ADHD / ADD Support Group
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention deficit disorder (ADD) are more common than you might think. It is a syndrome that exhibits symptoms such as hyperactivity, forgetfulness, mood shifts, poor impulse control, and distractibility. Join others who suffer from these conditions and share your experiences.
My 20 year old son was diagnosed with ADHD as a young child. He started on stimulant meds and was on and off of those up until high school. The summer before the 9th grade I suspected he was using Marijuana so I took him off the meds for fear that I would be contributing to a future substance abuse problem. Well, he has self medicated since then, prescription pills during and after high school and now I have recently been told that he is using heroin. I suspect that this has been going on for a couple of weeks. We are dealing with that issue the best that we can at this point. He did come to me about a month ago and said he wanted to go to the doctor to get help with ADD and, his words, "do it the right way". I dismissed his request thinking that it was just a manipulation of his part to get pills. He has so many issues and I don't know which one to try and deal with first. And because of the substance abuse history, I don't trust him. But, what if I'm wrong? Does he really need help? How to you tell?
This is what I can recommend:
1. Get good counseling/therapy for yourself. Please do not skip this step! Use a licensed therapist with expertise in ADHD if you can find one. Above all, use someone you trust and connect with. Avoid faith-based counseling unless the counselor is specifically educated and licensed and more-or-less counseling as his/her full-time occupation. You need a professional.
2. Get a good psychiatry team for your son. This will probably be a combination of a psychologist for therapy and a psychiatrist (M.D.) for medication. Again, find someone you and he both trust, and that he's willing to work with.
3. Once you find a team for your son, trust their recommendations. Let them establish appropriate medications and dosages. Ask every question you need to, and keep your eyes open, but trust them.
4. Remember that your son is effectively an adult, and, especially as soon as he turns 21, you will have no legal right to access his medical records. Give him appropriate privacy now, and let him make decisions with his doctor. Hopefully he'll keep you in the loop, but you will not have the access you had when he was 10 or 15.
One last thing: Do.Not.Be.Afraid.of medications for ADHD. Be more afraid of not treating ADHD properly. Check through previous posts if you want to read more about my attitudes and experiences (good experiences) with medications.
Good luck, dear. I wish your family the best.
Sasha