A Doctor with ADHD

[vsher]

Hi Everybody,

I am 34 years old male hospital doctor in UK, self diagnosed ADHD couple of years ago but was in continuous denial due to my perfectionist patterns.

I had a extremely tough time last year as became new parents, education/job failures, career at risk, physical health issues, financial disaster and family problems.

Beginning of this year officially diagnosed with Moderate depression and anxiety, had 4 months of venlafaxine with some benefits but many side effects, now on cymbalta 30 mg from 8 days; and last week went for private – confidential assessment with Qb test.

My psychiatrist wrote like this:

‘As I said I think you have ADHD Hyperactive / Impulsive subtype (DSM-IV 314.02) combined with high intelligence. Some hugely successful people have the same difficulty (allegedly Richard Branson is one)’

My life is a live disaster at this stage, I have my dream board infront of me for next five years with perfect plans but the circumstances around me are not friendly and helpful at all, continuous bad luck events…………..

I am going to give a try to Amphetamines from Today but deep down in my subconscious I know this may benefit only temporary (either its a belief, placebo effect or reality) but not for long term.

I have so many questions, so many thoughts and so many issues……….

any suggestions please………

Many thanks,

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[Patte Rosebank]

@Vsher, you have definitely come to the right place!

ADHD is a paradox of incredible strengths and incredible weaknesses, caused by a brain that is driven by interest, rather than importance.  It’s not a defect; it’s just a different way of doing things. And, in many ways, it’s actually more attuned to the skills that served humans so well before the Industrial Revolution forced us to conform to man-made time-keeping and machine-based work systems.

There is a very high rate of ADHD in Emergency Services workers such as yourself.  The high levels of excitement and variety are a perfect match for the ADHD brain’s need for stimulation.

The most important thing you can do is to learn as much as you can about ADHD.  There is so much new information about it, especially with the release of the DSM-V.

Your concern about stimulant medications is likely due to all of the fearmongering and biased information that’s out there.  Learn all you can from legitimate sources, and approach the trial period with a scientific perspective.

While it’s true that the effect of stimulant medication only lasts a few hours, the right med and the right dose can help you to function much more effectively during those hours.  Just remember that meds are like training wheels on a bicycle. They’ll help keep you upright, but you still need to learn the necessary skills to keep you going.

I suggest you visit the Videos section (http://totallyadd.com/video).  It includes a series on Medication—which will answer many of your questions with unbiased facts.  There are numerous other videos there, featuring experts in the field of ADHD.  And the “ADDventures With Bill” will give you a laugh when you need it.

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There are some books that helped me a lot, and may help you: “You Mean I’m NOT Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy?” (Kelly & Ramundo),  “The ADHD Effect on Marriage (Orlov), and “Is It You, Me, Or Adult ADD?” (Pera).  As a doctor, you may also benefit from reading “Integrative Treatment For Adult ADHD” (Tuckman) and “Executive Functions” (Barkley)—though they’re too dry and clinical for me.

Some of these books are in the Shop (http://totallyaddshop.com/collections/books), as well as some excellent DVDs (http://totallyaddshop.com/collections/videos)—including downloads of the 3-part DVD set, “A Comprehensive Guide to ADHD”, so region-coding won’t be an issue. I found that DVD set extremely helpful.

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One more reason to learn all you can about ADHD:  It’s highly heritable.  So, it’s possible your little one may have ADHD too.

The better you and your wife can understand and manage your ADHD, together, the better you two will be able to help your family through the challenges.  And the better you’ll be able to celebrate the wonderful things—and there will be many!

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[sdwa]

While medication does provide only “temporary” help, it can alleviate some of the racing thoughts and anxiety that fuel overwhelm and a corresponding sense of paralysis. It can help you calm down, think clearly, reduce mental chatter, and help you handle things in a more methodical way. You know how sometimes everything feels just way too big to cope with? That’s pretty common. I don’t know if that helps, but my point is, we all experience that feeling – it is part of the ADHD, not a global statement about who you are as a person.

The best thing that has come to me from learning about ADHD is the recognition of the symptoms and common characteristics – to be able to distinguish that from my core sense of self. Sari Solden’s book “Journeys through ADDulthood” is good, as is Gabor Mate’s “Scattered.” Rick Green’s “ADD Stole My Car Keys” is another nice book for normalizing the experiences that come with ADHD – seeing what others go through, finding common ground.

So far, I don’t think there are any easy solutions to practical concerns. If there are, I haven’t found them addressed effectively by anyone in a way that is useful to me. Part of why I believe this is true is that we all do things in unique ways. What helps me organize might not help you organize. The best advice I have heard is to start to take note of when and where you are at your best, and try to change your life to put you in similar circumstances more frequently. We can’t change ourselves, but we can choose the environment to some extent.

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[darktendril]

I agree with what everyone else here has posted….  I was hesitant for a long time to try medication, simply because I don’t really like the idea of being on medication, especially if it will not “cure” me.  After my therapist suggested numerous times that I just try it, I finally did, and I do not regret it at all.  It gives me the choice of whether I want to focus on something or not. (Before I had no choice, no matter how badly I wanted and tried to focus, resulting in many many tears..)  I also feel less anxious, as I feel that I have more control over my choices and my life.  It even helps me to do little happy things that I struggled with patience with before, like playing a board game with my son.

The biggest and most pleasant surprise with medication though, is that it seems to have given me the ability to find creative solutions for my own issues, that work for me!  As sdwa says, we all do things our own unique way.   I have read (little parts of) a zillion ADHD books, and I think I have only taken and used one tip from any of them.   Even tips from my therapist who specializes in ADHD are often not so useful for me (Use a calendar that makes me schedule in blocks of time?? Time is flexible, not square! And it does not like to be tied down in blocks either. Now, to convince the rest of the non-ADHD world of that….;))   Anyway, as I said, now I feel like I can solve more of my own problems, in my own ADHD-friendly way 🙂 And if I ever stop taking medication, for any reason, I will still have those tricks and systems.

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