having ADHD

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euni

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Hello

I am a medical student located in Asia and I am in my final year.
I have a Medical Licensing Examination in one month and got diagnosed of ADHD.
I feel so lucky that I am diagnosed, cuz I've heard that women ADHD are hard to get a diagnosis, still I need some time to accept it.

Does anyone here have ADHD ?
In US ( I am going to go to clerkship in US in Feb) or any other countries, how seriosly it is taken?
I am confidant having it, but I am afraid if I tell others they might judge me first by ADHD not by me. :rolleyes:

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I am so glad this thread was started...any feedback on meds???
 
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I work in a lab dedicated to ADHD study (among other things) and with a few classmates who have it (though they had a hard time admitting to it). It is so sad to me that those with ADHD feel stigmatized because like many illnesses, it is not your fault, and I had hoped we were all at a point of accepting it. Certainly, it is a challenge that many others don't have but not impossible (I hope!)
 
Meds cannot legitimately be discussed generically as it varies so much from patient to patient.
 
I tend to open myself up and I don't know if I can keep this to myself for the rest of my life. Some of my classmates know cuz I've been telling them I am suspecting myself. Also, they helped me to get a diagnosis because they told me some differences that I have. But I will try to keep it a secret I think..:D
More people than I thought have this, and I think it is just who I am and the important thing is how I live my life knowing my trait. :cool: I was surprised that I have developed some strategies that I compensate without knowing. Treat it and move on I agree with that comment. For me it's been good and bad.
 
Euni,

Wow, what a touching set of posts. First, have you had a neuropsych eval to describe your actual attention/executive strengths and weaknesses? That might be expensive while you are in school, but certainly some medical insurance would pay for a visit to a neuropsychologist. And yes, there are neuropsychologists who work with these issues in adults. The DSM diagnostic criterea for ADHD are useful to an extent, but very often the symptoms of inattention or hyperactivity are driven by a more sophisticated interaction of brain functions. And frankly, anxiety can be a major cause of inattention. Without a neuropsych eval it is really hard to look beyond the descriptive nature of the DSM.

I know a medical doctor who has significant attentional difficulties, but he is truly brilliant and very successful. He is open about his ADHD experiences including the great struggle he had in school. It is such a healing process for others with attentional/executive weaknesses to hear him speak; it inspires them. More and more we are able to see attentional/executive and even to a certain extent affective differences as positives. A person with ADHD will keep a meeting moving quickly, may be able to better harness creativity with brainstorming, and may also develop strategies for organization/working memory that put him/her ahead of "normals." And I really like the idea of the "wounded healer" which suggests that empathy for others' difficulties can be born out of our own struggles.
 
PsychWDC

I haven't had a neuropsych eval to describe my actual attention/executive strengths and weaknesses. Thanks for the idea. I would love to have that. And I totally agree with what you say. Thanks a lot.

And I don't know how fully I can understand ur personal situation Jon Snow, cuz I have never been existed as U, but I do understand what U mean, by what I have read about ADHD.
 
I was diagnosed with AD(H)D about 7 years ago, in college.

I don't wear a sign that says "Hello, I'm AD(H)D, but I am somewhat open about it. From my experience, most people either think it is an excuse for being lazy (and thus not "real") or just don't understand what it is more than being inattentive.

It took me a few years to really accept what having AD(H)D means. I try not to use mine as an excuse, and it makes things difficult at times.

I would keep it to myself unless it is important to a situation. For instance, my managers at work know, but I generally do not tell my teachers in school. And you can make the judgment call based on your interactions with the person before you decide to say anything.

-C
 
I was diagnosed with AD(H)D about 7 years ago, in college.

I don't wear a sign that says "Hello, I'm AD(H)D, but I am somewhat open about it. From my experience, most people either think it is an excuse for being lazy (and thus not "real") or just don't understand what it is more than being inattentive.

It took me a few years to really accept what having AD(H)D means. I try not to use mine as an excuse, and it makes things difficult at times.

I would keep it to myself unless it is important to a situation. For instance, my managers at work know, but I generally do not tell my teachers in school. And you can make the judgment call based on your interactions with the person before you decide to say anything.

-C


Thanks !!!!!!!!!!!!! for the practical advice...............from your experience!! People around me are the same also..even the close friends..some of them seem to think 'you will get a better grade with that medication..' like in a jealous way ..as I perceived,.....since there is a big exam coming but they r not bad person...I am still chaotic, reading ADHD books and get through it..thanks!!!
 
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