But I am back!

I have included a link to my blog on Psych Central – Mental Health Discoveries where I am a contributing author.  The link takes you to my most recent post on the subjects ADHD and college students. 

See link below.

 https://blogs.psychcentral.com/discoveries/2018/12/3-truths-on-college-from-my-adhd-brain/

The post New Post on ADHD and College at Psych Central Blog -Mental Health Discoveries appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.

STEP 1:

Day One

At my first appointment, my Psychiatrist discussed the side effects of Adderall.  I almost always read the pamphlets the local pharmacy hands out with prescriptions.  The symptoms of the new med mirrored some of the other medications I was taking.  These are a few of the side effects, you may experience while on Adderall:

• anxiety,
• a headache,
• weakness,
• dizziness,
• a terrible taste in your mouth,
• diarrhea,
• constipation,
• nausea, and
• hair falling out.
• These are not all the side effects known about this medication.

Psychiatrist

STEP 2:

The Pros 

I told my Psychiatrist this stimulant has revolutionized my life!  Once I got the Adderall in my system, the sleeping and the attention issues faded away.  The energy I am experiencing is amazing, too!  However, I did learn that I could not rely solely on this pill that I swallowed every day four times a day.

The Cons

But, everything was not perfect. I had moments when I felt like a zombie.  The old habits came back!   I started again to fall asleep at inappropriate or dangerous times. I knew I needed the Adderall. But something had to change.

This all culminated in a moment of sheer brilliance. Once the Psychiatrist showed me, I realize my poor sleep habits were affecting the drug!  I was not getting enough sleep at night.

• I had to rethink when I took my evening meds.
• Also, I needed to rethink when I should take my new medicine during the day.
• And thirdly, I needed to go to bed much earlier.

Psychiatrist

Affecting My Writing

Likewise, I would get a few minor glitches with the Adderall working on the ADHD. As a person diagnosed with ADD, it is normally strange to have an attention span greater than a gnat.

Weird things began occurring with the new medicine my Psychiatrist prescribed.  For instance, an entire blog of 1,000 words or less took me the entire day and into the evening to write. Before when I was at my best, I could write something much quicker.  Such as, only taking the morning to write a blog.

Psychiatrist

So, I wanted to scream “this is taking me incredibly too long to write anything!”  “I’m wasting time!  I’m wasting money!”

Since I could not stay focused on my work.  I wound up wasting valuable resources by editing my drafts one thousand times too many.  The first draft of a blog is now cut so much that it looks like I’m chopping up a word salad.  I am trashing half of the first draft due to so many words that make no sense.

STEP 3:

My Psychiatrist is Willing to Figure this Out

It sounds as if the Psychiatrist will take each medicine at a time in order to figure out the real problems.  None of the other four previous psychiatrists ever stopped to do that.  I’m thankful for my psychiatrist!

Psychiatrist

Call To Action

If anyone is interested in learning more about what a psychiatrist can do for you, please go to https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/psychologists/reasons-to-choose-an-online-psychiatrist/

Life Conquering and Psych Central (Mental Health Discoveries)

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adderall

http://www.alaskasleep.com/blog/narcolepsy-definition-symptoms-causes-treatment

https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-a-pulmonologist

https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/diagnosing-narcolepsy

http://www.alaskasleep.com/blog/what-is-a-polysomnogram-test

http://www.efpa.be/psychologist-psychiatrist.htm

https://www.rxlist.com/adderall-side-effects-drug-center.htm

Going Further

Mental Illness: Making a Decision, Heads or Tails

ADHD in Adults – The Truth behind the Mystery

The post 3 Steps a Psychiatrist Can Take to Help You Discover Which Meds are Best appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.

ADHD Symptoms

ADHD is a tough disorder to deal with as a kid as well as an adult.  If you are an adult with ADHD who has been recently diagnosed, you need to find a therapist ASAP.  See the link above to obtain more information.

This mental illness is not the same for everybody who has it.  However, there are some symptoms which overlap and mirror other symptoms.  Here is an abbreviated list of the symptoms you may encounter.  If you are not touched by the disorder yourself, here are some signs so you may help a loved one or a friend.

• Unable to concentrate
• Unable to pay attention
• Difficulty getting organized
• Inability to plan
• Difficulty solving problems
• Inability to control your own emotions

ADHD – organized

I HATE ADHD!

I had no idea I had ADHD until my psychologist brought it up.  Apparently the complaints I had like: unable to plan; lack of concentration; paying attention; and the inability to solve problems were sure signs of this disorder; as well as not capable of reading a book or watch TV.  I was a walking advertisement for Adult ADHD.

For me, concentrating is one of the hardest skills to do with this mental illness.  The lack of concentration crept up on me when I worked  desk jobs and now as a writer.  The inability to pay attention has many similarities to that of concentrating.  It does not matter the activity.  I can talk on the phone, work on the computer or talk to someone face to face, I go space cadet or fall asleep.

The importance of a therapist

Adults with ADHD find it extremely difficult to stay awake, alert, sufficiently aroused and activated to continue their concentration when things are not interesting or no immediate excitement or payoff.  This in turns causes them not to pay attention.  Having these brain issues that might slow you down at home or at work, your therapist will be able to give you coping skills to compensate for the loss of focus or concentration and the inability to stay organized.  In order to find a therapist near you, go to the link above, and take a look around on their website for information.

ADHD – alertness

Organization

The difficulty to organize is liken to climbing Mt. Everest with a goat on your back. It can be done, you just have to work above and beyond to achieve your goals.  Try to see your therapist as your trainer/coach for the climb.  He or she will give you ideas to respond when the ADHD gets out of control or tries to take over.

When I was a teacher to middle school students, I was the Queen of Organization.  Nobody could beat me in the organization relay race among the teachers and staff.  Toward the end of my career, though, as a teacher I started losing that organization relay race as the ADHD grew and developed in my brain..

ADHD

Where do you turn?

Like I said at the beginning, having ADHD is really, really hard.  Many times family and friends cannot understand or grapple with the ADHD you are experiencing.  If you have a mental illness, such as ADHD you need professional help  With my mental illness, I try to go to Jesus first for help and comfort.  He sticks closer than a brother.  He will never leave me nor forsake me.  If he doesn’t take the symptom away, He will walk with me through it, never letting go of my hand.

You could also go to your therapist  If you need help finding a local therapist, go to the link at the top of this page.  Sometimes when my ADHD ramps up, I believe it is time to see my psychiatrist and let him adjust my meds.

Comments

Please post comments in the section below or email me at: [email protected].  I would love to know what your experiences have been with Adult ADHD.  And how you were able to cope.

References

“Taking Charge of Adult ADHD” by Russell A. Barkley, PhD with Christine M. Benton

Going Further

https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-adults#1

https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/10-symptoms-adult-adhd#1

https://www.additudemag.com/adult-test-for-add-adhd/

Life Conquering and Psych Central (Mental Health Discoveries)

The post ADHD in Adults – How do I find a therapist near me? appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.

ADHD is a tough disorder to deal with as a kid as well as an adult.  If you are an adult with ADHD who has been recently diagnosed, here is a short list of the symptoms you may like to review.  If you are not touched by the disorder, here are some signs so you may help a loved one or a friend.

• Unable to concentrate
• Unable to pay attention
• Difficulty getting organized
• Inability to plan
• Difficulty solving problems
• Inability to control your own emotions

AD/HD

Objective

The objective is to get AD/HD discovered and treated.  Next, lessen the issues it causes every day,

I HATE AD/HD!

I had no idea I had AD/HD until my psychologist brought it up.  Apparently the complaints I had I like: unable to plan; lack of concentration and paying attention; and the inability to solve problems were sure signs of this disorder.  I was a walking advertisement for Adult AD/HD.

Now my husband has put limits to my driving. This is only for my benefit or the other driver(s) benefit. With my  inability to keep my attention focused: I am not allowed to drive at night, I cannot talk on the phone or otherwise while driving (this includes the passengers), cannot sing to the music nor can I text at stoplights,

If you take a look at the image above, you will see words like planning, business, finance and clients.  These are basic 101 college introductory level business terminology.    Everybody should know these vocab.  Yet, there are people who know what the words are.  But still, do now know how to perform them successfully.

Concentrating

Concentrating, I feel, is one of the hardest skills to do with this disorder.  The lack of concentration happened to me when I was working a desk job and now as a writer.  If I am doing something tedious, boring or it drags out, I totally lose concentration.

Adults with ADHD find it extremely difficult to stay awake, alert, sufficiently aroused and activated to continue their concentration when things are not interesting, no immediate excitement or payoff.  This in turns causes them not to pay attention.

ADHD

Unable to Pay Attention

This symptom has many similarities to that of concentrating.  It does not matter the activity.  I can talk on the phone, work, talk to someone face to face or watch a movie, I go space cadet.

My mind starts thinking about dinner, notices the dogs and wants to play with them, if music is playing, I will begin to guess the artist and the name of the song and which decade it was introduced in.

One thing to remember is that this disorder is not about paying attention.  Instead it is a problem with organizing over time to prepare for the future.  Without being able to plan for the future, that messes with one’s whole entire life: finances, family, food, shelter.  At this point, all organization has flown out the window.

If it were not for my husband, I would be homeless.  I know that is what my fate would initially be.

Organization

When I was a teacher to middle school students, I was the Queen of Organization.  Nobody could top me in the organization relay race among the teachers and staff.  Toward the end of my career as a teacher, I started losing that organization relay race.

When I became  paralegal, I broke so many laws of organization it was not even funny.  I could not find files.  I could not keep accurate notes on instructions given to me by the attorney.

ADHD

Where do we turn?

Like I said at the beginning, having ADHD is really, really hard.  We need help.  With my bipolar which includes ADHD, I try to go to Jesus first for help and comfort.  He sticks closer than a brother.  He will never leave me nor forsake me.

You could also go to your therapist or psychiatrist for help.  For instance, my AD/HD has been getting worse.  I believe it is time to adjust my meds.

There are your close friends and family you could go to as well.  Your sports team to talk about your frustration.  What about your book club group? The church family where you attend worship.

Call to Action

I encourage you to friend me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifeconquering/.  This way if you get in a sticky situation with your AD/HD, you can send me a message.

Please post comments in the section below or email me at: [email protected].  I would love to know what your experiences have been with Adult AD/HD.

References

“Taking Charge of Adult ADH” by Russell A. Barkley, PhD with Christine M. Benton

Going Further

https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-adults#1

https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/10-symptoms-adult-adhd#1

https://www.additudemag.com/adult-test-for-add-adhd/

The post ADHD in Adults – The Truth behind the Mystery appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.

When I first started, the side effects were few if any.  Many of the items on the list were symptoms I have with my other medications and from the illness itself.  For instance these are a few of the side effects you might experience while on Adderall: anxiety, headache; weakness, dizziness, a terrible taste in your mouth, diarrhea, constipation, nausea and hair falling out.  This list is just the tip of the ice burg.

This stimulant has revolutionized my life.  Between the narcolepsy, AD/HD and the bipolar, I was going out of my mind mad!  Once I got the Adderall in my system, the sleeping and the attention issues faded away.  My energy can be amazing, too!  However, I did learn that I could not rely solely on the pill I swallowed everyday four times a day.

I had moments when I was like a zombie.  I started again to fall asleep at inappropriate or dangerous times. I knew I needed the Adderall and understood that the medicine and my behavior should work together for optimal satisfaction.  This culminated to shine a light on my poor sleep hygiene habits.  The medicine’s poor performance  pointed to the facts that I was not getting enough sleep at night.  And I might need to rethink when I should take my medicine during the day.

Likewise, I would get a few minor glitches with the AD/HD.  As an example, not being able to have an attention span greater than a gnat.  I want to scream “this is taking me increasingly more time to write anything!”  I cannot stay focused and the results are cutting about half of the first draft because I have so much crap in the article/post that it makes no sense.

Writing and editing is getting more and more difficult to do

For me to be a successful writer, I need to be awake, focused and have my whits about me.  When I write,  I do so with as much time that I can to squeeze every second out of the day.

For me, the outside distractions are minimal. It is my internal distractions that wreak havoc on my writing.  I may have a sick dog and another dog to tend to.  Laundry.  Phone calls.  Then the bipolar and the other mental health issues that come along for a ride are ready to muck up the waters.

Then it starts.  I have brain freeze, next a starring contest with my monitor, I can’t figure out a title or the subject, don’t forget wasting time on writing something that does not fit in the first place, I lose interest once I get frustrated and I am not being productive, forgetting that one word that would be perfect, and…inability to spell.  YES! SPELL!  Then I look at the clock and I react:

“Now it is quarter-to-one?!” 

“All I want to do is take a nap.” 

adderall

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adderall

http://www.alaskasleep.com/blog/narcolepsy-definition-symptoms-causes-treatment

https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-a-pulmonologist

https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/diagnosing-narcolepsy

http://www.alaskasleep.com/blog/what-is-a-polysomnogram-test

http://www.efpa.be/psychologist-psychiatrist.htm

https://www.rxlist.com/adderall-side-effects-drug-center.htm

Going Further

Mental Illness: Making a Decision, Heads or Tails

ADHD in Adults – The Truth behind the Mystery

The post Adderall Review appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.

Do you have a mental illness? You could have anxiety or schizophrenia or any number of the other mental illnesses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.  When the feeling strikes that you have a decision to make with no idea what to do, it can be a scary thing.  Your mental illness has formed a shroud over your head.  You feel temporarily paralyzed.

For instance, anxiety disengages the part of the brain that is imperative to decision making. “Schizophrenia patients with prominent positive symptoms were unable to integrate cognitive and emotional components of decision making which may contribute to their inability to generate adaptive behaviours in social and individual environments.” (1)  And we must not forget, bipolar disorder.  With the various and numerous mood swings, they make it extremely difficult to nail down a decision.  This is especially the case during manic episodes.

mental illness

Symptoms of the inability to make a decision

• Brain fog;
• Paralyzed;
• Unable to conjure up basic problem solving skills;
• The world does not turn to black and white. Everything is a muted gray so it makes it even more difficult to make a decision;
• Your brain is sawed in half;
• Your brain is asleep;
• Stressed;
• Feel wrong making any decision or no decision;
• Overwhelmed;
• A heavy weight on you;
• Cannot function;
• Distracted;
• Annoyed; and
• Emotional.

How to overcome

1. Make a list – When I need to make a big decision, I have been told to make a list ever since I was a teenager. Whenever I had a big decision to make like where to go to college, I got out a piece of paper and filled that paper until the lists were exhausted.  Taking the time out of the very emotional experience of making a decision, helps to clear our minds, relax us, breathe and see the big picture.
2. Cool down the emotions – Like I said before, being mentally ill and trying to make a decision is very emotional. Make a list of the emotions you would feel making each decision. Go to a quiet place and close your eyes.  Feel the emotions drain out of you onto the floor.    Relax.  Once you relax, you can look at the situation in a different light and make a sound decision.
3. Sleep on it – You probably heard someone say to “sleep on it”. My husband and I have done this with big purchases like a vehicle or a home.  It is as if all the chemicals in your head got together and made a decision for you.  Then, the next morning you feel confident in your decision.
4. Tell the truth – This has happened to me lots of times where I get caught up in trying to make the decision and I lie to myself. Yes!  All these previous suggestions can help you distinguish between the truth and a lie.
5. Take your time – Some decisions can take a couple minutes, hours or days to make. If you have the time, take every second.  Make your list, sleep on it.  It will help you make a clearer choice.
6. Talk it out – Find someone in your life whom you trust and has a history of making good decisions. Go talk to them. Take your pros and cons list.  Discuss these items and hear what he or she has to say.  Remember, their answer does not have to agree with yours in the end.

Call to Action

Share this information with a friend who has mental illness or share it with a friend who you know needs help making decisions.

mental illness

Comments

Tell me how you make your decisions in the comments below.  Or you may email me at [email protected].

References

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20022219

Going Further

https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/02/03/do-you-have-difficulty-making-decisions/

http://www.heysigmund.com/anxiety-interferes-decision-making-stop-intruding/

https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/breakingbipolar/2015/07/depression-i-cant-make-a-decision-everything-feels-wrong/

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