[dyingforjossee18]

How do you tell if it's just daydreaming or add/adhd. I can't focus on a single thing. I scare myself driving because I don't pay attention to lights and might be running red lights. I also cannot stay still for any period of time. I'm usually up, walking around a lot or if I am sitting/lying down I am tossing and turning constantly even if I'm not uncomfortable yet. Multitasking helps keep my mind focused but when taking care of my class I find my mind wondering from time to time. Is it adhd or should I tell myself to stay focused and stop daydreaming?

Hello dyingforjossee18: Well... I can't tell you whether or not you have ADHD. This is really something that must be diagnosed by a professional. And I would encourage you to seek a professional opinion with regard to it.

I don't believe telling yourself to stay focused & stop daydreaming will be of much help. I've told myself to do many things over the course of my life. But I'd have to say it hasn't ever done me much good.

In fact, if you're worrying about this (& I would expect you may be if you're running red lights without knowing it) your worrying may be making the whole situation worse. I have found myself writing this repeatedly here on PC today. But... the anxiety that is the result of worry increases exponentially. The more you worry, the worse it gets. Pretty soon, you're worrying because you're worrying as well as because you're doing whatever it is you began worrying about to begin with. Does that make sense? It becomes a vicious circle, as the saying goes.

So my suggestion is to make arrangements for some testing to determine if in fact you have ADD / ADHD or if something else is going on. Your concerns are legitimate. You owe it to yourself, as well as to others, to do your best to figure out what's going on & how best to address it. My best wishes to you.

[MotherMarcus]

Talk to your primary care doc. He or she may decide to do a medical work up to see what's going on before making a DX.

[Miswimmy1]

I would ask yourself, "is this impairing your ability to function in your daily life" and "are these symptoms affecting the quality of my life?" I tend to believe that if you can get by without medication, I would go that route and avoid the possible complications with side effects, etc. However, if you are running red lights for instance and putting yourself in danger, then I think seeing a professional would be a good place to start. A wandering mind could be attributed to many things, so it's best to see a professional about it.

[cbdagency]

If your mind natrally wanders to some degree that is natural. hen it starts to negatively effect your life is when its diagnosed as ADHD. It maniffests as early as 4 years old I believe, and to get the diagnoses there needs to be some evidence of diminished academic and/or social performance before the age of 7 as I understand it. I was diagnosed as an adult but my history was important the diagnoses. My school reports all said "does not pay attention despit being bright"...