Re: Mild ADD? Or Midlife Crisis? Wondering/Obsessing, and in Need of a Pep Talk

[Geoduck]

Wow. Several things going on in your little head.

As a fellow mom of three, I sympathize. Also, as a fellow mom of three, I would ask how long you have been this way? My third child sent me into a horrible post-partum depression, which added to my ADD horribly, as they have overlapping symptoms. Having a third, you are suddenly outnumbered. If your third is a bear, like my sweet angel that kept pawing at me, screaming at me, and nursed every 20 minutes for 18 months because she was growing like a cow on growth hormones, you really might need to take time out and get some of that kind of therapy. Anti-depressants were actually worse for me, but I do credit them with saving my life. However, the ADD was there before and after the babies (sweet angel is now 6).

So many things can be out of whack at this point in your life, really, you do need to see your doc. If your primary physician is a supportive individual that you trust, start there. Beware of people who call themselves “post-partum” specialists. Ask for credentials before listening to anything they say. There are nut jobs out there who think that because they experienced this, that they are experts, and even pass out cards and dangerous medical advice. I ran into one.

Your primary doc should be able to refer you to a credentialed mental health specialist. Your doc should also be able to do things like check hormone levels and do a complete ADD evaluation. He or she also has access to your medical history. If you have known them for a while, they also have a good idea about your personality, and if you talk like a true ADDer in the doc’s office, a fair amount of your family history as well.

Reading on your own can be a two-edged sword. While it may be enlightening, and get you on the proper path to treatment, it can also be one of those things where you become so engrossed with the particular symptoms, you actually start feeling like you have those. Really, you aren’t qualified to diagnose yourself. Again, I’d go with the doc. The worst that can happen is that you get the help you need for the actual problem you have, instead of running around trying to self-treat and doing all the wrong (and possibly unwittingly dangerous) things.

Just so you know, this isn’t the worst thing to have. I have a lot of fun being this way, personally. Way more fun than that post-partum depression was, I guarantee!

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