Does anyone suffer from a racing brain and inability to concentrate?

Just wondering about the onset of symptoms, you mention anxiety from age 9, did you have problems at school with concentration, impulsivity, daydreaming, fidgeting, poor memory, being disorganised, not being able to follow instructions, poor emotional control?7

Hi Linda,

Yes i did have all of those things,but at primary school after a shaky start I excelled passed 11 plus easily,and at Grammar school had three good years but failed miserably at O'level stage,I just could not seem to absorb the education,especially geometry and physics.

My anxiety was brought about by things that happened at Primary school,which I will keep personal,it is disturbing,and also events at home,again I will not divulge the incidents,but put it this way no 9 year old should suffer what happened to me,the experience certainly has had a major effect on my life.

All those symptoms you mention I suffered,and still do,but doctors and psychiatrists seem to think there is a little something wrong but do nothing about it.

I have tried counselling, cognitive behaviour therapy,but although they are helpful they do not work for me as I cannot absorb or understand some the information therein,I tried recreational drugs in my teens which made me feel normal and helped me do things that normally I could not,so therefore I feel that there is something in my brain that is not quite right and at my age it will not get much better unless I receive the help I need.

Hope this explains how I feel and why I put this on the forum,are you suffering similarly?

Regards Malc

I was diagnosed with ADHD at age 47. During my childhood years I did well until around the age of 12. I blamed all of my problems on my dysfunctional family, had therapy etc which worked for some aspects but not all. It was only when my two children were diagnosed with ADHD, although we each present differently, that I realised that all of the criteria applied to me. I saw a separate pyschiatrist who diagnosed adhd and was put on Concerta to if it made any difference. Well it makes such a difference, I can actually feel my brain slowing down so that the million and one incoherent thoughts become one idea that I can follow from start to finish. It also helps a lot with anxiety. I think anxiety is perhaps not the correct word, rather I always felt like I was waiting to take an exam or anticipating something, always in state of restlessness. My advice would be to get a good book about adult ADHD, which not only includes information from a medical point of view but from adults that have had a late diagnosis. You may be able to relate to a lot of it.

Of course it´s possible to have adhd and anxiety and/depression as a separate issue and it´s also possible to have other issues that have resulted in undiagnosed ADHD. Undiagnosed sufferers often have problems with drugs, alcohol, addictions, relationship issues, holding down jobs etc but not all of them do. What drugs did you take during teens which seemed to help, amphetamines? I hope this post makes sense but feel free to ask me any other questions.

Regards

Linda

ps ADHD was never considered for my problems at school and I know that an adult diagnosis can be difficult to get in the UK and in some areas impossible. I was lucky that I had an open minded psyc. She said that although my symptoms did sound like depression and anxiety, she didn´t think that I was depressed. Not all ADHD sufferers to badly at school, some have Phds but they will always have to work twice as hard to stay organised, concentrate, remember, focused etc.