Anyone dealing with adult ADHD?

[Margie J]

I have a dear friend that I think has ADHD. I love him so much but it is so difficult to deal with his behavior sometimes. He can go from doing his work one minute to needing to play the next. He'll be quiet and a million miles away then endlessly chatty. He seems to get "lost" in thought and for real. If things get overwhelming he will walk away.

Of all things, he moved to NY City last year. Talk about sensory overload. On top of that he took on a new profession, lost one job, had to move and was nearly deported. I saw him last night for the first time since his move and he was going from quiet to animated to "freaked" to avoidant and back.

I will see him again next weekend. He really means so much to me and I don't know what to do for him, except to be patient.

 

[airhead]

Not always easy to deal with us,I know,but be patient.
By the time I was 32,I had already had 46 jobs!! I was never fired from any of them,I always quit. Mainly because of my inability to stay in one place longer than a few hours at a time. I finally realized the only way I would be able to support myself would be if I was self-employed. I am a very hard worker,but not during conventional work hours. Sometimes I'm working at 2 in the morning because I couldn't settle down at 2 in the afternoon!I just can not focus the same way most can. Hope your friend finds what works best for him.

 

[Christine]

A dear friend of mine who is 52 was diagnosed about 10 years ago when his son was diagnosed. He has a REAL BAD case of it. He takes a good amount of Ritalin and this seems to really work for him, although you can still tell he has it.

When he takes a medication holiday WATCH OUT!!! It's wild. He becomes very aggressive and extremely disorganized. His funny sense of humor becomes much less funny and stupid. It's really amazing to watch, although I do not notice the swings in mood that you are describing. Are you sure there is no other disorder mixed in there?

 

[ripleysmom]

I have a friend who will probably begin taking something as soon as she completes the evaluation. Many times adults with ADHD have developed the coping mechanism to help them with it. I think in my friend's case that menopause has exacerbated her problem to the point that she can no longer function without some type of pharmacological intervention.

 

[Margie J]

Thank you for the responses.

I hope my friend decides to move back to the Boston area. I think that will help a bit. He even said yesterday it was like going to the countryside compared to NY. He was hyper but could manage better here. The new job he has is a max stress environment too (Law) and doesn't allow for "play" breaks or for him to manage his own time.

He may still need meds and to stay away from certain people or situations too. That he needs to do on his own.