Do I have ADD?

Botznoy

I've been throwing around in my head after several animators on YouTube talked about their ADD, as well as a forumer posting about it that matches my own experiences and troubles that I too may have had it since I was a small child but just never got it diagnosed or thought about because parents.

But I decided to do research on it looking at occurrence of ADD in adults and how its carried through from childhood. Looking at symptoms that several websites have listed and I feel I fit the bill quite exactly

But my brain is trying to rationalise with me that its not ADD and I'm just a lazy goose and that if I just applied myself I'd be doing much better but I have trouble applying myself and its always hampered my academics.

I additionally looked at how it manifests in kids and thought it lined up with my recollection of the troubles I had as a kid. But that might be a skewed remembrance.

If its ADD then you t explains the huge troubles I've had with school. My report cards for the entire time were just could be better if he applied himself and because for so long I thought I was just lazy and that if I applied myself harder it would make it better but I just couldn't do it so it reinforced in my mind that I'm lazy and makes me insecure and its a spiral down

So as it stands I feel like I have add. Or I dont.

Who do I talk to about this. Do I go through my universities mental health services or find a psychiatrist and book up an appointment or are there specialists in ADD I should consult

ceres

Start with your University. They can point you in the right direction if nothing else.

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

resist the urge to self-diagnose; neither you nor anybody on the internet can tell you whether you have ADD (or any other/similar disorder)

go through your university's services, since they'll be more familiar with situations like yours and probably be cheaper.

don't go in with the attitude that you're trying to find out whether you have any specific condition; any response you get by being so specific is likely to be frustrating, and at worst a bad doc may just tell you what you want to hear. Describe your acute problems (issues focusing in classes, getting work done in a timely manner, whatever) and go from there

Botznoy

Thank you I'll definitely keep that in mind.

In that case should I go on describing the problems I am having which is concentrating in class losing track of assignments especially weekly quizzes and describe the history I have with similar things

DoctorArch

Agreed. Get thee to your university's counseling services as they can 1) point you in the right direction and 2) probably have psychologists on staff who can properly administer ADD/ADHD testing for diagnosis purposes.

AspectVoid

I was diagnosed with ADD 20 years ago. What I can tell you is that 90% of dealing with it as an adult is your own mental fortitude. You need to make the right decisions and then be mature enough to follow through on it, even when you don't want to. Medication isn't going to help you when it comes to applying yourself to any kind of work or studies.

What proper medication for ADD does is slows you down a bit. It makes it a bit easier to concentrate on a single subject, but the fact is that you still need to make the mature decision to apply yourself to that subject even when there are other, more fun things to do. Its not going to make the work you are doing more enjoyable or give you the drive to work on it. That's all on you.

I took medication for it starting in 6th grade. The subjects I disliked (Math and Lit mostly) I still struggled with and got Cs, Ds, and the occasional F in those classes, because I was not mature enough to make the decision to do the work and apply myself to them. I stopped taking medication after I graduated High School, and graduated College with honors and have been a solid, working professional for the last 9 years.

You may have ADD (though you really need to see a professional, ADD is one of the hardest things to properly diagnose) but in the end, knowing that isn't going to help you unless you make up your mind to help yourself first. I would suggest that you see if your college has a tutor program that you could get help from. Even if its just getting someone who will be willing to sit there with you for a couple hours twice a week to make sure you stay on task and do your work, that would be taking matters into your own hands and start you on the process for improving your fortitude when it comes to getting your work done.