<p>I shake my legs alot, and zone out on my hw, but I'm not sure if it's that extreme to the point where it can be called ADHD.</p>
<p>How do psychiatrists/physicians diagnose this? Google didn't turn up much.</p>
<p>I dunno, but I’m like that too. My friends joke around that I have ADHD, but I believe with ADHD it’s something that you usually have as child also. My brother has ADHD and he’s in kindergarten. I was never like that when I was younger, so I’m guessing I don’t have it. I think it’s just sleep deprivation that makes me hyper and distracted. But don’t take my word for it.</p>
<p>ADHD isn’t real.</p>
<p>^lol. i agree to an extent. It’s real, but i bet over 75% percent of the people diagnosed with it, don’t actually have it. But I’ve met people that do have ADHD, and yeah, you can tell it’s a LOT harder for them to concentrate that normal.</p>
<p>^</p>
<p>Actually, ADHD is only over diagnosed in children, and it’s getting now to the point where that is calming down. It’s under diagnosed in teen girls currently. ADHD is an extremely complex condition that few people truly understand. </p>
<p>As for how to psychiatrists know if a patient has ADHD, there are very comprehensive and in-depth “surveys” that the patient goes through along with an analysis of the person’s earlier life and childhood. </p>
<p>If you want to better understand ADHD, I suggest the books Driven to Distraction and Delivered from Distraction by Edward M. Hallowell. They are very comprehensive and a great resource for someone wanting to learn more. Here’s the link: [Amazon.com:</a> Driven To Distraction : Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood (9780684801285): Edward M. Hallowell, John J. Ratey: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Driven-Distraction-Recognizing-Attention-Childhood/dp/0684801280]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Driven-Distraction-Recognizing-Attention-Childhood/dp/0684801280).</p>
<p>Well if you see your physician, how would they be able to test you for ADHD accurately?</p>
<p>Do they just ask you questions or are you supposed to see a psychiatrist for this?</p>
<p>As an 18 year old female with significant ADHD, I am very offended by JoJoBear’s post. How dare you assume that a huge source of struggle, frustration, misunderstanding, and anxiety for many people is something entirely fictitious? You should get your head out of your a** and have some empathy for the genuinely disadvantaged. I am, however, thankful for musicallylatin’s post.</p>
<p>As for OP’s question - get tested by a professional and well-qualified team of specialists. This may include a psychiatrist, but keep in mind that the psychiatrist’s goal is to help people - and get paid. He or she will want you to go on routine meds ASAP if he/she thinks there’s any kind of problem, big or small. So make sure the person testing you is a professional analyst of some sort, not the psychiatrist.</p>
<p>A quick thing - does coffee make you alert, or more tired? ADHD people tend to become tired when they drink coffee.</p>
<p>This is not a sure test - it’s only an correlation.</p>
<p>I wonder if missing words in thread titles means you have ADHD.</p>
<p>27dreams, try to pay attention here. ADHD is over-diagnosed, and very possibly could be fake. Obviously you would take offense to it, because you “have” it. It is so often misdiagnosed. ADD and other psychological disorders can seem like ADHD.</p>
<p>I have a question - if a person “has” ADHD and is not diagnosed, is not taking any meds, will s/he be able to do well academically? Will s/he be able to do superb?</p>
<p>“Try to pay attention here.” How cruel. Also, ADD does “seem like” ADHD because it is considered a sub-type of ADHD and is now more often referred to as “ADHD -inattentive type” by medical professionals. ADHD, whether or not it is a “disability” in the biological sense, is still a huge disadvantage in any school system as we know it. Call it a disorder or just being permanently “scatterbrained,” “wired differently,” or “hyper with a low attention span,” it’s still a significant disadvantage in an academic world that is focused on rigid structure, 100% timely behavior, and quantitative performance. “ADHD,” whatever it is, is still a problem that needs no disregard, simply because there is still too much focus on schooling and measuring, and less focus on long-lasting education and creative thinking in schools. It is not an illegitimate EXCUSE and it is not a CRUTCH unless individuals use it as such. I’m not one of those people who just blame the ADHD and don’t try to improve with use of their own willpower and hard work. I’m not even on medication. I know that the “ADHD” is there, though, and I do what I can to make up for the difference, just like I’ve done my whole life. So, yes, it may be misinterpreted and blown out of proportion in some cases, but that doesn’t mean it’s “fake.”</p>