The more I read up on ADD, the more perfectly ALL of my symptoms fit it to a T! I have brought up the possibility of ADD with several of my doctors/psychiatrists/ therapists/ phsychologists in the past, and all 3 times, it was pretty much ignored entirely, dispite the fact that it fit MUCH better, and in ALL aspects, than what they had already diagnosed me with! I have been diagnosed with Depression, then Bi-Polar Disorder, then Borderline personality disorder. But none of them even SUGGESTED ADD or listened to my concerns that their diagnosis, while there were similarities, did not fit quite right! They seemed much more ready to push new and different medications on me! Paxil, prozac, wellbutrin (which did help a LITTLE) zoloft (also helped a little, but not with all of my symptoms.) Lithium, depakote, lamictal, and EVERY combination of those listed! The more I research this, the more it appears as though more males get diagnosed with ADD (a friend of mine, who I could have SWORN was my psychosis TWIN, recently confided to me that HE was diagnosed with ADD, and I didn't even know! I just thought that it was wierd how we had SO many of the same "Issues") while females with the same symptoms get diagnosed with depression, bi-polar disorder, etc.

So basically, I am wondering, HOW DO I GET MY DOCTORS TO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY?? Their treatments for THEIR diagnosis' NEVER work right, but they KEEP AT IT! Are they just trying to push drugs, as in America, doctors are allowed to buy stock in drugs? Or is it basically frowned upon to try to talk your doctor into giving you these medications??? I mean, if I am NOT ADD, wouldn't the medications not work correctly? Then we'd know for sure?

I want to go back to school, and it is IMPOSSIBLE to do, given my symptoms of attention RETARDATION, which is pretty much how I FEEL when I try to go to school. RETARDED. If I am going to accomplish what I want in life, I HAVE to be able to PAY ATTENTION!

HELP??? PLEASE??? Any advice??

K I'm done. I swear. :eek:

Quote from ravyla:

I have been diagnosed with Depression, then Bi-Polar Disorder, then Borderline personality disorder...They seemed much more ready to push new and different medications on me! Paxil, prozac, wellbutrin (which did help a LITTLE) zoloft (also helped a little, but not with all of my symptoms.) Lithium, depakote, lamictal, and EVERY combination of those listed!

Hi Ravyla,

Sorry to hear you've been on a diagnostic merry-go-round. As Jrona has pointed out, your meds in & of themselves, are not helpful for attentional difficulties. Many psychiatrists follow a standard flowchart (or 'algorithm') to try to determine which meds will work. If you've been there, done that, IMO your time & money will probably not be well-spent repeating the experience.

The key is to find the right doc. One suggestion: phone a few psychologists in your community & find out which ones offer 'objective' tests of attention like the TOVA or the IVA. [removed] These tests offer an opportunity to compare your performance on tasks that require close attention, with the performance of others in your age group. Not a fool-proof way to get dxd, but if the test results are positive, they become hard for docs to dismiss -- much harder than dismissing self-rating checklists.

I also recommend the Amen Clinics (Tacoma, WA / Newport Beach, CA / Reston, VA). Daniel Amen is a board-certified psychiatrist who has pioneered using SPECT imaging to pinpoint brain glitches. This assists in proper diagnosis & effective treatment, especially where hit/miss drug trials have failed. Dr. Amen has demonstrated that in many cases lifestyle issues contribute to ADD & other brain problems, and that often effective treatment requires more than just an Rx. Sometimes he finds that a combination of meds, lifestyle changes, and alternative treatments are most effective for a given individual. That's not an opinion you'll hear the average psychiatrist espouse.

Dr. Amen is a prolific author. Many of his popular works are available at public libraries; however, Images of Human Behavior: A Brain SPECT Atlas, is a convincing, professional-level resource that demonstrates in living color how the SPECT approach can change lives. My public library was able to obtain this book for me through interlibrary loan -- perhaps yours could as well, should you be interested.

I have read many of Amen's books, and watched several of his videos. If you are frustrated trying to create a future for yourself, I highly recommend these resources.

Best wishes.