ADD/ADHD or Bipolar

Now there’s a question.

ADHD OR BIPOLAR

Because ADHD and bipolar disorder do share some symptoms and sometimes coexist, children like Alex are commonly misdiagnosed. ADHD is a more common condition in children and often the first thing a doctor thinks of.

Which could he have. With adults it’s possible to be both.

“An adult with bipolar disorder can also have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, better known as ADHD. That’s what Timothy Wilens, MD, and colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital found after careful study of 51 adults diagnosed with ADHD.” Read More —

Adult ADHD

With my son he’s up and down up and down. Some psychiatrist believe it could be Bipolar disorder. Many of them believe that ADD/ADHD is over-diagnosed.

If those educated in the field are at polar-opposites [pardon the pun] between the two then, how are we, as parents, suppose to know.

We’re trusting the professionals to know what they’re talking about.

When my son was in elementary school I had him to three different psychiatrist and they’ve all agreed that he is ADHD.

Well that’s wonderful, we knew what the problem was, dealing with it was the hurdle I never leaped over.

Me, as his mother believe that right now,  he could be suffering from bipolar disorder too.

When he hits bottom and is depressed, no one can live with him. He barks at you, talks nasty to you, throws things and sneaks and self medicates.

When he’s on a high, you still have a hard time living with him. He doesn’t bark at people as much but he still throws things, plays tons of tricks on you, and definitely doesn’t sleep much.

Sounds bipolar to me but, what do I know.

Right now, he’s up. He’s going to graduate from school and is doing an internship.

I’m so proud of him. He stayed on task and got through this course. He did very, very well.

He had some problems relating to the other students but, he controlled himself and dealt with the situation.

He’s feeling pretty good about himself as he should. Most importantly, he knows I’m his biggest fan.

No! Not the Roof!

For those of you who haven’t a clue what it’s like to raise a child with ADD/ADHD read this.

It was two or three o’clock in the morning. The house was quiet and serene or so I thought.

[Now bear with me, I’ll soon get to the title of this piece.]

At age eight, Drew’s bedtime was nine o’clock. [With children like Drew, consistency is a must, as a matter of fact it’s vital for a parent’s sanity.] I’d set his bedtime at nine when in reality, I started the process at seven-thirty.

See, this is how the process went; at seven-thirty, I’d say James (Drew) it’s time to start getting ready for bed. He’d look at me and grin then, head out the back door towards the swing set or head up to the neighbor’s house. Mind you, kids like him are in full throttle, they’re speedsters and hard to catch.

Life with Fast Boy

Life with Fast Boy

Another mother’s ADHD diary.

Her son is gifted. Children with ADHD are intelligent children it’s getting them to tap into that intelligence that’s the hurdle.

Poop everywhere!or the wall that wouldn’t move.

I just read a blog by a mother of an ADHD boy. It was a younger boy of course but she wrote of how he’d pooped his pants and when she finally got to him he’d had poop EVERYWHERE! Oh boy! did that bring back memories.

All I could say is; been there, done that — poop here, poop there, poop hair, poop everywhere. I hate to tell her but, with a child like this, poop-o-sphere will be the least of her worries.

Drew’s ADHD became noticeable when he became school age. I know, I know, you’re thinking — yeah, these teachers wanted to medicate a normal active little boy [at least that’s the feed back I received] — but that isn’t how it happened.

Toddler Years

Sometimes I just want out!

I can’t really pinpoint when I started suspecting that something wasn’t quite right with my boy. As all parents know, toddlers are active , learning about themselves and the world around them.

Yes, Drew, my son was very, very active. I thought this was a normal state of being with a son. I was young myself and my mother wasn’t much help in guiding me. I have a brother who’s as laid back as a cat sunning itself at a window, so, Mom, couldn’t or wouldn’t relate to what I was going through with my Tasmanian devil.

When was to late, too late

To bad I didn’t start this diary when my son was four or five. Now, I’ve got to reach back into memory’s closet to write everything down.

I guess I should start by saying that this is a blog about me and my son. I was a single mother raising a child who was diagnosed with ADHD [attention deficit hyperactive disorder] at an early age.

This diagnosis was made twenty-three years ago when the medical community and the public made light of this condition.

I remember being made to feel like I was a bad mother. I had to work, I refused to be a welfare statistic. So, I landed a job with the U.S. Postal Service.