ADD as an adult. A pretty old adult.

Seems you have been dealing with it pretty effectively if you reached age 67 without being diagnosed.  The hyper-focused attention that is characteristic of ADD can actually be an asset.   

drummerboy said:

So, I was just diagnosed with ADD. Seems a little silly at the age of 67. But there it is.
Just wondering if anyone else has had to deal with it.

you’re the last person on this site I would have pegged as having ADD… makes me now wonder what the heck these other folks have.

You’re pretty well focused and attention to detail is your strong point.

drummerboy said:

So, I was just diagnosed with ADD. Seems a little silly at the age of 67. But there it is.
Just wondering if anyone else has had to deal with it.

Curious, but what doctor tested you, and why? If it was a general practitioner, I would get a second opinion, OTOH, why bother? You seem really focused to me!

Yeah, I can be pretty incompetent when I try.  Sitting in front of a computer is something I've got down though.

There a lot of behaviors that fit underneath the ADD umbrella. Some match what I do, others don't.

Jaytee said:

you’re the last person on this site I would have pegged as having ADD… makes me now wonder what the heck these other folks have.

You’re pretty well focused and attention to detail is your strong point.

mtierney said:

Curious, but what doctor tested you, and why? If it was a general practitioner, I would get a second opinion, OTOH, why bother? You seem really focused to me!

It was a psychologist who specializes in ADD - referred by my PCP. He's been doing ADD for 30 years. It was a pretty in-depth diagnosis. I filled out pages and pages of questionnaires and then sat down with him for four hours. I had kind of self-diagnosed myself beforehand, so I decided to get a professional opinion.

drummerboy said:

Attention deficit disorder is a delightful cornucopia of maddening behaviors that are frustrating to everyone, but mostly to ourselves. It’s easy to miss a diagnosis, especially in an adult, because there is a perception that it’s a problem of children.  There is also a misconception that it goes hand-in-hand with hyperactivity, which is only true for some people.

A lot of people with undiagnosed ADD have come up with their own coping mechanisms. Some self medicate with caffeine or nicotine. A lot of the time we just assume we’re not as confident at basic tasks as other people, when we’re facing an actual organic neurotransmitter disorder. And Joan says, there is the hyperfocus aspect that runs contrary to popular conceptions of what ADD actually is. 

I was professionally diagnosed in my late 30s after suspecting for a little while that perhaps I had it myself. One behavior of mine, that I think other people find offputting is difficulty staying focused on someone when they are talking to me for too long. My eyes tend to wander around the environment, and if I’m not careful, my brain starts to wander and the next thing I know I’ve lost track of what they were saying. 

I’m glad you got the diagnosis, because that opens up the door for treatment strategies. Whoever did the diagnosing should hopefully be able to point you in the right direction.

Maybe I have ADD because after I start reading MT’s or Terp’s long boring posts … I scroll up…

mrincredible said:

drummerboy said:

Attention deficit disorder is a delightful cornucopia of maddening behaviors that are frustrating to everyone, but mostly to ourselves. It’s easy to miss a diagnosis, especially in an adult, because there is a perception that it’s a problem of children.  There is also a misconception that it goes hand-in-hand with hyperactivity, which is only true for some people.

A lot of people with undiagnosed ADD have come up with their own coping mechanisms. Some self medicate with caffeine or nicotine. A lot of the time we just assume we’re not as confident at basic tasks as other people, when we’re facing an actual organic neurotransmitter disorder. And Joan says, there is the hyperfocus aspect that runs contrary to popular conceptions of what ADD actually is. 

I was professionally diagnosed in my late 30s after suspecting for a little while that perhaps I had it myself. One behavior of mine, that I think other people find offputting is difficulty staying focused on someone when they are talking to me for too long. My eyes tend to wander around the environment, and if I’m not careful, my brain starts to wander and the next thing I know I’ve lost track of what they were saying. 

I’m glad you got the diagnosis, because that opens up the door for treatment strategies. Whoever did the diagnosing should hopefully be able to point you in the right direction.

good post. thanks.

yes, treatment is upcoming. the therapist has sent a report to my PCP and I'll be meeting with her next week to discuss meds. Therapist and PCP have worked together for years. I don't know if it's just a Ohio thing, but because most of the recommended meds are controlled substances you have to jump through some hoops to have them prescribed.

Jaytee said:

drummerboy said:

So, I was just diagnosed with ADD. Seems a little silly at the age of 67. But there it is.
Just wondering if anyone else has had to deal with it.

you’re the last person on this site I would have pegged as having ADD… makes me now wonder what the heck these other folks have.

You’re pretty well focused and attention to detail is your strong point.

My older brother had undiagnosed, untreated ADD for his entire 70 years. Back in late 50s and early 60s, there was no Ritalin, no ADD diagnosis; he was treated as a disciplinary problem, punished, sent to harsh private schools, etc.  All his life he struggled with tasks, responsibilities, relationships. Never had a career or could hold a job. I think ADD ultimately killed him 2 yrs ago as he couldn't deal with his failing health nor his other quality-of-life issues. Very sad. Ruined my mother, too, as (in my opinion) she felt she failed to help him.

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

Jaytee said:

drummerboy said:

So, I was just diagnosed with ADD. Seems a little silly at the age of 67. But there it is.
Just wondering if anyone else has had to deal with it.

you’re the last person on this site I would have pegged as having ADD… makes me now wonder what the heck these other folks have.

You’re pretty well focused and attention to detail is your strong point.

My older brother had undiagnosed, untreated ADD for his entire 70 years. Back in late 50s and early 60s, there was no Ritalin, no ADD diagnosis; he was treated as a disciplinary problem, punished, sent to harsh private schools, etc.  All his life he struggled with tasks, responsibilities, relationships. Never had a career or could hold a job. I think ADD ultimately killed him 2 yrs ago as he couldn't deal with his failing health nor his other quality-of-life issues. Very sad. Ruined my mother, too, as (in my opinion) she felt she failed to help him.

That's so sad. Sorry to hear that.

My life has been a lot smoother than that, thankfully. I was never much of a disciplinary problem, though I had my moments. Was generally a very good student until I stopped working at it in my later years. I was lucky to have found a career which fit my personality and strengths so I was reasonably successful at that. But in retrospect I see how ADD was probably involved in many of the rougher patches of my life.

Had it all my life, I'm 65.

bub said:

Had it all my life, I'm 65.

ah, but was it diagnosed and treated? 

“My older brother had undiagnosed, untreated ADD for his entire 70 years. Back in late 50s and early 60s, there was no Ritalin, no ADD diagnosis; he was treated as a disciplinary problem, punished, sent to harsh private schools, etc”

This quote from Mr T resonated with me,  and recalled an era of “Ritalin” — circa 1995 — when the drug was considered a solution for any classroom behavior outside the “norm.” I recall a kindergartener (who is often a male), who attended a highly rated school district (not MSO) who wound up in the principal’s office on his first day in kindergarten! Ritalin was recommended, despite his parents concerns.

Ritalin wasn’t the answer for this individual— but parents have little control when their child is diagnosed in a school setting.

So have any of you seen “One Love“ yet?

Wait, which thread is this again?

I was diagnosed with ADHD in my 40s, and honestly, it explained so much about my life. The constant distractions, forgetting important things, struggling to focus, it all made sense. For years, I just thought I was bad at managing my time or couldn’t keep up with others.

After the diagnosis, I went through the usual treatments like meds and therapy, which helped to a degree but not that much

I self diagnosed a few months ago. The thought that I might have ADD came to me while I was processing checks for the hiking club in July. July is the membership renewal month and a couple'a hundred checks come in the mail.

I recognized that I had to divide the checks by amount. Them make deposit slips for each amount. Count them again and then, maybe I could give them to the bank teller and have then run through their machine and match the totals.

Then I realized, that is how I approached many tasks throughout my 82 years.

When I was a tyke in school, (1947 -60) ADD didn't exist. I was just disruptive or disinterested. I wonder how my life would have been different if such a diagnoses was available in pre-historic times.

I may be repeating myself, but I self-diagnosed also. ADD is different in everyone. But I do think that I suffered from it in my adult life. Not sure about earlier than that. My biggest problem was making decisions. When faced with a situation or problem, my mind often would produce a slew of tangents/possibilities, each one being a possible solution or approach, but it often paralyzed me from actually picking one. One of my early bosses must have noticed this in me. He basically advised me that sometimes you just have to pick an option and go with it. Not terribly profound, certainly, but he was exactly right. Too bad I couldn't do it consistently. It dogged me my whole life.