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Suggest Treatment For Inability To Stay Focused And Learning Disability
Question: Im in need to find a psychiatrist to help treat my mental health condition. I'm a 39yr old adult who has struggled my whole life with what I thought was a "learning disability." At age 7 I was diagnosed with having LD and I have struggled because there is no defined treatment for learning dissabilities and I was told to expect to always struggle. This past yr. my social worker advised me that I may not have been correctly diagnosed. She said from her education and experience, my symptoms are more like those that have ADD. Not LD or ADHD. She suggested I seek out a Psychiatrist .to appropriately diagnose my condition and offer solutions for treatment. Can you help me?
Brief Answer:
Kindly give details of your symptoms.
Detailed Answer:
Hello
Welcome to HCM.
I can understand your concerns.
Sometimes it is difficult to differentiate between Learning disability and ADHD/ADD due to overlap of symptoms. Also, these disorders occur together in a child commonly.
However, a regular follow up and thorough assessment does help to diagnose the appropriate condition and guide further treatment.
I am Dr. Shubham Mehta, MD(Psychiatry) here.
Kindly give details about your symptoms so that we can proceed to reach to an appropriate diagnosis.
I will be available to help you here in all the possible ways.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Regards.
Kindly give details of your symptoms.
Detailed Answer:
Hello
Welcome to HCM.
I can understand your concerns.
Sometimes it is difficult to differentiate between Learning disability and ADHD/ADD due to overlap of symptoms. Also, these disorders occur together in a child commonly.
However, a regular follow up and thorough assessment does help to diagnose the appropriate condition and guide further treatment.
I am Dr. Shubham Mehta, MD(Psychiatry) here.
Kindly give details about your symptoms so that we can proceed to reach to an appropriate diagnosis.
I will be available to help you here in all the possible ways.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Hi Dr. Mehta. Nice to meet you. Thank you for your quick response. Im so happy you can help me.
My symptoms are as follows: inability to stay focused, cant complete tasks or projects timely - if at all, too easily distracted, difficulty reading w/out needing to re-read sentences or paragraphs over and over, major effort to try and be organized, often feels like my disorganization causes much disarray in my life, hard to pay attention to people without my mind wondering off, and lastly being forgetfull.
As you can see with all that's going on with me, it seems amazing I can actually perform simple daily tasks. Often times I feel like it takes a lot of energy and concentration to do things that others do very easily.
My symptoms are as follows: inability to stay focused, cant complete tasks or projects timely - if at all, too easily distracted, difficulty reading w/out needing to re-read sentences or paragraphs over and over, major effort to try and be organized, often feels like my disorganization causes much disarray in my life, hard to pay attention to people without my mind wondering off, and lastly being forgetfull.
As you can see with all that's going on with me, it seems amazing I can actually perform simple daily tasks. Often times I feel like it takes a lot of energy and concentration to do things that others do very easily.
Brief Answer:
Probably ADD.
Detailed Answer:
Nice to meet you too :).
Thanks for providing the details.
With these details, I think it is more likely to be attention deficit disorder (ADD). Most of the symptoms match the diagnostic criteria for ADD.
Difficulty reading could be secondary to inattention. This does not appear to be the symptom of LD.
The treatment of such symptoms include stimulant medications like methylphenidate and non stimulant medications like atomoxetine.
In my opinion, Atomoxetine (prescription drug) can help you to control these symptoms. It has advantage over methylphenidate that it is not habit forming. Since your symptoms are not severe, this drug should work well for you.
Hope you find this helpful.
Should you have more doubts, please feel free to ask.
Regards.
Probably ADD.
Detailed Answer:
Nice to meet you too :).
Thanks for providing the details.
With these details, I think it is more likely to be attention deficit disorder (ADD). Most of the symptoms match the diagnostic criteria for ADD.
Difficulty reading could be secondary to inattention. This does not appear to be the symptom of LD.
The treatment of such symptoms include stimulant medications like methylphenidate and non stimulant medications like atomoxetine.
In my opinion, Atomoxetine (prescription drug) can help you to control these symptoms. It has advantage over methylphenidate that it is not habit forming. Since your symptoms are not severe, this drug should work well for you.
Hope you find this helpful.
Should you have more doubts, please feel free to ask.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you for help and feedback on this. So it appears my social worker was correct, I have ADD. From what your saying, it sounds like I still may a LD, but as a child I was only partially diagnosed. Now, how would you suggest I move forward to try and treat my ADD symptoms? I have found numerous articles and books with suggestions to make my life easier to battle against ADD but I will want to be treated and continue working with a psychiatrist till I find the best balance for me. Can I continue working with you? If not how can I find a psychiatrist that specializes in ADD/ADHD?
Brief Answer:
Manage one symptom at a time.
Detailed Answer:
Hi again.
I would be happy to work with you in sorting out problems.
We can proceed further from here.
What I spot from your previous details, the major symptoms are:
1.Disorganization.
2. Distraction/inattention.
3. Forgetfulness.
4. Difficulty in reading.
The favorable point for us is that despite these problems, you are able to carry out simple tasks.
In my opinion, we should work on one symptom at a time so that it becomes easier for you to follow my suggestions.
Let us first work on disorganization, as it is causing much disarray in your life.
Of utmost importance is to follow these tips, no matter what.
First is to sort out the things on the basis of their need, the things which you need daily to those which you need only occasionally.
Keep the infrequently needed things in the closet. Only those which are needed daily should be placed on your table.
Designate specific area for everything, pen stand for pen, key stand for keys etc.
Throw away the things which you donot need.
Do not procrastinate. Set a deadline for every task you do. You can set reminders jn your phone. or use a calendar to note down your tasks date-wise and priority-wise. Note down the tasks for a week only. Thus, you will not have to remember most things once you not down on a calendar. Make it a habit to check the calendar daily.
These are those common suggestions which you will find everywhere. But the thing is, you have to follow this.
It would be great you can discuss here with me, how have you followed these suggestions. Like, what items have you kept in closet, what items have you thrown out, what tasks have you listed in your calendar etc. in next 1-2 days.
Hope you find this helpful.
Always free feel to discuss any doubts at any time. We can gradually improvise, if you have any suggestions too.
Regards.
Manage one symptom at a time.
Detailed Answer:
Hi again.
I would be happy to work with you in sorting out problems.
We can proceed further from here.
What I spot from your previous details, the major symptoms are:
1.Disorganization.
2. Distraction/inattention.
3. Forgetfulness.
4. Difficulty in reading.
The favorable point for us is that despite these problems, you are able to carry out simple tasks.
In my opinion, we should work on one symptom at a time so that it becomes easier for you to follow my suggestions.
Let us first work on disorganization, as it is causing much disarray in your life.
Of utmost importance is to follow these tips, no matter what.
First is to sort out the things on the basis of their need, the things which you need daily to those which you need only occasionally.
Keep the infrequently needed things in the closet. Only those which are needed daily should be placed on your table.
Designate specific area for everything, pen stand for pen, key stand for keys etc.
Throw away the things which you donot need.
Do not procrastinate. Set a deadline for every task you do. You can set reminders jn your phone. or use a calendar to note down your tasks date-wise and priority-wise. Note down the tasks for a week only. Thus, you will not have to remember most things once you not down on a calendar. Make it a habit to check the calendar daily.
These are those common suggestions which you will find everywhere. But the thing is, you have to follow this.
It would be great you can discuss here with me, how have you followed these suggestions. Like, what items have you kept in closet, what items have you thrown out, what tasks have you listed in your calendar etc. in next 1-2 days.
Hope you find this helpful.
Always free feel to discuss any doubts at any time. We can gradually improvise, if you have any suggestions too.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
My app wont let me send what i typed in 1 message. i had to split it up. see the beginining with the pic.
I could barely keep up BEFORE they increased base production levels now it's gona be next to impossible. I'm always working longer and harder than everyone else to get equal results. My boss loves the -quality- of my work so I have that going, but efficiency is the demanding expectation. I need to be able to focus better on ea.task and finish before moving to the next but I just keep falling back into my old routines. It's so frustrating because its super easy work for everyone else on my team but not for me. I have learned to live life and adapt to the struggles of having a learning disability. I thought this is why im unlike others, why they (teachers and counselors)said i will struggle my whole life. But now hearing you say that my symptoms are commonly found in people with ADD it's like an awakening to reality. Kind of dissapointed in myself for not taking initiative to reach out for help sooner. For the 1st time hearing from a professional that I could actually feel somewhat normal for once is such a relief! I trust your professional opinion and will take your advice for a treatment plan including a focus on working one symptom at a time. I also agree to start a prescription program as well, with follow ups to track my progress for all the above. Having insurance how'd you suggest for me to utilize those benefits while working with you?
I could barely keep up BEFORE they increased base production levels now it's gona be next to impossible. I'm always working longer and harder than everyone else to get equal results. My boss loves the -quality- of my work so I have that going, but efficiency is the demanding expectation. I need to be able to focus better on ea.task and finish before moving to the next but I just keep falling back into my old routines. It's so frustrating because its super easy work for everyone else on my team but not for me. I have learned to live life and adapt to the struggles of having a learning disability. I thought this is why im unlike others, why they (teachers and counselors)said i will struggle my whole life. But now hearing you say that my symptoms are commonly found in people with ADD it's like an awakening to reality. Kind of dissapointed in myself for not taking initiative to reach out for help sooner. For the 1st time hearing from a professional that I could actually feel somewhat normal for once is such a relief! I trust your professional opinion and will take your advice for a treatment plan including a focus on working one symptom at a time. I also agree to start a prescription program as well, with follow ups to track my progress for all the above. Having insurance how'd you suggest for me to utilize those benefits while working with you?
Brief Answer:
Set deadlines.
Detailed Answer:
Hello dear,
I have gone through your screenshot as well the details in the query.
The thing which is bothering you most is your easy distractibility at work place. This reduces your efficiency and work output.
Well, I will tell you the simple tips to deal with this:
First, if possible, adjust your desk so that it faces the wall. This will prevent distractions due to people moving around.
Second, hand a board on your desk saying 'DO NOT PROCRASTINATE'.
Third, set deadlines for your self. The deadlines should directed for each of your work. Say, if you have to finish typing a letter in 10 minutes, then set a timer as you start typing and finish it as the time is over.
Fourth, set daily targets for yourself. Do not plan for a week or a month. You need to plan for one day at a time.
Fifth, everytime you finish a task in time, XXXXXXX and praise yourself. These little achievements will motivate you for further tasks.
Do not compare yourself with others. Every one is different. The work becomes difficult for you because you have this problem of attention. Believe yourself that you can get over this.
Since you have insurance, you can find a nearest psychiatrist who can prescribe appropriate drugs to you. I think atomoxetine should work for you. Also, you can discuss with him about what we share here.
I do not think this web service will be covered in your insurance policy. You can ask about this from the HealthcareMagic customer service.
Hope you are able to follow these suggestions and revert back soon.
Take care.
Dr. Shubham Mehta, MD (Psychiatry)
Set deadlines.
Detailed Answer:
Hello dear,
I have gone through your screenshot as well the details in the query.
The thing which is bothering you most is your easy distractibility at work place. This reduces your efficiency and work output.
Well, I will tell you the simple tips to deal with this:
First, if possible, adjust your desk so that it faces the wall. This will prevent distractions due to people moving around.
Second, hand a board on your desk saying 'DO NOT PROCRASTINATE'.
Third, set deadlines for your self. The deadlines should directed for each of your work. Say, if you have to finish typing a letter in 10 minutes, then set a timer as you start typing and finish it as the time is over.
Fourth, set daily targets for yourself. Do not plan for a week or a month. You need to plan for one day at a time.
Fifth, everytime you finish a task in time, XXXXXXX and praise yourself. These little achievements will motivate you for further tasks.
Do not compare yourself with others. Every one is different. The work becomes difficult for you because you have this problem of attention. Believe yourself that you can get over this.
Since you have insurance, you can find a nearest psychiatrist who can prescribe appropriate drugs to you. I think atomoxetine should work for you. Also, you can discuss with him about what we share here.
I do not think this web service will be covered in your insurance policy. You can ask about this from the HealthcareMagic customer service.
Hope you are able to follow these suggestions and revert back soon.
Take care.
Dr. Shubham Mehta, MD (Psychiatry)
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vaishalee Punj
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