thats a pretty ignorant thing to say. its always easy for someone on the outside to look in and criticize. when you have a chemical imbalance in your brain..... you can't force feelings. and thats what those chemicals do they produce certain feelings for no reason and you cant control them. scans can be done of peoples brains with ADD... you can visibly see it. And just as a side note I don't need to be lectured on doing things i dont want to do and working hard. I've had to do things in my life no human being should have to endure and I still have nightmares till this day ( i have PTSD as well). Ive also grown up on a farm so I know all about 16 hour workdays in 100 degree heat. THOSE are things that you simply dont want to do, and I'm telling you... ADD is more than that. Its a true brain chemical imbalance.

take a time when you feel like crap and you don't feel like doing something... something you hate. now take that and apply it to everything and pretend someone is forcing you to do it. its simply indescribable. Imagine doing that everyday of your life. its living hell, and it never stops.

I'm bipolar as well... do you advise people with BP to go without those meds too ? I'll tell you one thing, you wouldnt want to be in a room full of BP people off their meds. espeically me. I'm not depressed or psychotic, i just get massively irratated with racing thoughts and i never sleep. I look, feel, and act like a crack addict. Should I stop taking my Depakote so i can be like that ? Depakote actually makes me feel like a human being again....like I use to when I was in my early teens.

I think I'll take my chances with the meds.... I've been hearing alot of good things about straterra. its non controlled and it seems to be a near magic bullet for ADD from what I heard.

I can respect your opinion because I can clearly see that your not like some idiots who spout off with zero research or experience.......

however ...


your just going to have to take my word and the words of the people that have a mental illness, that its not just something you turn on and off. like how people say being gay is a choice and they can turn it off. its nonsense, I'm telling you. I didn't beleive I was bipolar because I didnt exhibit all the signs and I didnt want to take all that medication for most like ever. And I was taking it praying it changed nothing, hoping my problems were all in my mind. But wouldn't you know it, almost like clock work 4 days later it was like an enormous weight was lifted from me. And depakote is noncontrolled so its not like I was high or something.

to comment on people that are on meds that still have problems. i shouldnt have to tell you that first of all people dont always do what they are suppose to. alot of people on meds quit taking them becuase of the side effects, or they feel better so they think they dont need them anymore. this happens ALL the time. whats even more classic is for some reason people on meds drink, some quite heavily. I cant imagine doing something more stupid, but they do it. And on the surface you can look at that and say "well he's on meds and they dont help him" (like how you mentioned the VA Tech Student). And thats why I called you ignorant before, your just seeing the surface, your not looking deeply into individual situations, thats where all the real key info is. That kid probably stopped taking his meds, or he wasn't on an antipsychotic. Or was on an antidepressant without a mood stabilizer or something. Or maybe was abusing other drugs to make himself worse like cocain or meth. How do you know ? So how can you say, or use him for an example for that matter ? That is also ignorant.

Another problem is sometimes psychiatrists treating a patient is almost like a Vet treating an animal. They can't always tell them whats wrong and sometimes small key info is crucial. Or they see a family doctor for Psych problems. And alot of times they perscribe the wrong meds, this also happens ALL the time. One of the most misdiagnosed things is people having BP II and they get diagnosed depression with only antidepressants and no mood stabilizer. which is about one of the worst things you can do. Unfortunately this happened to my wife, it made her worse. Then she got some more proper meds and it hellped her alot but not totally. I figured this was as good as its going to get. She got a new psychiatrist and he was really good and took in as much info as he good and gave her new meds and I'm telling you...... her moods changed like night and day. It was simply amazing. Like someone doing a magic trick right in front of you. It put me in awe what the right meds can do. The only downside to that combo was she was tired, gained weight, and had high cholesterol. The doc just changed her meds again and so far 5 Lbs is gone, she has more energy. No more mid day naps, and the cholesterol is yet to be tested but I'm crossing my fingers. Thers a whole world of this going on out there that you don't know about and so many people are judging it with inadequette info.

Couple other things to keep in mind. Say I had an instrument in your brain that changed chemical imbalances and I started messing with seritonin, and you for no reason about 5 times a day just sat down and cried. Walked with your head down... even tried cutting your wrists. But you had no knowledge of me implanting this device. Then you hear people talking about you about how you need to straighten yourself up, like its as simple as ironing your shirt. Like its your fault your this way. If you want to be happy then act happy...........yeah right. Our thoughts are ours, but unfortunately alot of our thoughts and feelings and actions are controlled by the chemical secretions in our brains. I've also seen this in more people than just my wife and I. Maybe a dozen or so. Its so sad to see someone in a trance talking to dead air space in a room like someones there. You can't tell me thats made up.

If you never have to have it proven to you then I actually consider you lucky. So even though I don't like it, be thankful your looking in on us from the outside. because the inside is no place to be. But if you do experience it, youll understand every single word all of us said like watching a puzzle just magically come together.