Hi there,

I'm recently diagnosed and also new here so I'm on a huge learning curve.

I was stunned to hear there were different sub types of ADHD as my view of it was the stereotypical portrait of hyper active, often badly behaved, out of control, male, child who had difficulty focussing.

So imagine my surprise when at 56 yrs of age and being female my diagnosis confirmed what I had suspected for a long time but had dismissed, that yes, along with Bipolar, I was ADD. I knew I was easily distracted and couldn't focus on things that bored me, but I could superfocus when interested in something. Until recently, I had NEVER heard mention that the ability to superfocus which can be a great asset, was aspect of the disorder.

My Doctor suggested this book to learn more about the different types. Here is the link which you might find useful.

http://store.amenclinics.com/books/healing-add-paperback-book

Cheers.

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Thanks you so much for the info. Im definately going to look into the different sub types and see what I can find out.

The one thing that bugs me is that after just a year of being diagnosed by my psychiatrist I took a psychological evaluation at a separate therapy center and they said that the test results showed that it was unlikely that I actually have ADHD. That was 9 years ago and I dunno why I just recently found out about this but my new therapist is going try to get me re-evaluated since my first psychiatrist who diagnosed me had her medical license revoked for many ethical violations. One of them said she too quickly concludes someone as having ADHD without doing any diagnostic tests.

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Once I started doing research after my initial diagnosis of Bipolar, I realised how many of the same symptoms apply to different disorders. No wonder there can be some confusion with getting it right first time. Also things can change to as we get older.

For example at one stage I was given Lithium for mood swings and when blood test showed some issues with my thyroid (Lithium can cause problems with the it) the dosage was cut in half and I noticed no difference in my moods. However I had other symptoms like tiredness and a whole lot more, and it turned out my thyroid had been destroyed by a totally different thing, an immune disease called Hasmimoto's. And guess what one of the symptoms of that is...mood swings, just like bipolar.

So I went totally off the Lithium and once I started taking meds for the underactive thyroid, I felt great but still.....knew there was something not right and now the latest is they are saying ADD! Early stages yet, but I feel I'm on the right track...finally. Better late than never.

Hang in there! The ADD diagnosis has answered more questions that have plagued me since I can remember, and there are lots of positives that I'm looking forward to focussing on now that I can actually focus!

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Speaking as a doctor who treats ADD/ADHD, try this comprehensive list of ADHD symptoms and see if they apply to you.

ADHD Symptoms: http://www.add-treatment.com/adhd-symptoms.html

Also, try the free ADHD test: http://www.add-treatment.com/free-adhd-test.html

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Thanks for the links you posted. I do have a lot of those symptoms but I'm still not sure cos I was also diagnosed as bipolar and a lot of those ADHD symptoms is present in BP too. And I did have a psychological test done a year after I was originally diagnosed and that test supposedly said that I may not have ADHD.

Plus I recently found out that the first psychiatrist who made the original diagnoses that suddenly retired for health reasons 4 years ago had about 11 serious violations thrown at her by the DOH and that she surrendered her medical license just a couple months after she "retired".

Now my new therapist highly recommended that I get re-evaluated after I told her about that.

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Certainly males can be inattentive without hyperactivity and are much mo likely to slip trough the net. Those who present with challenging behaviour in school are considered to have problems but those who do not present with challenging behaviours are perceived as not having problems. So, you slip into this common bracket of someone whi is nice, kind, delightful and helpful but you can never focus or pay Attention. Another false, positive is if you are intelligent. Intelligence can help you get by some of the time but eventually, stress, anxiety and depression start to take over. Oh, and bipolar disorder is a predictor of ADHD. GOrdon Quote:

UL437 said: Hi, just joined and this would be my first post and I have a lot of questions that has come up lately about ADHD.

I was diagnosed as having Bipolar and ADHD when I was 16 after a previous few years of on and off severe depression. But this diagnosis has been in question recently.

I always have had problems with paying attention in school, especially in elementary. Always procrastinated on homework and a lot of my assignments were turned in late or incomplete. But...none of my teachers (as far I as can remember) in the past from kindergarten to senior year in high school has ever mentioned that I was hyperactive nor disruptive in class. In fact all my report cards usually have at least one or two comments like, "very pleasant attitude, cooperative, gentle, gets a long well with others or even 'I enjoyed having him in the class". I rarely ever got in trouble in school.

I have been "hyper" or did cause trouble outside of class but never in class (except for one in freshman year) during 8th grade and 9th grade. And my grades have either been average or above average until I entered high school when I started to experience massive and chronic depression. I even made it into the honor roll once and have been given awards for "good behavior" every now and then.

From what I've read about ADHD this sounds more like the symptoms of ADHD in girls, but I'm a MALE.

Can boys who have ADHD behave like how I was as described above?

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If certain people can have only inattentive ADHD, then do those types typically require or get prescribed less stimulant medication like Adderall compared to those who also have hyperactivity?

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