William
I have a similar history in terms of initial diagnosis was depression (long time on antidepressants) and then finally the ADD diagnosis.
In my case my ADD diagnosis came in late Nov, 2011. I also felt there was something else wrong over the years other than depression.
I have relationship issues as well but for different reasons. I am fortunate that the people around me have been supportive in helping me put the ADD in perspective. ADD from what I learned has caused a lot of problems for me because there is a whole host of behaviors and coping mechanisms that I developed.
I would interpret what your girlfriend said as follows.
She may hear you talking about ADD a lot (dwelling on it ) and she sees that there are some things you could be doing specifically to change the behaviours.
For example i went through the period of talking about ADD and identifying where it has affected me. I would talk to family members and friends. Then somebody said to me ‘ now that you know about ADD what are you going to change in your day to day behaviours.
I thought about it and developed a short list of behaviours that I wanted to change first . One of my first priorities is doing a better job of remembering things. So I decided I need to keep more reminder notes. Since I don’t get along very well with paper 
I decided to use my blackberry phone which has a calendar and note taker on it.
How is it working for me?.. Pretty well as long as I consistently use the Blackberry and discipline myself. It has improved my ability to remember and complete tasks. Does it eliminate all my issues in this area … HELL NO. But i am a lot better. (The only other problem using my Blackberry is that I sometimes can’t find it… that is another story, lol!!)
I think that I can change my behaviours but I am never going to be a 100% … I am going to make mistakes. So it is very important to set realistic expectations.
I am very much a work in progress and i am just starting out in terms of managing my ADD. I am starting a new job and I am concerned already about not setting myself up to fail. My biggest problem at work is procrastination… getting stuff done.
I am fortunate to be going to a top ADD clinic in Massachusetts. It is benefiting in terms of medical management (eg. my stimulants) I need to commit to more counseling/therapy. At some point I will look for an ADD coach that will help me address more specific issues (e.g., work situations, etc.)
I want a better work life and personal life. I have lived with this ADD probably all my life and want to reduce the chaos in my life.
REPORT ABUSE