How do I know if I have ADHD is a common question asked by both teenagers and adults. There are several online questionnaires you can do and that will determine whether you should see a doctor who is preferably qualified and has specialized in ADHD.
Our modern society seems to demand hyperactive people who are clever at multi tasking. These could well be positive traits if they lead to productive activity and can help you to get on in your career and even in your personal life.
Very often, though, they are masking what is really ADHD. If this goes undiagnosed, and very often it does, society will pay a high price in terms of lost days at work and poor productivity. There are often high prices to pay in terms of traffic accidents. Poor judgments in relationships and at work, wrong decisions about drugs, alcohol and sex all impact on our lives. All these impulsive decisions are typical of a person who has ADHD, especially what is known as the Combined type. This is a rather unpleasant mix of inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. It certainly is a challenge to function properly in society if you have ADHD.
I know one guy who actually went his psychology clinic at college to get tested, because the question ‘how do I know if I have ADHD’ was plaguing him. Unfortunately, because he was depressed at the time, they made a misdiagnosis and he was told he had major depression. It was only later that he found out that he really had ADHD. This emphasises the point that you should really seek out professional medical advice and not rely on the Internet or other sources. An expert doctor will probably use either one or more of the following scales, the Wender Utah, Connors or Brown.
He will also consult the DSM-IV which is the standard manual for diagnosis of ADHD.
Basically the answer to the question, how do I know if I have ADHD, can be initially answered if you have some or all of the following symptoms. Maybe you are restless, and cannot sit still. You may be disorganized, hopeless at being punctual. Maybe you are known to have a short fuse and you have problems in finishing tasks and concentration is a real bugbear. If you are moody and impulsive, these may be other signs. As I said, it is important to seek proper medical advice before jumping to conclusions. If you are plagued by the thought that ‘I think I might have ADHD’ then it is time to do something to put your mind at rest
Let us imagine that your question, ‘how do I know if I have ADHD’ has had a positive outcome. That means you have to think about treatment and get wised up on all that. Here are some quick guidelines.
Make sure you are going to have behavior modification therapy because that can really help you cope and come to grips with this condition. Also, do not just accept the first medication that is offered to you as there may be severe side effects and you want something that works for you. Why not click through to see what an alternative treatment could be without actually becoming a zombie?