Visiting a counselor or psych professional is a great idea. They can address the issues with her refusing medication as well as social issues and other problems she may be experiencing. An ADD/ADHD Coach is another alternative. Regardless of what professional help you seek, you will have a neutral third party helping both of you get to the root of the problems and finding solutions that work for your daughter.

Hang in there! Penny W., ADDitudemag.com & ADDConnect.com Community Moderator

ADHD Momma to Luke, age 7

creator of the Website {a mom's view of ADHD} @ http://adhdmomma.blogspot.com

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Thanks Penny.

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@D, you are so very welcome. I hope it is helpful. Let us know how it is going and what happens with the therapy appointment.

Penny

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Yes, You definately want to set up an appointment with a counselor. ADD kids are prone to low self esteem, the suicide rate with them is way higher than other "normal" (that is a bad word) teens. No one understands how they think, unless they have ADD too. People look at them funny when they do something not logical, but they don't understand, if they would break it down like it occurs in their head...it is very logical.

We had an awesome pediatrician who helped me with this battle of meds. I am a nurse, so it was difficult to make the decision to "drug" my child. He explained that it is a tool, to help them make the most of all their opportunities. Not taking meds for ADD is like not taking meds for your high blood pressure when you are diagnosed. It doesn't mean they are crazy or broken. ADD kids actually think faster than the rest of themselves can function. The meds help everything to be able to work together. When you have an IEP in school and are receiving medical treatment because ADD is a learning disability, there are scholarships and grants for those kids not available to everyone else. There is no shame in using every tool you can to help you achieve the goals for your future plans. It sounds like your daughter does well in school, and she may be more interrested if she realizes that meds may give her a competitive edge. Having ADD myself, I know how out of control one feels without medication, and the differnece in our lives, before and after is amazing. I could just kick myself for fighting it for so long.

Hope it helps, but the therapist can help get to the root of her resistence to meds. Never try to go through this alone, especially when she has threatened suicide in the past.

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Thank you for your advice. I have her seeing her old therapist from when she was in 6th grade. She came to me and her dad and told us she was having thoughts of killing herself and that she wanted help. I am proud of her for coming to us. She said that she loves school academically but can not take the kids and how they treat her. I hope this will help. She also said that if her therapist thought it was in her best interest to take medication, she would but would not want to try it first. Baby steps.

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