by Stacey Mcclure

Created on: November 09, 2009

If this question refers to Adult ADD being annoying to the person who suffers from it, my answer would be a resounding YES! As I tell my daughter sometimes, "It is exhausting being me". For instance, right now I am supposed to be working my "regular job". Instead, I got totally sidetracked and wound up writing another article. It's almost noon, and I have gotten nothing done.

I have a lot to say about the subject of Adult ADD. First off, I don't believe that people "get" ADD later in life. I believe that persons who suffer from ADD were born with the affliction.

When ADD and ADHD were finally given a name, I believed that many parents rushed their unruly children to the doctor's office in hopes of finding an excuse to explain their child's bad behavior and/or their inability or unwillingness to deal with it. I believe that this is still the case for some.

I am 49 years old and have lived with undiagnosed and untreated ADD my entire life. It wasn't until around 12 years ago that a psychiatrist finally told me that, in her opinion, I have ADD and probably have had it all my life. She came to this conclusion after a few sessions of hearing my woes and probing me as to my school and life history. I can't begin to tell you what a relief it was to finally understand myself.

I really get annoyed when people make comments like "I think we all have a little ADD". That is like being "a little pregnant". I don't think these people realize how difficult some of the smallest tasks can be for someone who really does suffer from ADD.

For instance, when I go to check out at the grocery store and my 7 year old is with me, I have to make her be completely still and quiet while I write my check. It is really a struggle, and to be distracted while I am interacting with the cashier makes me totally lose my train of thought, making me look like a blubbering idiot.

My life, as evidenced by the state of my home, is a series of unfinished projects. Occasionally, I do finish something, but it is usually months or years after I started it. I have bank statements from 20 years ago in a box that I keep saying I am either going to shred or burn. Still, they remain. I have a needlecraft project I intended to give to my Mom for Mother's day...in fifth grade. It sits in a box, unfinished.

Although she never knew it, my Mother (rest her soul) lived her life with ADD, as does my eldest daughter. Although I have decided that it was too late in life for me to start taking amphetamines, I encourage my daughter to take the medicine. I don't want her to have to live her adult life struggling as I have.

If you want to know if my ADD is annoying for the people I live with, I guess you would have to ask them. Half the people who live in my house have ADD. There are four of us. My husband is fully aware of my affliction, and although I sense his aggravation at times, he is a wonderful man who took me for better or worse.

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