I need Help

I am not sure where to start so I will just type what is on my mind and hope that someone will read it and have some words of advice.
When I was a teenager, I was diagnosed with both dyslexia and ADD. As you might have imagined school was very hard for me. I took Ritalin for the ADD; I think it also helped with the dyslexia. I went off the Ritalin my junior year. My grades went down but I still passed. I went off the medicine just to see how I could function without it. Everything seemed fine so I stayed of it.
After high school, I joined the army. I did all right in the army, just good enough to get by. The reason for that was that when it came to the classroom stuff, memorizing things, I just could not do it. Regardless of the troubles I did have, my time in the army was very good for me. It mainly helped me become more social. I do not know why but in high school, I had no social skills. I left the army about a year and half ago to pursue a college education.
Since I left, everything was going fine, the only problem was getting a job, and I am still having this problem. Then about 6 months ago, I started failing my classes. It was as if I was in high school again. I had no drive to study or pay attention in class if the topic did not interest me. Do not get me wrong, I did try. I tried to study but I could not concentrate. Even when I thought I had studied well, I failed. Its now to the point where I am afraid to study do to the fact that I think It may be worthless. Even worse, socially I can hardly function. I have always been nervous about meeting new people. Now I am literally having a panic attack if I ever have to meet anyone new.
I have other problems too that I do not feel like going into right now. I know there is medicines out there that could help me through this. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

luke, hi and welcome! i'm so sorry that things have declined so drastically.

i would think that you need to see a dr asap to see what might be going on physically as well as a counselor. do they have them at the college that you're at? if not, seek one out privately. the both combined could change your world for the better.

i wish you so well. keep us updated, ok?

kd

Hi Luke,

I'm still new here too, but I think it's a great forum (the people are great) I have ADHD, and I could spend hours in the library in college, and read the same sentence over and over. I really couldn't get any studying done until there was such a huge time constraint that I got things done with the looming pressure that it was due the next day. I pulled all-nighters all the time. I was never diagnosed until late in life. I went on Wellbutrin, which is used for both depression and ADHD. I didn't feel any different, but a lot of my behaviors changed considerably. I would say that being on the right medication is not a crutch, but it balances out a chemical imbalance in the brain. The right med(s) won't miraculously change poor study habits, but it can give you the ability to change them. I have the ability to focus on more "boring" things if I need to, whereas before, it would simply be impossible for me.

Can you make an appointment with a Psychiatrist and discuss meds? The goal is to be on the minimal amount you need; but meds can give your brain enough neurotransmitters to have more normal ability to focus, among other issues.

Good luck

Hi Luke & welcome,

This is a great place to get ideas that might give you some direction in where to get help besides the support while you are going through it.

I guess I would start off with both a GP like Dr & a psychiatrist. There may be something physically that is going on with you...which may be causing some mental issues. It is good to have the opinion from both types of Dr's. Psychiatrists are actually MD's that have specialized in the mental aspect of ourselves.

Mavrick said it so well. Meds can give our minds the ability to calm down and allow us to get back into control of ourselves & even if our study habits may not be good, twe can work to improve them when we give our mind a chance. I didn't have those problems & gotta admit...it took a lot of work to get through all those classes I really wasn't interested in but had to have. It paid off though & the sense of accomplishment is amazing when you look back at it.

I understand the desire to not want to be on meds. Believe me.....I have been able to be off most of the meds they tried on me......but have come to the point where I am using the minimum meds that allow me to function again. It changes over time to & it is important to adapt to our needs.

I must admit that a therapist or psychologist is great to have on your side too. It gives you the ability to have someone you can talk freely to about whatever you need to talk about. That is great along with the other Dr's that can determine what is actually going on with you physically.

Hope you can find an answer to help you through this rough time. It seemed like to me, there was a lot of internal drive that was necessary to get through college...to push ourselves to do well in courses we aren't really interested in.....knowing that we have a goal & try to focus on what we really want to achieve......it is worth is....really.

keep us updated & hopefully the support here will help too,

Debbie

Hi Luke,

Welcome to pc!!! You'll meet a lot of nice people here who will help you in any way they can.

Please make an appt with a psychiatrist as soon as possible. You need to be on your meds when classes start in the fall semester.

You've received some excellent advice from Maverick and the others and I can't add much to it, but I wish you the very best.

Cheers,

January

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Haven't got any advice for you. But it will get better... keep on trying. We are here for you!

Hi, Luke! I just wanted to welcome you here! I'm new still, but this is a great place with wonderful people that will help you as much as they can! I agree with everyone else about the matter at hand. You need to see a doctor ASAP.

Welcome to Psychcentral! Taking meds to be able to function is a "normal" thing nowdays.. don't let that hold you back. Get in touch also with your course counselor at college. They can make accomodations for you in your classes, where no one else will know, but that will allow you to take the time you need to learn and test and all.