I struggled with ADD and adult depression for twenty years and seen many doctors. I tried several medications with no sound results. I sat back and looked at what might be causing me to be so depressed and came to the conclusion that ADD and depression with go hand and hand. Without being able to focus for so many years, and not being able to learn and keep in what i learned due to the A.D.D. i felt my self slipping away from family and friends and was afraid to be around other people because of the fear of not being a productive part of group activity's because of lack of focus, which lead to terrible depression. I felt worthless! BUT i found that taken a A.D.D medication with a depression medication finially started to change my way of life. I'am taking citalopram 60mgs for depression and 60mgs of amphetamine salts for A.D.D and after a month of the two medications i seen GREAT results. BY being able to focus much better i started to feel confident in my ability to participate which over time started to pull me out of my depression. I'am 42 years old now and for the first time i'am starting to feel whole. Months ago i would of never been able to write this due to lack of focus.

To go a little deeper into the subject, there are three distinct types of ADHD-  characterized by the main symptom causing the most difficulty- the attention/distractability, the hyperactivity, or the impulsivity.  Most individuals as they enter into later adulthood, basically due to the nature of aging, become significantly less hyperactive.  This is one reason that it is typically referred to as Adult ADD rather than ADHD.  However, impulsivity and attention/distraction are commonly carried into adulthood.  Unfortunately, the medical field views your symptoms differently if you were not diagnosed as a child.  I had one doctor say that I could not have Adult ADD because if it was as significant as I perceive it, I would have been thoroughly examined as a child.  Reality is, in the 70's and even 80's, most parents did not rush their kids to the doctor for hyperactivity.  Most schools did not expel you for not paying attention, getting out of your seat, failing to complete assignments, etc.  Most impulsive behaviors led to the interventions, and if that is not the predominant characteristic of your symptoms, you easily slipped through the cracks.  So adults who realize the problem, but were not diagnosed as children, often go through a series of therapy, doctors, psychiatric evals, etc. and multiple misdiagnosis such as Bipolar, depression, psychosis NOS, PTSD, etc.  I remember after several different medication trials, and different medical professionals- just waking up one day and saying to myself "forget it! I can't do this anymore".  It was just in the past few years I was diagnosed and treated with Adderal 30mg. a day- and suddenly I have the life that I always saw others enjoying.  My son was just diagnosed with ADHD and I saw the symptoms but did not realize they were abnormal- when you have lived it, it is hard to recognize it as a problem.  Once in kindergarten, he began to struggle miserably.  I knew he was trying, but it is not something that can be controlled for long periods- and it is unfair for parents to try to make a child that young control it for 6  hours a day.  The inability to control it will lead to low self esteem, self loathing, and a sense of failure.  But, when the doctor started him on Adderall it had a horrible side effect with him- he became very angry and started displaying multiple tics of grunting, eye rolling, eye blinking.  So, it is important to note that each individual who has the diagnosis, may have different levels, dominant characteristics, and intensity- similarly, treatment programs can be drastically different for each individual.  Unfortunately the science is not advanced enough to differentiate the neurotransmitters which are impairing you specifically, so medication is a trial and error series until you find the right one.