[Nadine_1988]

Hello everyone, I joined this website so that I could write into the "Ask a Therapist" column, but as you know theres no guarantee that my letter will be taken so I thought Id post my wonderings here as well.

I am 25 years old, female, and wondering if I may have some kind of slight learning disability. I was diagnosed with ADD as a child, but each doctor Iv seen since then has had their own ideas about ADD. Some say you grow out of it, some say you don't, some say its all silly sensationalism and I probably never had it. So Im not really sure what the status is with me on ADD, but it is something I was diagnosed with and took meds for when I was young (I was on Ritalin, I recall.)

I struggled all through highschool, squeeking by with the bare minimum to pass. This wasn't because I couldn't comprehend the material, but because I never bothered to do the homework.
I always just figured it was because I had a very lazy personality, but in light of recent experiances, Im wondering if there was something more at play.

I recently started wondering about myself because of a Dungeons and Dragons game my husband and I play with friends every week. D&D can be a kind of complicated game, and it involves a lot of calculating and charts, and upgrading your character involves adding and tallying a lot of stats. It can be complicated for new players to learn, but I have been playing for about 4 years now. And yet, while all the other players in the group have taken to the mechanics of the game like second nature (and a lot of them have been playing the game for far less time), I still require careful explanation as though I were still a newbie.
I have noticed my mind wandering and "shutting off" much like it did in highschool, when confronted with anything remotely complicated. In theory, I understand all of the information. But trying to sit down and actually make the calculations causes me to tune out.
Kind of like when you stare at something long enough and your eyes go crosseyed? Except with my mind? Its hard to explain.

In more practical life, I find it incredibly difficult to do basic adult things. My husband wants to move to a bigger apartment, which seems like a normal thing that adults do. But the thought of apartment hunting makes me so anxious and nervous that I go "deer in the headlights" and don't do anything. Then he gets mad that I haven't done anything all day. This is one example, I am equally bad at navigating social situations (I don't do parties) or even professional ones. Its always been difficult for me to get jobs, because job hunting seems insurmountable and interviews? almost impossible.

Its not that Im stupid, I know Im not. Every teacher I had through highschool told my parents "She is incredibly bright, but she just wont do the work". But theres some kind of a motivational blockage that I find really hard to get past.

I think knowing if I had some kind of learning disability would be extremely helpful, but I have no idea how to go about looking or researching.
So that's why Im here.

Hope someone can shed some light. Thanks!

[kaliope]

hi Nadine
it certainly sounds like add could be the culprit. try posting in the add forum and see what others have to say. it would be helpful to get a good evaluation from a mental health professional to help sort out your issues. welcome to psych central. you will find that we have several forums where you can post about your concerns and receive feedback from other members. you will get a lot of support here. again, welcome.