[JustDontAsk]

A little background about me and school...I have always found it easy. It is something that comes to be naturally. I am a 4.0 student, I got a 31 ACT composite score...I am a senior this year. School just started on the 21st of August...And my struggles are worse compared to last year...

So let's rewind to last year...I was taking a full load because I was okay at the beginning. Chemistry, CIM (an engineering class), Pre-Calc/Trig, Intro to Calc, Composition, Literature, Speech, Spanish 3...etc, etc, etc...Around December, I started to notice I wasn't right...I went in to see the school counselor...And we started talking then. But soon after, the school troubles started...I struggle to focus and to remember things. And it is still the same this year, just with added issues.

But now let's move forward to this year where I am having issues already. I've only really received homework in 2 classes, but I either do one of two things. I either get overwhelmed at the amount of things I have to do and freak out, even if it isn't a lot, or I start something and want to go to another subject 15 minutes later. I don't know how to control it. And I really struggle to just sit down and DO SOMETHING! And it's so frustrating.

I know I am a good student, I know I'm smart...I just feel so shot down by something. I don't even know what it is. I don't have a dx, I just started T last month...But it is hard for me to understand why I can't just concentrate...

I'm not doing homework right now when I should be. Eventually I will calm down and just do it. Maybe. I just know I can't do this when I start getting homework in all my classes. And my college composition class starts on September 5th.

Help? Anyone? I don't know what to do anymore...

Any advice, encouragement, etc, is greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much.

JDA

[Miswimmy1]

It sounds like maybe the overwhelmingness could be anxiety. That is something to talk about with your t. Also could it be that u may have symtoms of mild ADD? A lot of folks who are smart can get along just fine until high school, or even college, when they realize they are getting overwhelmed and feel as tho they have hit a wall. That could be a reaason u are having trouble focusing. Because by what u mentioned about grasses and such, it is not that u are unintelligent... And that makes me wonder about an undiagnosed case of ADD or an undiagnosed learning disability.

[Travelinglady]

Misswimmy has some good ideas. I definitely suggest you talk to your T about it all. You definitely sound VERY bright! However, that said, you might want to cut down on your load a bit. College can definitely be overwhelming and none of us needs the extra stress of too much pressure.

[JustDontAsk]

I'm still in high school, and I am taking a much easier course load this year.

Thank you both for the replies!

JDA

[hoping_for_a_cure]

i know you're overwhelmed with anxiety, and i know you hate meds. However if a med like ativan for anxiety can help you why not try it? Just a suggestion. Something to think about to make your life easier, at least for the school year. Until you learn coping skills.

HUGS

hoping.

I am familiar with a lot of what you seem to be experiencing. I was not diagnosed with ADD until I was 43 years old. I got to a point in my life where I had a bunch of things hit me all at once and I became so over-whelmed and began to have anxiety attacks which finally sent me to my GP. The doc had me take a couple of the quick psych tests and he said I scored a little high on the BP quiz. My GP recommended a psych who quickly told me I was not BP, but ADD. I was surprised by the DX, although I used to always joke about being ADD because of my terrible short term memory, forgetfulness, procrastination and so on. My GP had put me on anti-depressants which helped a little at first, but really made me feel flat, not sad, not happy, just blah... I knew I had ADD after I read the first book (I read it in a weekend) It was the first book I had read all the way through in 10 years... The Adderall was a home run for me. I slept better, better mood, better concentration, my obsession with food ended, impulsive behaviors improved, time management improved, I was much better at work, home, everywhere...

Talk to your T about what you suspect and see what he/she thinks. Read "You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy" or "Delivered From Distraction". I read the first book with a highlighter, because so many things seemed to be right out of my head. Ask your T is they are knowledgable about ADD, because it is MUCH harder to DX in girls. One of the classic ADD (Non-Hyper) profiles is a girls who was always a straight "A" student, but had to work so hard, stay up late, but Driven to do so. (My sister was this way) Of course your psychiatrist will have to DX you. Many ADD symptoms are similar with other disorders, like BP. Other disorders can be present, comorbid with ADD, like anxiety, depression, ODD, OCD and others.

JDA... I hope you get some answers soon

[Tiger_Lily]

AS frustrating as doing homework 15min at a time is, you are able to do it. Perhaps, right now, it's an okay method.

[Oxidopamine]

I have 3 questions that may come to help you out a lot. First, do you understand the content taught during each class and/or after each class? Second, when you go to look at the homework, do you feel overwhelmed because you don't know how to approach the problems and find homework in the other subject areas to be easier? Last, if you look into another subject area, do you find it more interesting and captivating than the ones you're currently studying?

If these behaviours are a drastic change from how you normally are, then there definitely is something at play, likely an anxiety disorder or problem. Perhaps you could control your ADHD without medications very well and the anxiety inhibits it, so your ADHD is revealed, which makes you question why it came about (this questioning would increase your anxiety) and it goes around in a circle. The other possibility is you don't have ADHD but there is an anxiety issue or a full-blown anxiety disorder. With either possibility, it's clear your coping skills aren't sufficient and it may be related to your studying methods.

[Bark]

You kind of remind me of myself. Around high school, I started having problems with studying, writing essays, and so on. Grade 12 was pretty bad for me. For history class, I barely touched my textbook, was late or absent a bunch of times, didn't get assignments done sometimes... and my final grade was in the 80s. When I think about that year, all I can think of is how lucky I was. I was really out of it, especially towards the end.

If you've just started feeling this way, that's good, you can nip it in the bud. The longer you have problems, the worse it tends to get. I still have those problems three years later, and it's not getting better. I'm planning to start medication in the hope that it will help. I really don't want to, but I'm starting to feel I don't have a choice. If I didn't naturally pick up things, I would have failed quite a few courses by now.

Also, did this start after you started therapy? It could be things you used to have under control and/or didn't think about are being brought up, and that's giving you some anxiety.

I'm sorry if this comes across as depressing or demoralizing, but I sincerely wish you the best, and just don't want you to fall into the trap I have.

[JustDontAsk]

To answer Oxidopamine's questions...I understand what is being taught, and I know how to do it, I just don't know where to start...For example, I have a project for a class where I have to decorate a box, put things inside the box, and write a summary for why I chose those things. It isn't a hard assigment, I just don't know where to start...And it doesn't matter what the subject is...Nothing I've had so far is overly difficult. I've had Spanish and this writing class for homework, but sometimes I sit there and try to figure out what to do...or I look at the amount of stuff I have to do (even though it's not a lot really) and get stressed out or overwhelmed...

To answer Bark's question...I've had school issues for around nine months starting with memory issues...This newest part has started after I started therapy, but the other stuff from last year was before T.

Thanks for all the replies.