Mental Health
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Answered in 31 minutes by:
10/9/2010
Steven Olsen, Therapist
Category: Mental Health
Satisfied Customers: 1,765
Experience: More than twenty years of expertise in counseling, psychological diagnosis and education
VerifiedGreat question.
Yes, you can have ADHD as an adult and still be depressed. The areas of the brain that are affected by ADHD (prefrontal cortex) are different than the emotional centers and biochemistry (serotonin) that cause depression. It is doubtful, unless you are particularly upset at the fact that you have ADHD that is the cause of the depression.
Yes, it does take time...much longer than the pharmacy companies would like you to know, for your anti-depressant to work. Usually it is 6-8 weeks vs the 2-3 that they often advertise.
Your fatigue is a common symptom of depression. It is a typical effect of being depressed as your entire biochemistry has been slowed. Fortunately, once the medications start working...the fatigue will be the first of the symptoms to leave in most cases.
The clinical best practice for depression is medication and cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT is highly effective and should help you cope with the symptoms until the medications kick in. You may also wish to consider an option that is encouraged with adults with ADHD. The research is very promising as the use of 1000mg of Omega 3 has been shown to help both adult ADHD and depression.
You will need to ask your doctor about this before starting any supplement use and also inquire about the use of vitamin B12. It can, in some case, counter slightly the fatigue that you feel. Again, this has to be approved by the doctor who wrote your scripts for the anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medications.
Take heart! You are healing. It will take some time, but this will pass.
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