[Nosebleed]

I'm sorry if this is too long. I really felt that I needed to explain things in detail. I'd appreciate if you could read and reply.
Also, I posted this on the 'Ask a therapist' section. Just thought I'd mention.

I'm a 21 year guy from India (yes, the third world country in Asia). I cannot go to a therapist or a doctor because problems like ADD are not taken very seriously in my country. People here believe that neurological/emotional/psychological disorders are things that the westerners came up with because they have too much money and time on their hands. People who think they are suffering from some kind of a disorder are thought of as people who are seeking excuses to justify their failure(s). Which is why I desperately need help from people on this site.

In my country, being academically poor is tantamount to being a criminal. And I'm not exaggerating. I'm a 2nd year college student. I'm studying Information Technology Engineering and I'm really struggling.

I've had a lot of problem with academics since I was in 6th grade. Unlike other academically bad people, I don't go out, party, smoke, drink etc etc. I try to study all day but its just too hard for me to actually concentrate. Especially on subjects that do not interest me. I have very little efficiency. I need like an entire day to study what others might get done in 3 or 4 hours. And its not because I can't comprehend the subject. Its because I get distracted too easily and end up wasting all my time. And because I can't pay attention to what is being taught in class. I've taken many IQ tests to see if I have low IQ or something, but it seems that my IQ is just as good as my other friends who are doing good well in college.

I've typed some of the symptoms that I have, that I think might have something to do with ADD :-
- I'm barely able to meet deadlines (for submission of assignments)
- I'm extremely careless. Have always been careless. If someone tells me, in the morning, to do something later on in the afternoon or in the evening, you can pretty much rest assured I won't remember to do it (unless I set a reminder on my cell phone).
- Sometimes when people are talking to me, I find myself drifting away from the conversation and start thinking about something completely different. But I keep nodding my head and I keep saying "oh", "uh huh", "yes", "I see", etc etc... so the other person thinks that I'm actually listening to them. But I don't do it on purpose. It just happens.
- Sometimes when someone ask me something, I'll reply 'yes' or 'no' without actually realizing what I'm saying or what the other person has asked. Its almost like a reflex.
For example - if my mother asks me - "Do you want coffee?"
I'll say "Yes" without even realizing what she has asked me. Off course this happens mostly when I'm busy doing something else.
- Sitting in a class has always been extremely difficult for me.
Whenever I'm in class, I keep looking at my watch and I basically can't wait for the period to get over so I can just run out of the class. Because of this, I skip a lot of classes and often lose marks because of lack of attendance.
- If I do manage to attend a lecture, paying attention to what the teacher is saying is just impossible for me. Whereas the other students don't find it difficult at all. I mostly start day dreaming when I'm sitting in class.
- During practical sessions, our professors teach/demonstrate to us a particular assignment/experiment in groups of 10-15 students. When all the others are carefully paying attention to what the professor is saying or doing, I find myself getting restless and paying attention is not only difficult, but almost impossible. This happens more when we(the students) are standing in laboratory instead of sitting in a classroom.
And this is how it was in elementary school and high school too.
- I daydream a lot. A LOT! I just can't help it. I'm known as "the guy who's always on another planet".
- if I sit down to study something, I'll do it for like 10 minutes and then I'll have urges to get up, walk around, watch some TV etc etc...
- I make extremely careless mistake in subjects like mathematics. If I'm solving a calculus problem, I'll do it all correctly till the last few steps, which are actually supposed to be the easiest. I'll end up making an extremely careless mistake. You cannot even imagine how many times I've been shouted at by both, teachers and my dad because of this (my dad is an engineer. so he taught me science and math in high school).
- I have trouble being punctual too. I'm always running 10-15 minutes late.
- In school, some teachers would tell me that I'm not living up to my potential.
- In 10th grade, a couple of teachers told my parents that they thought "something is not quite right with your child". They thought that I was suffering from depression and that it seemed to them like I always have a lot on mind. Obviously, nothing was done about it.
- I have trouble falling asleep at night. And I'm always sleepy and tired during daytime.

What are the chances that I do have ADD? Will it be worth the trouble finding and consulting a therapist?

I took 3 of your quizzes on this site :-
1. Depression Quiz - 75 (Severe depression)
2. Anxiety Screen - 49 (Severe anxiety)
3. Adult ADD Screen - 73 (Adult ADD or ADHD)

Even if I do have depression and anxiety disorder, it is because of my academic problems.

Looking forward to your replies.
Thank you.

[SecretGarden]

Hi Nosebleed... First of all I am not an expert but I am willing to provide you feedback that I might think could help you. I work in a hospital where kids come for many reasons including ADHD and learning disabilities. I am involved in meetings that include test results of kids that are tested for learning concerns and ADHD. I will not diagnose you as I am not qualified by any means.

First I would like to ask you if you like your major and if it is somehthing you enjoy or something that you really wish to do. Did you choose your major or did your parents or.... ? You are also in year 2 possibly taking more general classes that are just required and might not hold alot of interest for you. Holding your interest is important...or being interested in what you are studying is important but sometimes you just need to make it through these classes til you find what you would enjoy....namely your major, what you wish to do when you get out of school.

Some of what I say here may seem relavent to you and some not so please just ignore what might not appeal to you. I will make comments through your post but I do not know how to do the fancy quote stuff that people here do... have not learned it yet. Also I hope that others might be able to assist you that are more knowledgeable.

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Nosebleed said:
I'm sorry if this is too long. I really felt that I needed to explain things in detail. I'd appreciate if you could read and reply.
Also, I posted this on the 'Ask a therapist' section. Just thought I'd mention.

I'm a 21 year guy from India (yes, the third world country in Asia). I cannot go to a therapist or a doctor because problems like ADD are not taken very seriously in my country. People here believe that neurological/emotional/psychological disorders are things that the westerners came up with because they have too much money and time on their hands. People who think they are suffering from some kind of a disorder are thought of as people who are seeking excuses to justify their failure(s). Which is why I desperately need help from people on this site.

In my country, being academically poor is tantamount to being a criminal. And I'm not exaggerating. I'm a 2nd year college student. I'm studying Information Technology Engineering and I'm really struggling.

***Do you wish to study this or major in this? Answered above.

I've had a lot of problem with academics since I was in 6th grade. Unlike other academically bad people, I don't go out, party, smoke, drink etc etc. I try to study all day but its just too hard for me to actually concentrate. Especially on subjects that do not interest me. I have very little efficiency. I need like an entire day to study what others might get done in 3 or 4 hours. And its not because I can't comprehend the subject. Its because I get distracted too easily and end up wasting all my time. And because I can't pay attention to what is being taught in class. I've taken many IQ tests to see if I have low IQ or something, but it seems that my IQ is just as good as my other friends who are doing good well in college.

****I am glad that you have taken IQ tests and that you have found that you have a good IQ or capability. You might have a similar IQ to your peers but we all learn a bit differently. When you got your IQ tested did they just give you your IQ or did they give you any input about what kind of a learner you are or what might help you learn?

I do not know India ...as you said things are different there but ... in the education department there there could be people that might be willing to test you more than your IQ but how to best learn and how to optimize your success and if a doc or nurse practitioner involved might tell you that you are or are not ADHD.

I hope that when you study that you let yourself have breaks to do things that you enjoy. Sometimes people do need breaks to let off steam and be able to refocus.

Also, in the United States public schools will give accommodations in the classroom to help facilitate your learning experience. This can also be available at particular Universities here. If we can organise your day or things within your environment to assist with your ability to learn than your experience will be better all around.

I've typed some of the symptoms that I have, that I think might have something to do with ADD :-
- I'm barely able to meet deadlines (for submission of assignments)

****would it assist you to have more time for assignments or for test taking?

- I'm extremely careless. Have always been careless. If someone tells me, in the morning, to do something later on in the afternoon or in the evening, you can pretty much rest assured I won't remember to do it (unless I set a reminder on my cell phone).

***I also write myself notes on email with a timer to remind me or put timers on particular emails that I need to attend to. I also write myself alot of notes. I think I am LD. I have tried ritalin but that did not work for me.... so I find my own ways to accommodate myself. Sometimes that means .... well I often wear headphones at work with tunes that I like that will block out other noise and allow me to focus on what I need to do. I work later sometimes by an hour or so that allows me to do things without interruptions.... Find what works for you.

I set my timer on my TV to go off when I need to leave the house to get to where I am going. Someone suggested that I use an alarm clock. What a deal!!

- Sometimes when people are talking to me, I find myself drifting away from the conversation and start thinking about something completely different. But I keep nodding my head and I keep saying "oh", "uh huh", "yes", "I see", etc etc... so the other person thinks that I'm actually listening to them. But I don't do it on purpose. It just happens.

***Can you use a rubberband to snap on your wrist to keep you focused?

- Sometimes when someone ask me something, I'll reply 'yes' or 'no' without actually realizing what I'm saying or what the other person has asked. Its almost like a reflex.
For example - if my mother asks me - "Do you want coffee?"
I'll say "Yes" without even realizing what she has asked me. Off course this happens mostly when I'm busy doing something else.

***Multitasking is often difficult. Sometimes you can stop yourself to see what is all in front of you. Who wants what.... What are my priorities and how do I get these things done?

- Sitting in a class has always been extremely difficult for me.
Whenever I'm in class, I keep looking at my watch and I basically can't wait for the period to get over so I can just run out of the class. Because of this, I skip a lot of classes and often lose marks because of lack of attendance.

***Can you record lectures? I think that I used to write write write when I was in class ... I had difficulty following everything and my way of taking it in was to write everything down. Today...folks might type on their lap top.

I do not know... that is how I survived. I also had perfect attendance but that is how I learned ... that is not necessarily how you will learn.

- If I do manage to attend a lecture, paying attention to what the teacher is saying is just impossible for me. Whereas the other students don't find it difficult at all. I mostly start day dreaming when I'm sitting in class.

See above... that helps to avoid the day dreaming...I think??

- During practical sessions, our professors teach/demonstrate to us a particular assignment/experiment in groups of 10-15 students. When all the others are carefully paying attention to what the professor is saying or doing, I find myself getting restless and paying attention is not only difficult, but almost impossible. This happens more when we(the students) are standing in laboratory instead of sitting in a classroom.

And this is how it was in elementary school and high school too.
- I daydream a lot. A LOT! I just can't help it. I'm known as "the guy who's always on another planet".
- if I sit down to study something, I'll do it for like 10 minutes and then I'll have urges to get up, walk around, watch some TV etc etc...

****So get up and walk around and get it out and get back to work.

- I make extremely careless mistake in subjects like mathematics. If I'm solving a calculus problem, I'll do it all correctly till the last few steps, which are actually supposed to be the easiest. I'll end up making an extremely careless mistake. You cannot even imagine how many times I've been shouted at by both, teachers and my dad because of this (my dad is an engineer. so he taught me science and math in high school).

****Have a process for your exam...before you turn it in... double check it all. Also sometimes it helps to devide the exam so it is not so overwhelming to look at all of it at one time.

- I have trouble being punctual too. I'm always running 10-15 minutes late.

***Alarm... when you need to leave the house... Also... set your clock/watch ahead 15-20 minutes.

- In school, some teachers would tell me that I'm not living up to my potential.
- In 10th grade, a couple of teachers told my parents that they thought "something is not quite right with your child". They thought that I was suffering from depression and that it seemed to them like I always have a lot on mind. Obviously, nothing was done about it.

****I think that you put alot of pressure on yourself and others around you, particularly your parents. I am sure you wish to make your parents, particularly your father proud. That is alot of pressure. I hope that you might get your parents on the same page as you in terms of knowing that your efforts are honorable and that you can succeed with the appropriate tools and coping skills.

- I have trouble falling asleep at night. And I'm always sleepy and tired during daytime.

***Difficulties with falling asleep are normal with anxiety and with depression that often has anxiety attached.

What are the chances that I do have ADD? Will it be worth the trouble finding and consulting a therapist?

I took 3 of your quizzes on this site :-
1. Depression Quiz - 75 (Severe depression)
2. Anxiety Screen - 49 (Severe anxiety)
3. Adult ADD Screen - 73 (Adult ADD or ADHD)

Even if I do have depression and anxiety disorder, it is because of my academic problems.

Looking forward to your replies.
Thank you.

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I think it is worthy of your time to find someone to talk to about this where you are. You may have several elements that are at play here and meds might assist. Meds and working with yourself and perhaps a professional to find what helps you.... I also really do think that you could see if the education or psychology departments within your University might be able to assist you with suggestions specifically for you based on a variety of tests... beyond an IQ test.

Best wishes... and I hope this helps.

I will check in ... if you have other questions I will do my best to answer but again... my experience is primarily by my own experience and by what I have seen via my employment.

Please know that you can be helped.

[SecretGarden]

Also, I bet you can get lots of info from other posts here.

[Nosebleed]

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SecretGarden said:
Also, I bet you can get lots of info from other posts here.

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Thanks

[SecretGarden]

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Nosebleed said:
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SecretGarden said:
Also, I bet you can get lots of info from other posts here.

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Thanks

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I hope I might have been helpful. Take care.

I recognize 90% of those symptoms as add.
Unfortunately, I don't think it' s possible to alleviate them without meds. I'd put all my energy into finding a p-doc who will prescribe standard stimulant meds, take them for a while and learn the new reponses they allow you to have, go off them, try to cope, then go back on them periodically.
I don't know of any other solution, but I know the results are worth it.

[Zeemee]

Dear Nosebleed,
Because of where you live, your unique circumstances, etc...have you looked in or tried the herbal or vitamin approach? I have NOT tried this but I am seriously looking into this. The internet has some really helpful information. One that seems to be universally accepted for ADHD is L-Carnitine (amino acid found in dairy and red meat) and there are many herbal formulas. Perhaps something like this might be available where you live? Maybe one of these vitamins or herbal remedies might help YOU. Worth a try. I will hold good thoughts for you...let us know how you are doing.