Need some advice

[StormyPica]

Hi, I know I haven't posted that much on here, but I am fine and the birds are fine.

On to the advice part:
I was just "undiagnosed" with ADHD. My doctor says it's likely depression and gave me some antidepressants. Haven't taken any, but I'm going to start today and see if they help. The "issue" is that I have had the common (and some of the more uncommon) symptoms of ADHD since I was a little kid. Can depression really start in first-second grade? And what about all the other stuff that is so obviously neurodivergence? To be fair, the ADHD "test" was just a questionnaire filled out by one person who barely knows me and one person who knows me a little better but doesn't see me struggle to do life as much.

I have had a fair bit of trauma as a young kid, but would that really cause depression? I mean, I know I was already depressed in 2nd-3rd grade, but I've had these issues since I was much younger than that, and I don't remember being depressed then. What would you guys do in this situation? Would you ask for another test? A different test? Not take the meds? I'm still on the fence about taking the meds since they're supposed to make you sick for 4-6 weeks before even starting to work, and something that does that doesn't sound like something I want in my body.

Any help/advice is appreciated. I wish I didn't have to be so open about this, but I'm very confused right now...

 

[SailBoat]

I am the last person that should provide you advice regarding your mental issues. We do not have what I would call a positive relationship stemming from that earlier period of time.

But, here I am, the first to respond to this Thread.

Whether the test was provided by a temp employee or a mental health professional, the numeral /verbal responses equal a specific profile and "at that moment in time" the results are the results. If you took the same test today, the result could likely be different by some percentage.

My only advice to you would be to Stop Living In Your Past! You and all of us choose each day to drag our past into today. Tomorrow is a New Day, and what you choose to enter that day with is what you define yourself as.

Unless your mental concerns are augmented by a specific Medication, that have at some point worked, nearly everything else is effective by your choices!

 

[kme3388]

I’m very sorry to hear about your struggles. It’s never easy going through these struggle’s. I have no issues helping others. The one person I cannot evaluate, or help is myself. Sometimes having an outsider looking in it gives me insight about myself. Sometimes I can be a very analytical thinker. It hurts peoples feelings around me.

I was having a bone scan of my knees following a knee replacement surgery. When I looked up and seen all the black in the scan I knew!!! I knew right away what it was, and that nothing just gets rid of it. I knew it was bone death. So I cancelled all appointments because my analytical brain took over. I just didn’t want to waste a doctors time, or mine. I didn’t realize that doctors can take that personally, and think you don’t trust them. While I’m over there just being me, and it wasn’t personal at all. I just didn’t see a point on having a conversation about something that cannot be addressed. It’s not nice to be this way. I step on peoples toes a lot.

It is really hard to see our own flaws. I’m definitely guilty of it! I’m not saying this is the case with you, but if you have a problem with anything in your health care do your best to speak directly with the doctor to understand their perspective. A lot of times it does clarify things. If that gets you no where try to get a second opinion.

 

[Cottonoid]

To my knowledge, with most neurodivergent diagnoses there is a lot of overlap, and things can change over time, especially in the years of our lives where we still have a lot of brain development to finish. ADHD and depression in particular have a lot of commonalities in how they show up and affect our daily lives.

A lot of the treatments also have overlap. Certain types of therapy for example are helpful for depression/PTSD/ADHD while other types of therapy are helpful for autism/ADHD/auditory processing disorders. Same goes for medications, and sometimes it's a lot of trial and error to find the best fit for both medication and therapy pathways.

If you feel comfortable trying the medication, it's probably worth seeing how you feel while on it

Hi, I know I haven't posted that much on here, but I am fine and the birds are fine.

Also, hi

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Hi, I know I haven't posted that much on here, but I am fine and the birds are fine.

On to the advice part:
I was just "undiagnosed" with ADHD. My doctor says it's likely depression and gave me some antidepressants. Haven't taken any, but I'm going to start today and see if they help. The "issue" is that I have had the common (and some of the more uncommon) symptoms of ADHD since I was a little kid. Can depression really start in first-second grade? And what about all the other stuff that is so obviously neurodivergence? To be fair, the ADHD "test" was just a questionnaire filled out by one person who barely knows me and one person who knows me a little better but doesn't see me struggle to do life as much.

I have had a fair bit of trauma as a young kid, but would that really cause depression? I mean, I know I was already depressed in 2nd-3rd grade, but I've had these issues since I was much younger than that, and I don't remember being depressed then. What would you guys do in this situation? Would you ask for another test? A different test? Not take the meds? I'm still on the fence about taking the meds since they're supposed to make you sick for 4-6 weeks before even starting to work, and something that does that doesn't sound like something I want in my body.

Any help/advice is appreciated. I wish I didn't have to be so open about this, but I'm very confused right now...

From what I've read its very unusual for children under 10 to have depression like teens and adults do. If I were you I would be skeptical if a healthcare provider told me I was depressed as a six, seven, or eight year old!
I am very skeptical of antidepressants. The data shows that after taking an antidepressant for four to six weeks about 60% of the patients will show improvement. The depression doesn't go away but about 60% will feel better. HOWEVER, about 40% of the patients that took the placebo in the controlled double blinded studies also showed a similar improvement. This means that at best only about 20% of the depressed patients taking the antidepressant improved due to the drug. Most people's depression improves (not goes away) anyway after 4-6 weeks. These odds are not good enough for me to put a psychoactive chemical in my body that won't be easy to stop taking. There are lots of withdrawal reactions when people try to stop taking their antidepressants.
If you are wondering if I know what I'm talking about, good for you! You SHOULD wonder! Just so you know,
I have a BS in Medical Lab Science. I worked in medical research after college. Then I worked in Pharmaceutical Sales for 12 years before attending law school. After graduating from law school I was a medical malpractice attorney in California for 14 years. I'm now retired and work part time at Lowes in Maine where I grew up. Because of my undergrad degree and pharma sales background I know how to perform and analyze medical studies. The pharma industry that I am so familiar with has been promoting antidepressants very aggressively since the first SSRI, Prozac, was approved in the US in 1987. Drug companies have made a fortune on these drugs based on a still unproven theory that low serotonin levels causes depression. Close to 15% of all Americans over 12 take antidepressants so its a huge moneymaker for big pharma.
I am no expert on neurodivergency but my gut feeling is that its more likely that you have had ADHD, not depression, since you were a very young child. You may also be depressed now. I do believe depression is a real condition but its difficult to treat. Try the antidepressant if you want. It may help you. Personally, I wouldn't take a drug that is only proven to be borderline effective under an unproven theory.
I hope you somehow find relief from depression. I wish there were more effective drugs to treat depression.

 

[Cindylynn]

From what I've read its very unusual for children under 10 to have depression like teens and adults do. If I were you I would be skeptical if a healthcare provider told me I was depressed as a six, seven, or eight year old!
I am very skeptical of antidepressants. The data shows that after taking an antidepressant for four to six weeks about 60% of the patients will show improvement. The depression doesn't go away but about 60% will feel better. HOWEVER, about 40% of the patients that took the placebo in the controlled double blinded studies also showed a similar improvement. This means that at best only about 20% of the depressed patients taking the antidepressant improved due to the drug. Most people's depression improves (not goes away) anyway after 4-6 weeks. These odds are not good enough for me to put a psychoactive chemical in my body that won't be easy to stop taking. There are lots of withdrawal reactions when people try to stop taking their antidepressants.
If you are wondering if I know what I'm talking about, good for you! You SHOULD wonder! Just so you know,
I have a BS in Medical Lab Science. I worked in medical research after college. Then I worked in Pharmaceutical Sales for 12 years before attending law school. After graduating from law school I was a medical malpractice attorney in California for 14 years. I'm now retired and work part time at Lowes in Maine where I grew up. Because of my undergrad degree and pharma sales background I know how to perform and analyze medical studies. The pharma industry that I am so familiar with has been promoting antidepressants very aggressively since the first SSRI, Prozac, was approved in the US in 1987. Drug companies have made a fortune on these drugs based on a still unproven theory that low serotonin levels causes depression. Close to 15% of all Americans over 12 take antidepressants so its a huge moneymaker for big pharma.
I am no expert on neurodivergency but my gut feeling is that its more likely that you have had ADHD, not depression, since you were a very young child. You may also be depressed now. I do believe depression is a real condition but its difficult to treat. Try the antidepressant if you want. It may help you. Personally, I wouldn't take a drug that is only proven to be borderline effective under an unproven theory.
I hope you somehow find relief from depression. I wish there were more effective drugs to treat depression.

And, let's say that their assumption that low serotonin is the root, there are so many healthy, wonderful ways to boost serotonin naturally (exercise, music, laughing, being outdoors, certain foods, list goes on and on) that I would think medication should be a last resort!

 

[StormyPica]

Ok, so Iḿ supposed to be taking a break from social media, but Ie decided to come back on this thread and clear some things up since there are a lot of assumptions.

Yes, this is a last resort. No one really knows what's wrong with me, I have tried pretty much everything at this point.

I did have depression at 9 years old, not diagnosed but it was there.

"Suck it up" didn't work for me. That's why I'm on meds. I am also not living in the past any more than an average person. I just have depression, which is not the same as living in the past.

If the antidepressants don't work I will not continue to take them. I have decided to take them in case they do help.

I have been depressed for over a year straight, before I would get really bad winter depression every year as well as some depression in the summer depending on the situation, but this year I have remained clinically depressed even after winter. I was severely depressed this winter, I am lucky to be alive right now. This is not some mild thing. I want to live, that's why I'm doing this stuff. If nothing changes I doubt I will be alive next summer.

My thoughts aren't usually negetive. It is hard to understand if you don't have depression.

Hope this clears some stuff up, this will likely be my last post on this thread.

 

[LoveOfallAnimals]

I just wanted to say I too have suffered from depression. It does get better, so hang in there.
Whether you realize it or not there are people and animals that love you and would miss you greatly if anything happened to you.

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

**HUge Hugs** I've got depression and schizoaffective disorder. I showed signs of depression from the time I was in grade 5. Welcome to medication roulette! Hopefully they'll find something that will help you out. There **IS** a lot of overlap with many mental illnesses (Bipolar and schizoaffective disorder share a lot of similarities), so it could be the depression interfering. I wonder if I've got Autism, as so many of my problems are shared with neurodivergent individuals. **Shrugs**

 

[kme3388]

I hope you find something that works for you. Mental health is so important. Have you tried talking to others with depression? Did it help at all? You are probably right. People that don’t have depression probably don’t understand it. I have a friend with bipolar disorder. I try my best to understand it, and help. Sometimes I honestly make it worse because I don’t have personal experience with it. I say the wrong things when she calls. I don’t mean harm. I want to help, and be there for her.

 

[ravvlet]

Late to this thread, but I take an SSRI for anxiety/depression, as well as a slow release med for ADHD. I find it does help, as do many of my ADHD cohorts; I am so sorry you find yourself in this situation as it is so difficult to know what to do. It took me a while to find what works for me, and even with that I also have a very sweet therapist who specializes in ADHD and helps me with organizing and task completion (we meet weekly and set goals and plans).

There is a huge amount of overlap in ADHD, autism, depression, anxiety and OCD. I’ve been reading about it lately (the book I’ve been slowly chewing through is “The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook). I find personally knowing more about why I am feeling the way I am (chemically or otherwise), reading similar examples of situations I’ve had or felt, and then the suggestions on how to prevent or just endure them to be very helpful to me.

I struggled a lot as a younger person in late high school and college as my parents were skeptical about mental health care in general and I blamed myself for everything. Lots of crying and panic attacks in bathrooms at work! Not a good time for sure. I sincerely wish you the best on your mental health journey and hope you keep in touch with us here, we care about you and are worried about you!

 

[Inger]

And, let's say that their assumption that low serotonin is the root, there are so many healthy, wonderful ways to boost serotonin naturally (exercise, music, laughing, being outdoors, certain foods, list goes on and on) that I would think medication should be a last resort!

While all of those serotonin boosts are great ideas on the surface, when you're in the depths of a serious depression, most of them are impossible to manage. Some days getting out of bed is too much.

 

[Greenhouseparrots]

I can relate to you somewhat. I have many symptoms of ADHD, and my younger sister does also. My mum is convinced my sister had it when she was younger and that by avoiding sugar and other unhealthy foods, it cured her. My sister is now seeking a formal diagnosis because it's affecting her a lot as an adult and she wishes our mum had done something.

Personally I think neither of us have ADHD, but I do think we have executive dysfunction caused by a traumatic upbringing. I personally went through a lot of trauma caused by both my parents and people I knew, and my sister was raised by those same parents and has her own trauma from them. Since understanding and working through my trauma, the symptoms I thought were ADHD have lessened a lot and are slowly going away. I'm working a lot on it tbf, but if I did have it then no amount of working on it would make it go away I don't think.

I do think I have depression however, which would definitely have been caused by my upbringing. I personally won't take antidepressants but that's just me and they can definitely help people. I would say it wouldn't be surprising if you had depression caused by whatever trauma you went through.

 

[StormyPica]

I would say it wouldn't be surprising if you had depression caused by whatever trauma you went through

That’s my guess honestly, but unfortunately I still have some ongoing trauma that is causing issues, and I can’t access therapy for that. So antidepressants are kind of my only option to remain mostly sane.

 

[Greenhouseparrots]

That’s my guess honestly, but unfortunately I still have some ongoing trauma that is causing issues, and I can’t access therapy for that. So antidepressants are kind of my only option to remain mostly sane.

You're doing better than a lot of people! There's no shame in doing whatever you can to help yourself