken Prozac (80mg) together with my stimulant and have been amazed by how enjoyable it can be to think nothing if I should desire to, When my sisters and I entered puberty we used to ping something fierce once a month (PMS)...............my dad used to say he needed to wear a striped shirt (: Golly day was I ever pleased when I realized that the Prozac was also reducing my PMSing every month (: It was a happy day for my husband and our 4 sons! Hope our experience might be helpful for someone out there!.

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I have come to know that I was an undiagnosed ADD "chatty cathy" growing up. It was not until my children began displaying some of the same behaviors as I was seeing in my students (I'm a speech language pathologist) that I began to see my similarities with my children. Over my recent years under a neuropsychiatrist's care, I have come to believe that there are two types of distractability that are associated with ADD: external distractability caused by things in the environment, and internal distractabbility caused by my own thoughts in my head. I found this out when I noticed that when my meds began to get a handle on my external distractbility......I was left with so many thought in my head that I needed a traffic cop! I'm pretty sure the thoughts were always there, but I was too distracted to hear them! Falling asleep became a challenge....not because the stimulants were keeping me awake, but because I would get sticky thoughts that would play over and over in my mind

Growing up my mom used to say "penny for you thoughts" and in my adult life I have met those that I asked that of who have told me they were not thinking anything. At some point I remembered that and asked my doctor about it. He said he'd been waiting for the day I realized that this internal distractabality was part of my problem, too. For the past 5 years I have taken Prozac (80mg) together with my stimulant and have been amazed by how enjoyable it can be to think nothing if I should desire to, When my sisters and I entered puberty we used to ping something fierce once a month (PMS)...............my dad used to say he needed to wear a striped shirt (: Golly day was I ever pleased when I realized that the Prozac was also reducing my PMSing every month (: It was a happy day for my husband and our 4 sons! Hope our experience might be helpful for someone out there!.

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I have come to know that I was an undiagnosed ADD "chatty cathy" growing up. It was not until my children began displaying some of the same behaviors as I was seeing in my students (I'm a speech language pathologist) that I began to see my similarities with my children. Over my recent years under a neuropsychiatrist's care, I have come to believe that there are two types of distractability that are associated with ADD: external distractability caused by things in the environment, and internal distractabbility caused by my own thoughts in my head. I found this out when I noticed that when my meds began to get a handle on my external distractbility......I was left with so many thought in my head that I needed a traffic cop! I'm pretty sure the thoughts were always there, but I was too distracted to hear them! Falling asleep became a challenge....not because the stimulants were keeping me awake, but because I would get sticky thoughts that would play over and over in my mind

Growing up my mom used to say "penny for you thoughts" and in my adult life I have met those that I asked that of who have told me they were not thinking anything. At some point I remembered that and asked my doctor about it. He said he'd been waiting for the day I realized that this internal distractabality was part of my problem, too. For the past 5 years I have taken Prozac (80mg) together with my stimulant and have been amazed by how enjoyable it can be to think nothing if I should desire to, When my sisters and I entered puberty we used to ping something fierce once a month (PMS)...............my dad used to say he needed to wear a striped shirt (: Golly day was I ever pleased when I realized that the Prozac was also reducing my PMSing every month (: It was a happy day for my husband and our 4 sons! Hope our experience might be helpful for someone out there!.

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I will say first hand being an ADD woman in a relationship with a spouse who is ADHD as well as OCD is incredibly intense . Now for the most part I can handle my spouses ADHD but the OCD is completely different , the constient need to check & recheck everything I do , his constient need to touch & retouch objects , not to menton his constient obbession with keeping the house clean & spotless is a real big issue . How ever my biggest issue with my partner's OCD is the fact that it tends to center arround me & my stuff , what ever it may be weather it's my costmetics in the bath room aren't in the straight line he likes them in, or he doesn't like how the fact that my side of the bed area has a stack of magazines along with books ect ect , I don't know what it is , he's just obbessed with anything that revolves me and my stuff along with my space . I will be honest being ADD myself , my partner's OCD just makes my ADD worse.

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