When I was first diagnosed with ADD I had the same "am I really ADD or just forgetful and absent-minded?" kind of questions. At one point I was practically in denial and felt like maybe I had somehow not been quite truthful or just overexaggerated my symptoms.
I'm quite alright with it now however, as I've realized through books and other sources that yes, I am really ADD not just lazy/forgetful/absentminded/stupid etc. I don't want to insist that you are ADD as well because I'm no professional either. But it sounds to me like the possibility certainly exists.
I'm glad that you are seeing a psychiatrist though. I know that I learned so much about myself and my ADD through mine, and I recommend seeing one to anyone who wonders about ADD.
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I wonder how I'll know if I just have bad work habits or ADD. I always did well in school because I worked hard, but I did have a low tolerance for frustration, something I read can be typical of people with ADD. I also do find myself rushing through things and forgetting a lot. For example, I'll be filling out a form, and start on one line, then jump down to the next box, and have to go back.
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That sounds a lot like me actually. I'm almost finished with high school myself, but some things that I figured out at this point would have helped me so much earlier. Part of my denial with ADD at first was based in my idea that people who "really have ADD" must have much worse focusing problems then me anyway. But after being diagnosed with ADD, I started to really observe myself in situations. I had never realized before how much I really had to focus to pay attention, in volleyball for example, the coach would be talking and I would be drawn in the direction of each distraction (sounds from other team practicing, something falling, ball bouncing etc) and when I looked in the other direction I would habitually have to pull myself back almost violently at times, until I was completely fixated on the coach. But even then, I would be staring at him like a deer in headlights focusing as hard as I could, as I knew what he was saying but couldn't quite feel it sink in. I think I have always had a tendency to overfocus when listening though (possibly because my dad who also has ADD makes me so mad when he doesn't listen, even though he says he is). Yet, I never noticed how much work went into it either. My psychiatrist thinks I learned to be a pretty highly functional person with ADD, and I think that's also why I have a habit of asking a bajillion questions when people give directions (just to make sure I get what they are talking about).
Being on medication I've been more aware of how I am without meds and at the source of my ADD. Another thing I had never noticed before was how tired I was mentally. My mom would drive me home from school at times and even though I had all these things to tell her about school earlier, being in the car then and trying to visualize all I wanted to say, I felt exhausted like talking was too much work. Sometimes I felt so mentally tired from the day that I would have to lay down and sleep, just to feel able to deal with everything in my head.
I don't mean to bore you with stories about myself too much. (Actually, I find that when I'm in my happy mood, like right after the meds start kicking in and, well, now, I'm very happily talkitive lol). But I hope that you might be able to see more similarities/differences you might have because it's terribly frustrating at times and I'm so grateful that I got help when I did.
I'm seeing a psychiatrist for depression and ADD counciling currently as well. So I've been on quite a few medications myself. I think someone else asked this and I'm wondering too, are you also taking something for depression? Or is your psychiatrist perhaps thinking that your depression is a result of your ADD? I was just wondering because I know that even before I went to the psych doctor I had been on anti-depressants for a few years (my mom is a doctor and had relatively easy access) but the psych switched those drugs too. For depression I took Prozac (I don't remember much, but I didn't get a whole lot of effect from it), Cymbalta (I liked it at first but it had a tendency to let me be able to see all my stressors and then push them away almost completely to the point where I would forget, and this led to even more stress with the ADD tendencies), and I'm currently on Lexapro (so far pretty good, it's so hard to describe the direct effects of anti-depressants though, I think I notice more when I don't take them). And for ADD I've been through straterra (Didn't quite work with me however, this was before we had both realized how big of a dose I really needed, and the straterra dose wasn't even close), concerta (I was on this one for a long time, in fact I didn't switch until this fall. It made me feel "happy", as I described to my therapist, and he said this was my interpretation of it working for me. My main problem with it though was just that, even when taking my meds, I would have a tendency to oversleep, and after taking concerta I could hardly resist going back to sleep in the morning because I was so happy and had such pleasant dreams.), ritalin (briefly, but it didn't seem to affect me much for some reason), and now I'm on Aderall which I'm pleased with overall (Psych had told me it was just like concerta, and it is I think, but it has a boost that gets me moving, and that's definetly something I needed).
I hope your trial goes well, too. I just encourage you to be patient with it, if anything. When I first started on meds, I wasn't sure how I felt, but I especially knew when I wasn't taking them once in a while, and how icky (irritable, tired, frustrated, upset, etc, my mom could probably tell you better though lol) I felt. But I knew it helped more and more as the psych upped the dose closer to what I needed.
I understand your concern with your job and I really hope you'll find some help. So if you do have any additional questions (personal, medical, ADD related etc) don't hesitate to ask. I'll try my best to help you out and I know others here would do the same.
Good luck