ADHD checklist

[Some random guy]

What exactly is the difference between ADD and ADHD?

It's just a naming thing. I actually prefer the term Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) rather than Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) due to the fact that myself, and many other people (particularly adults) miss being diagnosed because they don't relate to the hyperactive label.

I think it changed from ADD to ADHD in the 80s or so (could be wrong). Previously, it was just known as hyperactivity, and was only really considered for children. There have been other labels for it, going back as far (maybe further) than the 1700s. I'm sure there will be another change sooner or later.

A lot of the symptoms you've mentioned actually seem to fit me a lot more than I thought.

From what you wrote, it might be a possibility. Sorry to hear that.

I know what you mean about street directions... I get the same thing.

Here is a self-test link for adult ADHD, and the website has loads of articles etc.

And if you read some of the stories that people post on the "How To ADHD" forums (here), you may find some similarities to your own situation.

As I mentioned, everybody has many or all of the symptoms from time to time. But if those symptoms are so frequent and ongoing that they affect your life in major ways, you might have it. I'm no psych... And truth be told, many psychs don't seem to have much of a clue anyway. But you'd need one to diagnose yourself properly.

I have heard some crazy stories about some of the rubbish that has come out of the mouths of professionals when people are seeking a diagnosis. Stuff like "you can't have ADHD, you're doing too well at school". Or "Adults don't get ADHD". Then there's the nature of the medication. Some doctors seem to think that it's all a scam, and people only want to get a buzz on.

The general population seem to be highly misinformed too. I didn't have a clue myself, until I found I have it.

 

[Aurelia]

It's just a naming thing. I actually prefer the term Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) rather than Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) due to the fact that myself, and many other people (particularly adults) miss being diagnosed because they don't relate to the hyperactive label.

I think it changed from ADD to ADHD in the 80s or so (could be wrong). Previously, it was just known as hyperactivity, and was only really considered for children. There have been other labels for it, going back as far (maybe further) than the 1700s. I'm sure there will be another change sooner or later.



From what you wrote, it might be a possibility. Sorry to hear that.

I know what you mean about street directions... I get the same thing.

Here is a self-test link for adult ADHD, and the website has loads of articles etc.

And if you read some of the stories that people post on the "How To ADHD" forums (here), you may find some similarities to your own situation.

As I mentioned, everybody has many or all of the symptoms from time to time. But if those symptoms are so frequent and ongoing that they affect your life in major ways, you might have it. I'm no psych... And truth be told, many psychs don't seem to have much of a clue anyway. But you'd need one to diagnose yourself properly.

I have heard some crazy stories about some of the rubbish that has come out of the mouths of professionals when people are seeking a diagnosis. Stuff like "you can't have ADHD, you're doing too well at school". Or "Adults don't get ADHD". Then there's the nature of the medication. Some doctors seem to think that it's all a scam, and people only want to get a buzz on.

The general population seem to be highly misinformed too. I didn't have a clue myself, until I found I have it.

Yeah, I have a history drug use, so doctors look at that and automatically think I'm drug-seeking. It pisses me off severely. What the hell do I have to do, bring in a week's worth of video of how I behave at home? Anyway, I guess we'll find out soon enough. I'm supposed to see a doctor in a couple of weeks.

 

[Some random guy]

Yeah, I have a history drug use

That in itself is a common factor for people with ADHD. It's not a cause, it's a symptom.

A warning though... When I got my diagnosis, I was literally a second away from telling the Dr. that I've smoked weed pretty much all day every day for most of the last 30+ years (I don't smoke at work although I probably would if I could, and I've lost my job twice for testing positive) when he said "We're not allowed to prescribe the meds to people who have had a history of drug use".

The fact is, weed was the only thing that would shut off the brain enough for me to get some peace. I didn't know I had ADHD, and I didn't know that many ADHD people do the same thing. I just knew I liked the effect (or at least some of it). Of course, there is a downside too. But I've read that micro-dosing (not enough to get smashed, but enough to stop the wheels from turning) can be pretty effective for ADHD. I've more or less quit now, although I have a stack of weed still sitting around tempting me. I'd like to be able to have a little every now and again, instead of monging out for a month, and not getting off the couch the whole time.

I'd tried speed, cocaine etc. but I could never see the point. I just felt normal. That should have been a clue right there.

 

[Aurelia]

That in itself is a common factor for people with ADHD. It's not a cause, it's a symptom.

A warning though... When I got my diagnosis, I was literally a second away from telling the Dr. that I've smoked weed pretty much all day every day for most of the last 30+ years (I don't smoke at work although I probably would if I could, and I've lost my job twice for testing positive) when he said "We're not allowed to prescribe the meds to people who have had a history of drug use".

The fact is, weed was the only thing that would shut off the brain enough for me to get some peace. I didn't know I had ADHD, and I didn't know that many ADHD people do the same thing. I just knew I liked the effect (or at least some of it). Of course, there is a downside too. But I've read that micro-dosing (not enough to get smashed, but enough to stop the wheels from turning) can be pretty effective for ADHD. I've more or less quit now, although I have a stack of weed still sitting around tempting me. I'd like to be able to have a little every now and again, instead of monging out for a month, and not getting off the couch the whole time.

I'd tried speed, cocaine etc. but I could never see the point. I just felt normal. That should have been a clue right there.

Yeah, same here. I act way more normal on crack and Adderall than I do sober. The person I'm doing it with is pretty much bouncing off the walls, and I'm sitting there all chill like, "What the fuck's wrong with you?" Lol.

I'm already on Suboxone though, and I get it prescribed, so I pretty much have to tell them about my drug use. My Sub doctor requires a fax once a month from my therapist to make sure I'm going in order for me to keep getting the Subs.

 

[Some random guy]

Another one I just thought of... Nicotine... It's relatively common for people with ADHD to be attracted to smoking cigarettes. Personally, I find that smoking can help to some degree. The act of going outside for 3 minutes and taking a "time out" helps me to maintain focus during a work shift. And the noctine seems to help slow down the turning wheels. The downsides, obviously, are related to the health implications, and the addiction.

Smokingtobacco is part of my therapy, and it has personally helped me on a daily basis. Weed has too, but I operate heavy mechanical equipment, and ticking timebombs. So weed has a limited place in my inventory. Cigarettes are (for now) still legal, and do not fuzz out my brain.

This may not be what a lot of people agree with, so I apologise in advance for any wars that may be started by this debate (rather than the one-sided monologue that we generally see around nicotine).

To be clear, nicotine in its concentrated form is one of the most potent poisons known to humanity (not even counting the still slightly vaporous links between tobacco use and cancer. Yes, there is plenty of anecdotal and trend based evidence. But the fifty plus years of research to find a definite link is still ongoing as far as I am aware).

But if you ask somebody who knows about these things, there can be a very fine, almost blurry line between what is a poison, and what is a medicine. If used incorrectly, even water is harmful. From what I understand, as another example, pure heroin is essentially harmless if used in the correct dosage (and the best painkillers still in use are opiate based).

Apparently, there is research for the next generation of ADHD meds which is based on the therapeutic properties of nicotine (despite what they would like you to believe, there are some). From what I understand, their biggest stumbling block is centered on the addictive nature of the drug, and the social perceptions. Just mention anything positive about nicotine (as I'm doing here) and watch the tempers flare.

Personally, I worry less about the health implications of smoking, than I do about the reduced lifespan of your average ADHD sufferer. And the cost of my therapy of choice is being taxed so outrageously here. $37 for a packet for a product that is legally sold to consenting adults.

I know plenty of people that say they are going to quit now because of the huge chunk of cash it costs, but I only know of one who actually has. So the net effect of all the revenue raising is minimal in health terms. The only people who are forced to quit are the poorer people. No surprises there.

The government has made criminals of many of us. It's actually far, far cheaper for me to fly to Bali in Indonesia, buy a carton of smokes at $2.50 a packet, and smuggle back ten cartons, than it is to stay at home and pay Aussie prices for them. By a big margin, even factoring in airfares, accommodation etc. One guy I know got caught at the airport with 98 cartons. He scored a fine of over $120,000. He got stupid greedy. But many people I know (who are aware of this story, myself included) still feel that the reward justifies the risk.

I do not trust the statistics they use to overweigh their findings. There is plenty of good science behind many of their anti-smoking findings, but they have vastly simplified it all, and aimed it all squarely at the lowest common denominator using pseudoscience, rhetoric, exaggeration and stat padding. I've never been a big fan of the self-righteous outright lying to make their point. Especially when the truth could tell a far more valuable story.

For example, the story they would like you to hear is that every smoker dies a slow and painful death from the moment of their first cigarette. This may be true for some, who have a genetic disposition, underlying health issues or are just plain unlucky.

The statistic that they will never tell you, is that a little under 10% of smokers will develop health problems related to smoking. But what you will hear is an inference that 100% of smokers are killing themselves and everybody else around them.

I've been smoking for around 35 years. I regularly do medicals, including spyrosphigmometry and lung capacity tests. I typically score in the same range as a person half my age.

My grandfather took up smoking when he joined the army in 1914. He survived the entire first world war in the trenches of the Eastern front (he was Austro-Hungarian army), probably needed a cigarette or two just to hold his nerve enough to not run away as fast as he could. He quit smoking at the age of 91. And the shock to his system didn't really help. He died at 92.

I made the choice to start smoking. I've made the choice to keep smoking. In the end, whatever I die of, I am unlikely to have a choice, regardless of any statistical likelihood indicated by my lifestyle.

Also worth mentioning... As a smoker, I have always been considerate of others who don't smoke. I would always go outside a restaurant, or house to smoke if there were non-smokers present. A good smoker knows the wind direction at all times, and will try to stand upwind of the non-smokers.

But that courtesy has been non-existant from the people who these days see it as their right (even their duty) to be vehemently and vocally opposed to smoking. These days I give less of a shit about their sensibilities, and tend to smoke wherever the hell I want now that it has become an "us vs. them" conflict, with all the big guns on their side.

My favourite comeback to a concerned stranger who , out of the blue, decided to deride me for smoking:
"You shouldn't smoke. Don't you know what that's doing to your health???"
"Thanks for your concern for my well-being. In the same vein, I should tell you that you could easily stand to lose a few kilograms yourself. Don't you know what THAT is doing to your health?" And I was the rude one.

Anyway.... End of rant. Proudly sponsored by Benson and Hedges.

 

[Some random guy]

I tried to edit that last rant... Missed the cut off.

Without a doubt, starting smoking was a stupid idea. Unrecommendable. A bad idea.
But I still get something out of it. A tiny little window of calm every now and again.

 

[Aurelia]

As far as heroin, I wouldn't exactly call it "harmless" in the correct dosage. The more you use it, and other opiates, the more your brain forgets how to produce natural dopamine.

 

[dandelions]

I have a lot of problems concentrating, and I've always been a really bad procrastinator. There are quite a few things on the online checklists for ADHD I can check off, though not all of them. My therapist mentioned maybe getting tested, and a previous therapist I tried basically didn't think he could do anything for me because he thought it was undiagnosed ADHD. But, I dunno, I feel like depression/anxiety and general laziness basically explain most of it and adding another diagnosis would just be an excuse. Like, can't most people check off a lot of those 'symptoms'? Are there a lot of people for whom planning and concentrating on a long, involved project would NOT be problematic?

I know of one psychiatrist who's seen me who is very adamant about the diagnosis she gave me. My present therapist sort of suggests another. My new psychiatrist dismisses all as just words to say when considering treatment and the psych testing place I went to last summer gave me 5 definitely plus two almosts. For myself it somehow feels reassuring to think a professional knows what the problem is. I think that whatever one's problems are, if any description from any diagnosis that spans others as well is something you feel is correct, then that is the something to work on. I wonder if the same issues get different treatments depending on which diagnosis is being used. I wonder if conditions of the mind actually fall within a full spectrum which particular diagnoses limit full exploration of.

 

[sinking_ship]

I know of one psychiatrist who's seen me who is very adamant about the diagnosis she gave me. My present therapist sort of suggests another. My new psychiatrist dismisses all as just words to say when considering treatment and the psych testing place I went to last summer gave me 5 definitely plus two almosts. For myself it somehow feels reassuring to think a professional knows what the problem is. I think that whatever one's problems are, if any description from any diagnosis that spans others as well is something you feel is correct, then that is the something to work on. I wonder if the same issues get different treatments depending on which diagnosis is being used. I wonder if conditions of the mind actually fall within a full spectrum which particular diagnoses limit full exploration of.

I do agree that most diagnosis or mental states fall on a spectrum. I do think it would be somewhat reassuring if I had a straight answer to carry forward. Though it doesn't change a whole lot in terms of what I work on, you're right. The skills I suck at I need to find ways to improve or work around, whether there's a name for why I suck at them or not.

 

[ravens]

Life is a spectrum. We are all humans. Everyone can have trouble concentration, impulse control, hyperactivity at times. The difference is when these greatly interfere with your life on a daily basis and have a great impact that diagnosis is then warranted. I try not to label myself like I know some people love to, but I know I have a brain that can be and has been diagnosed as adhd.

 

[Innocent Forever]

Another main symptom of ADHD is a reduced working memory. It's like the rest of the world having 16gb of RAM when you only have 4gb. So if you are given a complex set of instructions to follow, an ADHD person will typically get a few steps into it, but forget what the other steps were. Because of the reduced working memory.

I loved reading this. For I've a great memory - really. I've only learned really recently that the stuff I remember is a lot, yet come to the day to day stuff, um........

Add to that the fact that an ADHD brain picks up everything, and has problems filtering stimuli. For example, you notice a blue car driving past. That replays in your brain, reducing the amount of available working memory. Then a fly buzzes around your head, and that ends up in your working memory, displacing something else. Then a conversation from yesterday starts playing in your head....

some of the stuff I write is entertaining like that....

I was never quite sure whether or not I had ADD/ADHD either. I have certain symptoms it seems, but considering I have BPD and anxiety, they can probably be chalked up to that just as easily.

I was actually thinking a lot about this. I was trying to figure out what's what....

I answered 2 of those questions that @Some random guy posted as no.

I looked at this questionnaire - found it helpful to realise that my socially off stuff like interrupting others is a sign of adhd not that I'm socially clueless (I just don't realise they're talking by the time I've interrupted and been told off)

https://add.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/adhd-questionnaire-ASRS111.pdf
Re hyperactivity - have you ever felt like you HAVE to move, you just have to move, you've so much energy and have to move. Especially if you've sat still in a meeting or teaching for a few hours and then you've even more energy?

My sister asked me the other day if I thought I was autistic - autism doesn't come in - coz' I was hyped up, I'm bright, and maybe socially clueless. I said no for it wasn't cluelessness.

Anyways, hyperactivity - I'm not hyperactive, I don't think. But I was thinking and came up with an analogy anyways.

Think of a car that you rev up the engine. If you drive, the car is fine. If you rev it up first, you'll drive faster at first and then drive at normal speed. If you rev up the engine however, rev it up, rev it up, and don't drive, it'll conk out. I thought of the analogy coz' was trying to explain to myself why I crash when I don't move - I get really revved up, have to move, and have loads of energy, and then crash and am whacked, exhausted, people would say depressed. I decided it's not a sign of bpd or bipolar, but much more adhd style and decided to figure out why it's so..... explain why I mean so that others (this is the first time I'm writing it) wouldn't think it's something it's not when I'd say about crashing. If I move enough I'm fine. If I don't move I'm not fine.

Ramble over. Not sure why I'm writing this as it is!

 

[Some random guy]

As far as heroin, I wouldn't exactly call it "harmless" in the correct dosage.

I'm no expert (although that's never stopped me before, I guess), but my understanding is that any medicine can do you harm, if used incorrectly. It's a yin and yang thing.

Often it comes down to the problem you want to solve vs, the unwanted effects and it's a matter of finding the balance which well have the most positive effect while minimising the negative.

The biggest problem with heroin, in my understanding of it (not my game at all) is that it is always adulterated with unknown additives, the usage is never under clinically supervised conditions, and the fact that you build a tolreance (addiction) with use. Then you end up stealing your grandma's TV so you can get another hit, and then dying in a gutter surrounded by vomit. Not recommended at all.

Life is a spectrum.

Absolutely. That's why it can be so hard to get a diagnosis. If you stood up in front of a room full of people, and asked all of those who thought they were normal to put their hands up, I suspect you would only get a fraction of them. There is no normal.

With ADHD, it can be hard to explain that you have problems doing something, when everybody will have those same problems from time to time. Most, if not all of the ADHD symptoms happen to everybody. Just not ALL the time.

I agree with your thoughts on labels too. I've never liked them. But in my case, finally recognising that the ADHD label actually fit me... Was an instant improvement in my life. A focal point for all the questions I could never answer about myself.

My sister asked me the other day if I thought I was autistic

I looked into the autism spectrum myself, but don't think it applies to me. But autism is definitely something which can often tack itself onto ADHD. Comorbidity again. ADHD doesn't help with friendships, it prefers a social circle of other disorders. Yippee.

Anyways, hyperactivity - I'm not hyperactive, I don't think. But I was thinking and came up with an analogy anyways.

I never considered myself hyperactive either. There have been times (usually when I'm fired up and enthusiastic, butting in, talking quickly and at length, tapping my feet etc). that I thought about it, but never seriously. That's why I never considered ADHD. I didn't have the "H" part of ADHD, as far as I was concerned. There are many, many adults who do not consider themselves to be hyperactive who have not considered ADHD because of this. It's a really shitty name for this disorder, and in so many ways inaccurate.

I liked your analogy about the revving engine though. Sounds about right.

One of the many things that have surprised me with ADHD, and that tie so easily into my own condition, was the discovery of a thing called Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), This is common with many ADHDers. It is a real thing.

As a kid, I would find it comforting to rhythmically twitch my legs. If I was sitting down, I'd be rocking my feet so that my whole leg would be twitching up and down. Not sure how to describe it... Knees constantly going up and down.

But later in life, it got worse, especially if I was dehydrated or tired (other people have different triggers).

I would often find it hard to get to sleep because my legs would just want to twitch. I'd get a feeling that the nerves in my legs were desperate to move, and the only thing I could do would be to just kick every now and again. Many restless nights trying to get to sleep, but with too much nerve energy in my legs. preventing that. I would try stretches, self-massage, I even tried putting C clamps on two blocks of wood, and tightening them over my calf muscles to squeeze out the weirdness. All these efforts would have some limited success, but it would eventually come back again. I still get it.

I'm currently trying weighted blankets, which many people find helpful. The jury is still out for me on that one. But I'm sensing an improvement, at least.

A weighted blanket is just a quilted blanket with lead weights sewn into it. A heavy blanket. Even in the hot Australian summer, when I've lived in places without aircon, I like to sleep with something over me even if it's just a thin sheet. So I'm giving the weighted blanket a try.

 

[Innocent Forever]

I don't think I'm autistic, I think that there are things on the Asperger's spectrum that everyone wold be able to relate to. The stuff that is ADHD style I'll always relate to. And because I have difficulty with other stuff, that too, but doesn't come from autism but life experience.

One of the many things that have surprised me with ADHD, and that tie so easily into my own condition, was the discovery of a thing called Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), This is common with many ADHDers. It is a real thing.

As a kid, I would find it comforting to rhythmically twitch my legs. If I was sitting down, I'd be rocking my feet so that my whole leg would be twitching up and down. Not sure how to describe it... Knees constantly going up and down.

But later in life, it got worse, especially if I was dehydrated or tired (other people have different triggers).

I would often find it hard to get to sleep because my legs would just want to twitch. I'd get a feeling that the nerves in my legs were desperate to move, and the only thing I could do would be to just kick every now and again. Many restless nights trying to get to sleep, but with too much nerve energy in my legs. preventing that. I would try stretches, self-massage, I even tried putting C clamps on two blocks of wood, and tightening them over my calf muscles to squeeze out the weirdness. All these efforts would have some limited success, but it would eventually come back again. I still get it.

This is kinda what I meant with the car analogy. That my body just wants to move.... I'm not hyperactive though, just need to move... I'm glad to know it's a real thing. I don't always actually experience it in my legs only, could be anywhere in my body.

Something random but kinda interesting. My sister was on the upper floor looking down at a room of men (my father was one of the hundred or two hundred there listening). She said she saw that all the guys were still or rocking slightly back and forth whilst my father and another couple of guys were constantly moving, twirling things etc, just moving, in a room of others who could just stand still.

 

[sinking_ship]

If anyone was wondering, the psychologist said mild inattentive type based on the testing. My psychiatrist prescribed adderal so we’ll see how that goes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[ravens]

On second thought I think I've been in denial about how much this disorder affects my life.

 

[ameliaQ]

On second thought I think I've been in denial about how much this disorder affects my life.

you know where to find me if you want to talk about it

 

[Aurelia]

If anyone was wondering, the psychologist said mild inattentive type based on the testing. My psychiatrist prescribed adderal so we’ll see how that goes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Lol. You lucky bastard. "Mild" Inattentive Type gets you Adderall automatically. I could be twitching and fidgeting in my seat the entire visit and that doctor would still be like, "Nope. Not getting it."

 

[sinking_ship]

Lol. You lucky bastard. "Mild" Inattentive Type gets you Adderall automatically. I could be twitching and fidgeting in my seat the entire visit and that doctor would still be like, "Nope. Not getting it."

Ha. My psychiatrist is pretty cool. But yeah that’s hard, I get why they want caution with someone with a history with drugs but you’d hope they’d be able to treat it case by case.

 

[Aurelia]

Ha. My psychiatrist is pretty cool. But yeah that’s hard, I get why they want caution with someone with a history with drugs but you’d hope they’d be able to treat it case by case.

My thing is, if I already know something works, why not just give it to me? I mean, if you're really that concerned I'm getting high off them, make me take one in front of you, and I'll show you just how high I'm not getting.

 

[Innocent Forever]

My thing is, if I already know something works, why not just give it to me? I mean, if you're really that concerned I'm getting high off them, make me take one in front of you, and I'll show you just how high I'm not getting.

This actually made me laugh. Not sure why.
Hope it helps @sinking_ship