Do you have ADD?

[blue17]

Yesterday I self-diagnosed myself with ADD (Inattentive type), after seeing a school counsellor. Basically this means that I have a very hard time focusing on one thing at a time, and there are a number of other traits an ADD person can have. These are some of them which I personally have....

-Impulsiveness (whether verbal or actions)
-Forgetfulness (short-term memory can blank out, long-term memory uneffected tho)
-Frequent procrastination
-Feeling 'bored' often
-Difficulty following instructions
-Have trouble focusing
-Tendency towards addictions
-Organizational problems
-Careless errors in school
-Constant day dreaming
-Nervousness

There are many other symptoms related to ADD....but not all of them apply to me personally. Fortunately, I didn't test positive for 'hyperactive' ADD (ADHD). This is where you are constantly restless....have to move around all the time etc.

My counsellor also mentioned that ADD is a disability, and it greatly effects your learning. A lot of people go undiagnosed, because they aren't hyperactive type. They don't really 'interfere' w/ other peoples activities so no one outright labels them as ADD. In terms of school, some people rely on their natural ability, and still do well in their studies even though they can't focus or pay attention. It's not until college where the workload is so much there it seriously effects their learning (what happened to me). If your ADD affects you seriously enough....you can have access to extra features at a college you are attending. Benefits such as extra time to write exams, writing tests in a room alone (to block out distractions), tutors....etc.

I urge you guys to take an online ADD test that my counsellor gave me. If you suspect you might have ADD, please take the test below.

http://www.amenclinic.com/ac/addtests/adult.asp

When you know your problems, you can help solve them. For instance, i've realized that any job where I am just sitting there...and I'm expected to get a lot of tidious work done won't work for me. I simply won't be able to focus that long in order to finish assignments. I need a job where I'm either doing physical work, walking around....talking to ppl etc. A desk job won't work out for me.

I've also realized i'm very impulsive. I'll feel the need to join in conversations and interrupt. Now that I know this, I can relax and after many times....it will become natural to not be impulsive. I'm trying to work on my other personality traits caused by ADD, which would have a negative effect on ppl.

And for a question for any of you that have ADD, what challenges have you faced in terms of relationships/girls, and how have you overcome them? Thx for listening.

 

[Marcopolo]

I was diagnosed in elementary school and they gave me medication for a few years and then stopped because they assumed at the time that people outgrew it. I later found a book about adult ADD and am 99% certain that I still have this. My ex wife knew about this and told me repeadely that my ADD was the main source of troubles in our realtionship. I tend to think that her Borderline Personality Disorder was more of a source of trouble but I digress.
She hated me being disorganized and supposedly not listneing or paying attention to her, etc., especially on the phone. then she would start screaming at me and freaking out because she thought I was ignoring her or not caring about her etc. But again, she was a bit psycho herself.
I think that ADD is a two edged sword when it comes to relationships. People with ADD tend to be more adventerous and exciting than the average guy, so that attracts women to you initially. However, I think it is more difficult for an ADD person to maintain a long lasting relationship. Partially this is due to the fact that ADD people are more easily bored with relationships unless they find someone really exceptional. The other major reason is that women do get annoyed by many of the ADD traits that men have when they are in a LTR relationship with them.
The other important thing you must realize is that it is important not to choose a career that is not fitted to you. People with ADD are more limited in what kind of career brings them happiness, and if you are frustrated with your job and frustrated with life as a result it can really be a drag, and women will see this and be less attracted to you as a result. I could say a lot more but this is long enough already. My .02
feel free to pm me if you have any more questions.

 

[Jvesti]

ADDHD is a disability to teachers when they are forced to deal with individuals that aren't genetically build for classrooms.

Certain people are perfectly built to be "farmer types" the genetics that have been passing on for the past 10,000 years or so very successfully as there has been huge need for farmers. These people flourish in classrooms. Think of what would make a successful farmer:

- Ability to handle steady, dependable effort
- Not distracted from the task at hand
- Purposeful organization
- Patience
- Aroused by commonplace stimuli so does not get easily bored

Now if you think of the ideal student in school those attributes above. A pleasure for a teacher to teach and deal with.

Plain and simple:

Now for a person with ADD/ADDHD

- Short attention span - to put it more specifically, people who have addhd are constantly naturally "monitoring the environment" they get distracted by the bee at the window or mower outside. Once locked onto a hot goal they get extremely focused. IE playing video games or Thomas Edison ( who was said to have addhd) would get completely absorbed into his work.
- tends to make snap or impulsive decisions - ability to enter the chase at a moment's notice
- impatience - can also be seen as ability to sustain drive at something
- Difficulty following directions - independence
- daydreaming - being bored by mundane tasks enjoying exciting ideas, excitment, adventure
- acting without considering consequences - Willingness to take risks and face danger
- Is not aroused by mundane tasks, needs more (can be a good thing or very bad thing)

Now analyzing this set of traits, this would be a nightmare for classrooms. But think of Inventor, CEO, Detective, Leader, entrepreneur then look at the list again.

To put it into perspective. If through mate selection of a hunter/gatherer society, these would be ideal traits to have as a "hunter" not a "farmer". Of course in both there are certain ratios of each type of person. In our society right now, 4-10% of the population has addhd possibly less.

Classrooms and our schooling system is set up to train the farmers of today so to speak ie employees, corporate cogs in a system, accountants, teachers, etc. In fact, our school system is based on

A child that has "hunter" characteristics we'll call them. Comes into the classroom and does not fit into this mold. So what happens? The teachers, school, and uneducated parents dope em up with ritalin or whatever else. Ritalin is a stimulant closely related with speed. You see ritalin works because it gives the mind a false sense of stimulation, therefore in the classroom with this false sense a person can function like his "farmer" counterpart. Remember it doesn't take much to keep a "farmer" type stimulated.

A person with the "hunter" characteristics I firmly believe was given them for a reason. Would Thomas Edison, Leonardo Di Vinci, Einstein (Which all were suspected to have add) be who they were in the history books if they were doped up by stimulants fitting the perfect worker bee trainer that is the schooling system?

Our public school system, originates from Germany's system in the 19th century which was a basic system to train factory workers/ employees and ensure they adopt this lifestyle. Little has changed in the system since then. Think about it chronological bells, dictated your work by the boss (teacher), given work to do at home (doing extra work when youre not in the workplace), you're graded by how good you do what's asked of you and how well you can retain information. Little of this matters as an entrepreneur, leader etc.

Anyways, "The Edison Gene" by Thom Hartmann puts a lot of this stuff in perspective.

 

[Life-Trainee]

I definately had severe ADD (never formally diagnosed) back in 8th grade. I coasted through high-school with 1.9 GPA. Once I got to college things changed. I finally saw a point in what I was doing. I think ADD people rely on a passion or a "moment" more than non-ADD. Where feelings about what you're doing are more important than anything else.

 

[blue17]

Ya that is a good point. In my philosophy classes where I'm paying attention cuz I'm interested....i'm getting an A+. In accounting where I just zone out the entire class and don't do hw....i'm barely getting a B. A symptom of ADD is kind of 'all or nothing' attitude. Either they are really interested in something and spend lots of time with it, or they have a hard time getting motivated/interested.

 

[kel]

I find that as someone recently diagnosed, it puts my life in perspective. I'm only 20, but it explains damn near every problem I've had in the past.

I'm definitely an all-or-nothing person, and its really unfortunate becuase that's not the society we live in.

I find that most girls aren't able to keep up with the level of simulation I need, and sometimes my impulsivity and creativity are mistaken for general weirdness.

I tend to take my doses of adderall when I know I have a hard week ahead of me, but when I'm more free, I stay off it. I think in the long run I'll be better off without it but for the purposes of not failing school and such, I need my meds to just get through my "Cog Training". I wont be another cog, but I still have to prove to the world (ie get a degree) that I COULD be one.

Anyway, yeah, if anyone who's had ADD for a while could attest to its affects on DJing and such, that'd be SO helpful for me! Im only beginning to struggle with this beast!

--Kel

 

[strong like bull]

i have to fully agree with Jvesti's post, as ive personally experienced every point he made.

all the way from grade school up until my current JOBS, i cant stand mundane tasks or (what appears to be) useless directions. paperwork, data filing and things of that nature absolutely bore me. having to sit in a chair for more than twenty minutes, listening/doing something i dont care for, drives me insane. as a result, 6 to 7 days of the week i am either lifting weights, running, playing basketball or hiking because i cant bear to sit around and do nothing all day. i have a lot of natural aggression to be released; when i dont get it out, im very irritable and destructive.

i also identify with the "all or nothing" interest issue. that is to say, as much as paperwork and writing bores me, i remember once in high school i spent DAYS perfecting a simple 4 page English paper. it was relating a book we had read to the topic of suicide, which i had strong personal connections with at that time. i poured my heart into that paper and received flying colors. but, lo and behold, everything in that class bored me and i nearly failed.

likewise, as much as i hate to sit in one spot for too long, when it used to interest me, id play computer strategy/war games for 10 hours a day. an absolute drive to be the best compelled me to obsessively play and master my abilities. now that ive stopped playing comp games, its transfered to basketball. at times ive found myself on the court for 4-6 hours in one night. dribbling and shooting in the empty gym until my entire body was cold and sore.



anyhow, great topic and great replies. keep it up guys.

-SLB

 

[jgoodz]

I definitly have ADD ... I can't take this test I don't have the patience for it! lol

 

[justsomeguy1984]

does a person ever outgrow ADD? and if so, what makes them outgrow it?

 

[jakethasnake]

I thought ADD was genetically pre-determined. How can one 'outgrow' ADD?

 

[il_duce]

I've always suspected that I've had ADD. In fact, I'm convinced that I have it. I just haven't been diagnosed yet.

I can identify with pretty much every other post here...for example, I always do very well on tests in school, but I tend to get bad grades because I never do my homework. To me, it's just a waste of time and way too boring. I got through grade school, middle school and high school that way, with a C average, even though I got a 31 on my ACT and a 1350 on my SAT. I ended up failing out of college after my first year.

Now that I'm living at home again, it has put some things in perspective. I'm actually keeping on track with my studies and getting straight A's for the first time since the 2nd grade. But I still have that one-track mind that I've always had. It's either all or nothing for me. I just push myself hard to do my schoolwork, and that's how I get it done.

Oh yeah, and **** my parents for never believing that I have ADD. They just say I'm lazy...but **** them. I'm going to get myself diagnosed.

Personally, I think ADD might be genetic. I agree with jvesti's idea that our educational system isn't designed for highly intelligent, highly creative, or 'hunter' type minds. I believe that I was screwed up at an early age, because I never learned how to properly organize, follow directions, and do mundane tasks (which are all taught during grade school). At that time I was a lot more advanced than my peers, and I didn't pay attention to anything in school because it was easy to me. That came back to bite me in the ass thought.

So in short, I think ADD is a result of two things: genetics and our school systems.

 

[MoveYourAss...]

while the amen books are great insight into modern psycho-science, I believe almost everyone will fall into his categories.

There MIGHT be some people with ADD, but take care that you don't just use it as an excuse or explanation of your failures, i.e. ah, it's not my fault, poor old me.

In a case I know some discipline in goal setting and pursuing made a HUGE difference.

Also read the article on the main page somewhere: dating with ADD (or so).

MoveYourA$$... and your brain will follow

 

[PocoDiablo]

Wait, so just because you all hate school and work, and are otherwise bored with mundane tasks you think you are sick?

Helllloooooooooo......

Welcome to reality. That crap is boring. You SHOULD be bored. Did you know that many great thinkers had the same problems? Who was it - Einstein I think - who flunked remidial math? Guess what? It's because it was TOO BORING for him. He's clearly a math genius. He has solved the "impossible" as a result. Some of the most sucessful people in the world are "average" thinkers, or even flunked school.

If you are not in a hospital, like an insane asylum, you're not sick. You're probably just BORED. Welcome to the club.

What you probably should try doing is something like start a business, find a new hobby like car racing or picking up chicks.

 

[ShizamDaMan]

Man that test was way too long, it lost my interest after the first half page.

 

[blue17]

^^ diagree. ADD makes it almost impossible to focus on mundane, or boring tasks. People with ADD just tend to get bored easier, and seek more exciting things to keep them going.

Tip: It pays to listen. ADD people have a million thoughts at once, and tend to talk a lot or interrupt others. I've noticed that the less I talk, the better conversations are. Ones where I carry the convo with babble don't last too long. The other day I just listened most the time....and now and then just slowly came up with an intelligent or funny remark. It got really positive results...

 

[Paintballguy]

I definately have ADD.... At night, when I'm trying to sleep I get like a million things running through my head and I cant just stop thinking. Also, when I was in middle school I was getting in trouble all the time for talking and not doing my work. It was either one or the other... And, I also cant seem to stay still because I am always moving or fidgeting.

Its also kindof funny how obssesed I would get with things too. Once I found a new thing, I would spend hours and hours trying to be better until one day I'd just get bored of doing it.

 

[diplomatic_lie]

Even though I've been accused and "diagnosed" of having ADD problems before, I don't agree with any of the diagnoses I've gotten.

ADD should not be an excuse for being a loser, but neither should ADD traits be seen as completely positive.

First, being "diagnosed" of having ADD should never be an excuse for getting arrested or being a loser. Anyone who commits a crime then blames some obscure "disease" should be locked up for the rest of their lives in a psychiatric hospital, since that's where they belong.

However, one should not trump the traits of ADD as being positive either. Being impatient isn't a blessing in any form; even if you plan on being an entrepreneur, being patient is absolutely necessary. For one thing, you'll need a lot of patience to get over the initial years of struggle.

 

[Jvesti]

Regarding "patience" - A person with addhd will generally have all in the world dealing with something they are hot on the trail with. Thomas Edison went months upon months without figuring out how to make a light bulb work. Why did he have patience? Because he believed he was hot on the trail of something incredible. He wasn't doing someones taxes or plowing the field once again.

An addhd person loses his patience during mundane tasks. Sitting still in school while a teacher is talking about polynomials isn't very natural for me. My legs start to shake, i start to daydream, start to notice unrelated things about the room and so on. The impatience of dealing with that makes me want to go home and start ACTING and getting on a hot goal such as I did with business. That's how ADDHD works as for "impatience". That's the definition of impatience I mean.

Those that are good at handling mundane tasks would complement a person with addhd in business. I am my best when I'm focusing on certain tasks like hunting for a solution or takin care of business. The only time i have trouble with "patience" is doing something like accounting or a monotonous job. In which I will generally outsource that to someone else so I can focus on what I am good at. (ie accounting, shipping things out)

 

[blue17]

Originally posted by diplomatic_lie
Even though I've been accused and "diagnosed" of having ADD problems before, I don't agree with any of the diagnoses I've gotten.

ADD should not be an excuse for being a loser, but neither should ADD traits be seen as completely positive.

First, being "diagnosed" of having ADD should never be an excuse for getting arrested or being a loser. Anyone who commits a crime then blames some obscure "disease" should be locked up for the rest of their lives in a psychiatric hospital, since that's where they belong.

However, one should not trump the traits of ADD as being positive either. Being impatient isn't a blessing in any form; even if you plan on being an entrepreneur, being patient is absolutely necessary. For one thing, you'll need a lot of patience to get over the initial years of struggle.

How bout seeing ADD as a challenge which people some people have to face in their everyday lives? Where did the idea of an ADD person blaming his disibility for getting arrested come about??!?! No ones saying that it is 'the reason why you aren't succeeding' or 'the reason why you are a loser'....but there are some negative traits to ADD which makes everyday life harder.

 

[Porky]

I completed half of that test before getting bored and leaving.