Hello,

My name is Erik. I'm 21 years old, and having been dealing with mental health issues since I can remember. In Elementary school I was diagnosed with ADHD. I took adderall one time, and my mother told me that I said "It made me feel like I was in slow motion". As I got older I started to get more nervous. I was self conscience, paranoid, and my brain moved really fast. My thought pattern and mood were never stable. I would rehearse things in my head, songs would never end, and thoughts would repeat themselves over and over again until I was distracted by something else. I couldnt concentrate on anything. I dropped out of highschool, I was very lazy, and could never follow through with anything. Today it is even worse. I have a ton of energy that I dont do anything with. I spend most of my day just thinking. It has drove me crazy. I asked my doctor for adderall to see if ADHD was the problem. So far I'm not sure if it is helping or making things worse. I just want to stop being paranoid, stop looking around, stop being severly self conscience, and just live my life in peace. Can you help me?

It sounds like your personality and thinking abilities are preserved and thus your paranoia is probably not being caused by Schizophrenia. Usually the benefits of stimulant medication is fairly rapid and if you are still struggling, it may be a mixed state of Bipolar disorder. The most specific drug an most effective is Lithium. Unfortunately that medication can take up to 10 days (in some people, not all) to be effective. If the paranoia is present, another fairly rapid medication is Zyprexa, Risperdal or Seroquel. Unfortunately, these meds can also cause many side effects and need to be monitored (as are all of the medications described).

This background information is intended to inform, however you really need a psychiatrist to diagnose and treat you effectively.

I would be optimistic that your condition is very treatable. If your condition is making you feel hopeless and or causing to think suicidal or homicidal thoughts, please go to your nearest emergency room. Hooking up to the self help group OBAD is also a very good idea.

All the best and hope this helps. Good luck and thanks for writing.