I would love to hear opinions regarding the habits and thoughts of adults with ADD as compared to those of the gifted, especially from adults misdiagnosed as having ADD.
I'm a 35-year-old stay-at-home mother of three toddlers. I sought help when I realized I couldn't function enough to complete daily responsibilities like laundry, dishes, food shopping�I couldn't get us dressed and out to buy dinner, I didn't have the gas to drive to the store, I never deposited checks to have the money to get the gas to buy the food... and the list goes on.
I was diagnosed with ADD in July of 2009. I've seen several doctors, been through many medication trials, kept records, done research, and personally ruled out other mental and medical disorders with confirmation of the same by medical professionals. I've been seeing the same psychologist weekly, relieved I've allowed for at least one component of consistency during the entire process.
The best fit so far has been Adderall, with the dosage and timing ultimately determined by myself and agreed upon by my doctor based on my physical toleration and it's affect on my focus and concentration. I was completely against medication from the beginning and I've only relented at this point because I can see the positive benefit, albeit fading.
My psychologist has walked me through the process of self-discovery with hardly a word, just enough to lead me to my giftedness. I was completely unaware of the concept of giftedness and sadly had the opposite impression of myself. I've been shocked to the core to find affirmation of my independently theorized self-analyses on the Internet, a search I originally conducted in attempt to disprove my wild hypotheses.
I'm wondering if I have ADD at all and I've discussed this with my psychologist. As usual, she doesn't give me the yes/no answer I need and leaves me to find my own answers, a practice that's growing old with time.
It seems there's a fuzzy line between the inattentiveness of the gifted and that of an adult with ADD. Yes, I'm scattered, unfocused, and easily distracted, but only on matters of little or no interest, a point confirmed by my husband who's known me for over 15 years. The medication works in that it dulls my mind to a silent roar, letting me complete responsibilities and restore order, ultimately allowing time for the very causes of my distractions. The effects of the medication are limited and questionable, and so the search continues.
Being an introvert I really have no one to discuss these things with and my husband has had enough. Thank you for any help you can offer.
