[cjb13]

I have never really done anything like this before, in terms of "seeking" out advice or help in situations. I have always been a more independent person and tried never really to rely on anyone but myself, but over the last couple of years I have had serious trouble in a lot of areas that seem wrapped around ADD.
My brother has ADHD and as well does my aunt, so it seems like it is in my family. As a kid I was usually highly energetic and as an adult, it has translated to an "always on the go" attitude. In high school, I did not have trouble wiht work, only in certain areas where i found I could not really focus and my mind wandered, so i got by with the usual B's and C's. But when i got to college, things began to change. I became extremely uncomfortable in public situations where I did not feel comfortable (to the point that I would get nausea in my stomach, and hot flashes, which I would have to leave). Also, my focus had become almost completely absent and I could not pay attention to to things I had no interest in. My mind wandered frequently and little things around me were easily diverting my attention.
These things still persist today and are seemingly starting to affect my everyday life, be it work or pleasure. I find myself being completely silent in public situations, even when my best of friends are with me. I dont get involved in conversations and when I want to, i can never gather up a thought to include, or get flustered doing so. I still get the feelings of nausea on those situations, and have mood swings during the day that can go from a happy, excited state gradually to a more blah, complacent state.
The worst part of this is I am at an age (25) where I want to learn more each day,when it comes to my job or outside issues (news, reading books, etc). The major problem I am having is that I can read an entire chapter of a book, be totally encompassed in it while I am reading each word, and then when i am done, I couldnt even provide a summary of what I just read. It is as if I am reading the words on the page, but not "understanding" what they mean and the concept being conveyed. It is beginning to seriously affect my everyday life.
Could anyone out there possibly tell me if this would translate into something to the effect of ADD or, do I just have concentration issues? I would appreciate anybody's comments. Thank you all for listening....

[Rapunzel]

In order to rule it out or get a diagnosis, you would have to talk to a professional. If you click on "quizzes" up above, you will find a screening tool for ADD. Maybe that will be useful to you. I think that any time you are concerned about any symptoms you have, or they are causing difficulty in your life and ability to do the things you want to do, it is a good idea to talk to someone about it. Besides the concentration difficulties, you are also describing some perfomance related anxiety, so you might want to look into things like Social Anxiety as well as ADD. A lot of people meet the criteria for things like this but are able to function in life well enough that they are not aware of having any kind of disorder. Maybe their natural coping skills are good enough that they don't really need treatment. It sounds like you have done ok with your life so far, but maybe medication and/or training in social skills and stragegies for better concentration (which are included in therapy - individual or group), could help you to get more out of life.

<font color=orange>"Never forget: 2 + 2 = 5 for extremely large values of 2."</font color=orange>

[gloria]

Hi! I was diagnosed ADD/ADHD when I was little. My mother refused to put me on meds and found a creative way to make me feel special and smart (I will always love my mother for that).
Some of the things that helped me learn a little better were:

1- When ever I read, I did it out loud, in that way I didn't only see the words I was reading but I was also listening to them. I also kept my finger touching the words as I read them ( feel, see and hear at the same time, it's called multi sensorial learning)

Using colorful markers and highlighters to add visuals to my notes in my notebooks and anything I had to study also helped.

Have you taken a test to determine if you are a visual, auditorial or tactile learner? That may help you too ....

THIS IS MY FEELING REGARDING ADD OR ADD/ADHD: It is not a learning disability, it is a learning difference. We can be as succesful as anybody else, if not more ....

peace

gab