The notion of AD(H)D gets on my nerves sometimes. I accept that it exists to a degree... my main issue lies with how belief in its existence relies on twisted, corrupted science.

There are symptoms, such as inattention, inability to concentrate and chronic fatigue which are typical of inattentive type ADD. But I know for a fact that labelling millions of children as mentally ill is morally reprehensible, when they're acting perfectly normally.

Kids are not meant to spend eight hours a day in school, learning boring shit that they don't care about. They're kids; they should be having fun.

This is what I don't get: life should be all about having fun. Where...

Things seem to be going ok for my tree. Methylphenidate isn't all it was cracked up to be... during the most intense workload of the academic year in April, he took his thrice-daily dose as normal and managed to lose about six kilos. Thankfully his eating habits have returned to normal and he has re-gained that weight since.

The drug seems to be losing its attentive effect, perhaps due to tolerance, but the euphoria and comedown are still present.

Overall, a very minor improvement in concentration problems has been noticed, even when not taking the medication: he can pay attention to lectures and read long technical articles for a good while before needing a break or...

I hear Tree went to an ADD specialist today. He was diagnosed with Adult Attention Deficit Disorder and minor Asperger's Syndrome.

Prescribed methylphenidate, about 12.5mg three times per day which may be increased in future.

The following is an e-mail which I received from a friend of a friend today.

The week has been very stressful. Exams every day, resulting in a lot of getting up before the sun and attempting to cram mountains of information in the brain before regurgitating it.

Went to sleep at about 12:00AM (midnight) on Friday night. Awoke five hours later (Saturday) to study and go to university for an exam.

Last night, got to sleep at around 11:00PM, after approximately eighteen hours awake.

8:40AM - Woke up with pulsating, very painful headache across entire head.

10:30AM - Got up, ate bowl of cereal and had some orange juice.

...

So today, my tree had his first appointment with his psychiatrist since before Christmas.

Sertraline certainly is not the drug for him. He has suffered nausea, dizziness and decreased interest in sex since starting on it. As such, the psychiatrist has said that he can begin tapering off. He's already on 25mg a day with about six of these doses left, so he thinks he'll just reduce to ~17.5mg per day for a week then ~8.75mg per day until it's all gone. He doesn't mind a long tapering if it means not having to suffer SSRI withdrawal syndrome... again.

My tree is at the end of his rope in terms of coping with his symptoms. Third year university exams start from next Monday...

Today, Tree was prescribed sertraline hydrochloride (Lustral), 25mg per day.

The psychiatrist feels that Tree may be suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, although his symptoms seem to be a combination of:

1. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (Predominantly inattentive type)
2. Chronic fatigue syndrome
3. Depersonalisation disorder
4. Post-traumatic stress disorder

Tree has previously been on antidepressants following a severe bout of depression in 2005/2006 and his father's death:

• Venlafaxine (serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor). Side-effects included dizziness, migraine and inability to urinate.
• Citalopram (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor).

...

I usually do not use blogs to inform the world of the mundane intricacies of my life, but I felt this particular experience warranted an exception.

So there I was, sitting in my networks lecture, not paying attention as my dozy lecturer shited on about 802.11 frames and how to crack WEP encryption. I felt I would pass the time by reading the wiki article on Salvia divinorum.

The lecture ends and the class exits the building. The French student who sat behind me in the lecture approaches me, referring to a forum. I immediately knew what he was talking about.

"I zaw you on zat forum."
"What?"
"You know.. zee forum? You...

Hello dearest SWIMmers. I have eventually decided to use my blog, not to indulge in the emo lifestyle by ranting about how the attractive male adolescent in my educational grouping does not reciprocate the new feelings I am experiencing (boo hoo ;_; *cut*), but to document the course of what I perceive to be an illness or disorder from which a friend of mine has been suffering from for some time. Henceforth I will refer to this friend as "Tree".

A quick summary of his symptoms are:

• Extreme and excessive lethargy/sleepiness, completely unrelieved by sleep and rest
• Inattentiveness - mind constantly wanders
• Staring off into space, daydreaming, to such an extent

...