A.A.D.D stands for= Adult Attention Deficit Disorder. For those that aren’t familiar with what this is, Its a neurobiological condition characterized by developmentally inappropriate level of attention, concentration, activity, distractability, and impulsitivity. In simpler terms , its like when you are trying to concentrate on a certain task, and your mind keeps jumping from thought to thought as if it were a Television screen that keeps jumping from station to station completely on its own, and you have no control over it. Some very good signs of its presence is:
trouble with paying close attention to detail when doing things
Being impatient and wanting to rush through everything very fast
Having trouble reading long novels and actually comprehending what you are reading. (like you read a few paragraphs, then your mind starts to wander and you have to go back and re-read them over gain “maybe two or three times” before you actually comprehend everything you’ve just read).
being very talkative (without realizing it), and have trouble listening to others for long periods without losing interest in what they are saying
*Have difficulty organizing tasks
Are easily distracted
Have trouble remembering lengthy step-by-step instructions and have a very short attention span.
There are many other symptoms, but those listed above were just a few.
I took an online test for this and the results were not as favorable as I would have liked them to be. I think I am going to go see my Doctor for further advice and analysis before I go any further with it though. Is anyone else here familiar with A.D.D. or believe that you may be suffering from this?
Mainly other experiences. I’m wondering (just out of sheer curiosity) if I address these issues, will it help me to think faster, raise my level of comprehension, and in general make me a better person.
I’ve been diagnosed with regular ADD, and it is indeed a pain in the bloody ass (Sorry about profanity outside the Pit, but it’s how I feel). Unless those symptoms are really bothering you, I wouldn’t advise immediate action, but don’t use that as an excuse to say, “Well, it’s not really all that much of a problem, so I guess I don’t need to…” Better to go in for the tests and not need them than vice versa.
starguard - I am adult with ADD and if you don’t know from lurking around here, I am also professor of psychology at a lib arts school in New England. Got pointed Q’s Fire away.
There are hundreds of thousands of adults with attention deficit disorder. For some good reading look here and here .
The second site has a plethora of knowledge on management and medication for adults with attention deficit. If you are anxious about talking about it don’t be. It is not something to be ashamed of having. I am very open about it, because I advocate for people who have it and are unsure of what to do about it. There are medications that can help, and all natural ways to control it, but mainly, behavior modification is used to treat it in conjunction with a medication, but I have seen medicated, and non-medicated approaches work wonderfully. I use both and am in complete control.
My husband was diagnosed with ADD when he was 17. Prior to going on medication, he didn’t do well in school (Ds and Fs), and after he went on it, he was getting mostly Bs. He continued to take medication through college, but went off of it after he graduated. That’s been probably six or seven years ago now. I think he still basically has ADD, but he’s able to deal with it better. It’s easier in a work setting, I think, because he can get up and move around when he needs to (not having to sit and listen to a teacher for hours). He also works in sales, so he’s constantly bouncing from customer to customer, which keeps him occupied (a big must). He does drive me nuts at home sometimes. He can’t talk on the phone without pacing the house … it takes him hours to do one small job … basically he just gets really hyperactive and is easily distracted. I really can’t handle the man when he drinks coffee. All in all, he deals with it really well and I’m proud of him when I look back at where he started and how he’s built a successful life for himself. I worry now that so many children (and now adults) are being put on medication for ADD, rather than being taught to deal with it in other ways. I know that’s not possible in all cases, but I know for a fact that it is in some.
I would beg to differ. This is like saying that a diabetic who doesn’t need insulin because he controls his disease with diet, that he’s not really diabetic! IOW, many AADD’s (my husband is one) get along “just fine” because they have learned coping skills. I had a lengthy conversation with a psychiatrist once about my husband’s ADD. He (the psychiatrist) asked me a series of questions (after ascertaining that hubby is, indeed, ADD). The questions were along the lines of: does he maintain long-term friendships? Does he hold a job? Does he maintain the marriage well? The answers were all yes, so the psychiatrist said, “well, he doesn’t need medication, because he’s obviously found his own coping mechanisms”.
My 13-year-old daughter has ADD as well. Now that she’s home-schooled, she doesn’t need medication, because she can use non-medication forms of coping. She can play with some play-doh while she does her school work, or fiddle with something else. This helps her concentrate. Same with her father. When he needs to focus, he rocks back and forth or paces.
Many people with disorders of many kinds “get along just fine”.
Another ADDer checking in. There have been several threads here in the past on the subject, some of which generated some really interesting discussions, others which rapidly degenerated into arguments over whether or not ADD was a “real” disorder. As I am now a “guest” here, I can’t search anything out for you, but I will post my standard ADD disclaimer:
The key words in the phrase “attention deficit disorder” are not “attention deficit” but rather “attention disorder.” Many people who have ADD go undiagnosed because they don’t fit the stereotypical description of being hyper and/or unable to focus - for example, I can focus quite exclusively on one thing for a great length of time… but while I am doing that, I am completely incapable of responding to all but the most insistent outside stimuli. In other words, I’ve been so completely absorbed in something once or twice that I’ve very nearly wet my pants, because I was oblivious to the “gotta go potty now!” message my brain was trying to transmit.
I was on Ritalin for a number of years, and it helped immensely. However, there were some less than pleasant side effects for me, including loss of appetite (and I started out underweight). I was in therapy for several years, to unlearn some behavior patterns I’d unconsciously adopted as coping strategies, and to learn some new, more effective ways of coping. I’m off the meds now, and still struggle with the ADD, but not nearly as much as I did pre-therapy. From my own personal perspective, I think meds without therapy is only half a treatment.
My best description of living with ADD is this one - you know how when you’re working someplace that has music in the background? Most people can eventually tune out the music to the point where they only rarely notice it, if ever. I can’t do that, nor can many other people with ADD I’ve spoken to. With ADD, it’s almost like all stimulus is equal stimulus.
Hah! I got you beat! Yesterday I had 14 IE windows open! Today, it’s only 8 IE windows, but I’ve also got one doc in Excel, two docs in Word, and Notepad open all at the same time!! And you only wish you were as ADD as I!
Actually, my son was diagnosed when he was six. I was told there is a fair number of people who believe it was genetic and when everyone looked around, they were staring at me. Yup, I went through the exact same things my son has been going through at school. (For example, every year, every teacher told my parents, “Cinnamon is so bright. If only she would apply herself.”) My son was so pleasantly surprised that we both read several books at a time, jumping from one to another and back before completing any of them.
Organization has always been a tremendous struggle for me and boredom is my downfall. My focus in all things, even those that interest me, is incredibly short-lived. How I ever manage to accomplish anything is an amazing feat in and of itself. My SO’s biggest pet peeve is that I never let him finish a sentence and hence, many of our conversations disintegrate into arguments, with him frustrated that the discussion is usually only one-sided (mine). I know this, I hate it, and I can’t help it! I keep telling him that if I don’t get out of my head what I need to say immediately, I can’t concentrate on it long enough to come back to whatever it was by the time he finishes what he’s saying. (dang…long-ass sentence, that was!)
At work, I’m a whirlwind of activity. I see people who can accomplish so much without looking like it took much effort. But no matter how easy the task or how not busy I am, I always look like I’m running around like a headless chicken and worried that I’ll forget something.
I’ve never been diagnosed myself, but both my husband and I are relatively sure it’s there. I’ve tried real hard with behavior modification techniques, and while they seem to work for a short time, nothing has stuck. After trying Franklin Covey, a PDA, listmaking (I love to make lists, but rarely ever benefit from them), prioritizing, trying to calm down and focus when I’m feeling overwhelmed, and all other manner of coping techniques, I don’t think I’m much better for it. Maybe more informed but not necessarily more effective.
I’ve seen my son go through so many different medications, some good, some bad, and I’ve just been trying to avoid getting medicated since I’m not in school and my future is not at stake. (I’ve already screwed that up long ago.) SO wants me to get tested, but I fear if I do, I’ll be forced to medicate and I’m personally not into that. Sheesh, I’ll never remember to take the drug everyday anyway!
This may not help at all, but if it’s worth exploring to you, then by all means do so. There is soooo much info out there and many different methods of treating (diet, behavior mod, medication, etc.). One thing for sure is, what works for one ADD sufferer may not work for another. I’ve met many parents who think that since their friend’s kid responded wonderfully on Ritalin, it should work for own kid. That’s not always the case. I think the same probably applies to adults as well. My advice is to take advice on this matter with a grain of salt. YMMV. Explore for yourself. It’s a process of trial and error. Eventually, I hope, you find something that helps you get on with your life in a more functional manner.
I think I am going to go see my Doctor for further advice and analysis before I go any further with it though. Is anyone else here familiar with A.D.D. or believe that you may be suffering from this?
