Question:
Many of the symptoms overlap I feel.
Answer:
As a child I was diagnosed MBD which nowadays is called ADHD,
I can't remember being severely depressed as a child, though low self
image is generally something that comes from ADHD & ofcourse = a recipe
for depression. Kids with ADHD later in life often end up in psychiatry,
criminality, drug and or alcohol abuse. On the other hand ADHD might just
be a symptom of almost any organic brain disorder, as concentration
problems are a symptom of mania & depression & psychoses & substance
abuse. So lots of disorders might lead to ADHD, if they are treated
efficiently ADHD might disappear, too. Often kids wit ADHD learn to live
with it (that is, other areas of the brain take over the defective one)
when they reach maturity, but about 50% will still end up addicted, in
psychiatry and delinquency. If you were not hyperactive/did not have
severe problems concentrating as a kid, but the symptoms of ADHD appeared
later in life, it is probably just a symptom of another disorder and
should be treated accordingly (that is, no Ritalin, Methedrine or
pemoline for the symptoms, as they often just worsen the symptoms,
especially of psychotic disorders like bipolarity, severe psychotic
depression or schizophrenia). This is my opinion and it might still be that in some cases treating the
ADHD symptoms is beneficient for your functioning as a member of society,
but it might be wise to consider all the above before grabbing to psycho-
stimulants... I'd love to know that myself...from what little I know, there are some
similar symptoms between the two. I think (but don't know) that one of
the differences between them is that with bipolar, you have the swings
from depression to mania... Alot of the symptoms do overlap - the difference for me is, my adhd symptoms
are constant and consistent; my bipolar symptoms are cyclular in nature -
sometimes up, sometimes down, and occasionally in the middle and the symptoms
can change from cycle to cycle. I have been taking Neurontin for 3 months and have had no side effects.
I also take Effexor (an antidepressnt) and just started taking Zyprexa
(a new antpsychotic that is used in BP illness) because I felt a manic
episode coming on. Perhaps your pdoc could check with some US doctors
about the newer mood stabilizers: Neurontin, Topomax, and Lamictal.
Studies are currently underway to determine the "effectiveness" of these
new drugs,
