Is it possible to have both ADHD and bipolar or schizoaffective? by Andrea Krueger
Answer by Andrea Krueger:
I have comorbid bipolar II disorder and ADHD. The only way to know for certain is to be diagnosed by a physician.
I had bipolar and ADHD as a child during the 1970s. My bipolar (initially called manic-depression) was diagnosed when I was an adolescent. Back then doctors were reluctant to prescribe psychotropics to children.
My bipolar disorder was under-treated and exclusively talk therapy, my ADHD was ignored. It wasn’t until my 30s that I was prescribed antidepressants/mood stabilizers for my bipolar , and Concerta for my ADHD.
Comorbid bipolar II and ADHD severely impairs parts of my executive functioning, making it difficult for me to organize tasks and materials, estimate time, start tasks, sustain focus, and shift focus between tasks. Treating comorbid bipolar and ADHD is tricky because, you are correct, stimulants will push a person with bipolar into mania/hypomania.
Until Straterra, a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor used to treat ADHD, came became available, the only ADHD medicine my doctor would prescribe was Concerta. Concerta is basically Ritalin with a time-release component that releases the medication slowly into my system.
I now take Straterra for my ADHD, and it works a treat. Straterra is not a stimulant, and has a neutral effect on my bipolar.
Being fully medicated for both of my disorders is a beautiful, beautiful thing. It allows me to live my life competently. To remain under-treated for either bipolar or ADHD when there are proven effective treatments available is cruel and unnecessary.
Call a doctor, and seek help.
Good luck!