You will definitely need a lawyer. If you are unable to hold down a job due to your symptoms despite medical assistance, then you should fight for your right to disability benefits. Good luck.

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I have found myself in the same position. Only, I have applied for disabillity. The. Reason I applied was I was completely starting over in life. I lost my home, my wife, and hopefully only temporarilly my 3 children. My adhd was compounded by severe depression due to failed marriage, and loss of a well paying job. I went from what I felt was the top of my game to the gutter. I am determined to get back up on my feet and viewed disabillity as a short term fix to a long standing problem. I have already submited all the required documentation to find out if I qualify for benefits. It is my goal that if I qualify for disability to only be on it as long as it takes to get back up on my feet and continue functioning in a normal everyday manner. I intend to take advantage of any education benefits that may be offer to further my abillity to live and provide a normal life for my children.

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Constatine1970 said: I have found myself in the same position. Only, I have applied for disabillity. The. Reason I applied was I was completely starting over in life. I lost my home, my wife, and hopefully only temporarilly my 3 children. My adhd was compounded by severe depression due to failed marriage, and loss of a well paying job. I went from what I felt was the top of my game to the gutter. I am determined to get back up on my feet and viewed disabillity as a short term fix to a long standing problem. I have already submited all the required documentation to find out if I qualify for benefits. It is my goal that if I qualify for disability to only be on it as long as it takes to get back up on my feet and continue functioning in a normal everyday manner. I intend to take advantage of any education benefits that may be offer to further my abillity to live and provide a normal life for my children.

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Constatine1970 said: I have found myself in the same position. Only, I have applied for disabillity. The. Reason I applied was I was completely starting over in life. I lost my home, my wife, and hopefully only temporarilly my 3 children. My adhd was compounded by severe depression due to failed marriage, and loss of a well paying job. I went from what I felt was the top of my game to the gutter. I am determined to get back up on my feet and viewed disabillity as a short term fix to a long standing problem. I have already submited all the required documentation to find out if I qualify for benefits. It is my goal that if I qualify for disability to only be on it as long as it takes to get back up on my feet and continue functioning in a normal everyday manner. I intend to take advantage of any education benefits that may be offer to further my abillity to live and provide a normal life for my children.

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Taken seriously....yeah I can certainly identify. I'm 52, and I've come to realize that the older I get the harder it gets to "bounce back". I'm currently taking Focalin XR, this time,for a year now. I've also tried Straterra and Vivanse. I still suffer terribly from distraction in all area's of life. At work as a Registered Nurse, I go above and beyond to be an excellent nurse for my patients, and I am a good nurse. Unfortunately, I believe I'm not cost effective since I am always punching out late to complete my paperwork tasks before I go home on most days. I tire with the reality that the majority consider me as "flighty", or an "airhead", I think because I get so "hyper-focused" when dealing with the priorities. (I work in a nursing home by the way). I have been placed on PRN Flex, from Part-Time, without my input; so here we go again. Frankly, I'm at the point of giving up. I'm losing the desire to seek out another job, again. Constantly dealing with nonacceptance and snide remarks from the normal people, is taking it's toll on me emotionally over the years. It's not just most co-workers, but relatives and prospective friendships. I will continue to forge ahead somehow; I'm just so drained from it all...again.

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I have thought the same about applying for disability benefits. I feel that my ADD is to blame for several job loses. I don't fail to do the main task. I excel at it, but the administrative tasks are my bummer. I can't keep up with paperwork, agenda, updating charts, and things like that. Financially, it's all a blur. Everyone says it's easy, but it's not.

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Not to discourage anyone, But I have applied due to ADHD, & severe depression-All of which I had the medical records, and All other "required documentation". I was still denied, because sure, I was not able to do my previous job, (or any that I could find) but you have to be able to prove you can't do ANY job..As in ANY job, in ANY part of the country. In other words: If there is a job in Ohio paying 5 bucks an hour answering a phone that rings once every 3 hours you are capable of doing it..-who cares if you live in Massachusetts and have a college degree...So I would say get a lawyer before you even start the process..

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After the same stuff all of you have you been through. I too have tried and failed at getting benefits.It was a waste of time.The government is only considering Bipolar,Scizo etc.They won't admit it, but it's about the money. They can pay 30K a year they would be paying to put us in prison. but we all know ADHD/ADD is all in our heads!

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You've GOT to be joking. Quit using your ADHD as a crutch and take responsibility for your actions....just like every other successful ADHDer on this earth has done. Need an example? Read Dr Hallowell's books. Or are you just looking for an excuse to become one of the recipient class that the rest of us have to support? Get a grip and handle the cards you've been dealt.

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I diagnosed myself with adult ADD around 2002 after reading several books about it. I have never tried to tell anyone, except my sister, that I have it because most people never believe anything I say anyway.

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It's unfair to judge others without looking at their whole picture. Adults with ADD or ADHD should never be placed in the same basket and told to just suck it up. We all come from various backgrounds, have different up-bringing s, and encounter different life circumstances. Others may have other linked disabilities to ADHD, not yet diagnosed. Before being diagnosed with ADD, I was diagnosed with CAPD (central auditory processing disorder); see http://www.ldonline.org/article/5919, at the age of 45. I went to an Audiologist, after the urging of a fellow nurse who worked with deaf teenagers. She, (along with others all my life) grew tired of the fact that I frequently didn't pay attention, misheard comments, and kept annoyingly asking people to repeat themselves in conversations, along with other "odd" or "spacey" habits. She urged me to have a hearing test.

Well, I passed my routine hearing exam with flying colors after seeing an audiologist. It was then I was told about possible CAPD. I had to find an Audiologist in my area, that specialized in (had the special equipment) to test for this disability. At that time, 2002, there was only one clinic in the entire Tampa Bay area that could test me. My final score after that testing placed me in the "disordered" category; yeah I definitely had it. It was initially a tremendous relief to know that I wasn't ignorant, and my annoying habits were not my intention. Fortunately, this audiologist understood the odds I was up against. She subsequently wrote an in-depth letter, stating my diagnosis and the accommodations I would need to better facilitate hearing and auditory processing for me. This letter gave me the courage to finish a college degree and, to fight for my rights in court in the workplace, which by the way I WON!!! Working is not just for financial security; it gives people a sense of purpose. Don't get me wrong, I still have to deal with the ignorant who choose to place a stigma on learning disabilities. It's a never ending challenge, especially if you're not blessed with the support of others, or are told to just get over it. We need to support one another when we go through the thick or the thin.

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I agree 100% with everything you said and am grateful that I don't have the additional CAPD that you do. I can relate to almost everything you and others on this subject have said as well as most people with this problem. We all have similar stories and that is why these kinds of forums help, because it lets you know that you aren't alone. It almost feels like we should have our own planet or at least state to live in.

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Karensn- I can totally relate as I am an RN and have had the same problems at work. I was always having to stay late doing the paperwork. I understand that completely because we tend to try overly hard to do the job right. I felt that I was a good nurse and wouldn't neglect pt. care for the paperwork like the other so called "normal" staff do to get the job done. I wasn't allowed to clock out late without permission so I had to clock out and work for free. When the Director found out I was told that, that was illegal to be doing and that "why couldn't I get the job done like others could". You can't tell them what you have because they will probably fire you or not hire you to begin with. No one with out this disorder understands what it is like to deal with this. It isn't that we don't want to do a good job we just keep running into roadblocks. It does get really depressing and frustrating. I have left jobs before being relieved of them if I have felt that I was not meeting their expectations despite trying our best. I wish I could find better ways to function myself. Best of luck to you and don't give up because your not alone.

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angi_h said: You've GOT to be joking. Quit using your ADHD as a crutch and take responsibility for your actions....just like every other successful ADHDer on this earth has done. Need an example? Read Dr Hallowell's books. Or are you just looking for an excuse to become one of the recipient class that the rest of us have to support? Get a grip and handle the cards you've been dealt.

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angi_h said: You've GOT to be joking. Quit using your ADHD as a crutch and take responsibility for your actions....just like every other successful ADHDer on this earth has done. Need an example? Read Dr Hallowell's books. Or are you just looking for an excuse to become one of the recipient class that the rest of us have to support? Get a grip and handle the cards you've been dealt.

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It is amazing Not only my friends and my wife think it's bogus, my mom does too... I don't think anyone really thinks I have ADHD. The resentment is so strong, I hardly believe in it myself

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