Unable to concentrate

Hi Sigrid,

I know exactly what you are going through. I have had confirmed ADD (not ADHD) since I was 47 (this is when I noticed that my daughter has the same profile).

There are good non-drug strategies to deal with this. You did the right thing by seeing someone. I would strongly recommend that you undergo the full battery of ADD-specific tests to confirm the diagnosis, after that, there may be options you need to discuss with your health care provider.

You are lucky that you have caught this early, I wish I had, I truly think my life would have been different...

 

I don't think a diagnosis will be an issue in any future career. This is not something you need to divulge. On the other hand, if the ADD is not tamed somehow, I can guarantee that there is a direct correlation with not doing so well at either school or work. I can only tell you that, career-wise, it has helped me considerably. I don't know about where you live, but insurance is not an issue for me.

A proper diagnosis, done by a skilled psychologist is definitely the proper way to go. Yes, it is important to take responsibility and be accountable for getting things done, but it is extremely difficult to do just that when your field of perception is so wide.

Notice I have avoided the terms "condition" or "illness". I happen to think that ADD is a gift in many ways, but man is it hard to concentrate when I need to focus on a task! Alternatively, when something turns me on, I get hyper-focused, which may or may not be a good thing, depending on the circumstances.

 

Wow this is just, exactly how i have it... o.o

I cant for the love of god manage to concentrate. It is easy i am smart and i could have gotten straight As if i wanted to, but i just cant work. I cant concentrate, it doesnt seem to get to me until 21:00 the day before the deadline.

In the end i stopped caring and everything went downhill. I was going to hand in a huge assignment i hadn`t worked on and i had a breakdown the night before becasue i was panicking.

I knew it was a problem, but honestly why would it? Pfft i just had to be lazy cuz who can`t hand in assignments and do stuff, right?

Well i told my parents coz they found me crying and i didnt have to go to schoo, the next day. I went to the doctor and talked and explained, i also went to the school and talked with my teatcher.

After that i could stop doing homework and only had a few tasks for me to focus on. It became so much better. I am going to go to a theraphist soon and talk and figure out stuff. Not shure if they will be able to sort everything out because i have so many issues. Social anxiety, depression and so goes the list.

I am happy people actually listened to me though, even if i have no idea why i cant seem to get anything done.

Today i`ve been working on an oral exam script for tomorrow, but look here i am on EC.
To be fair i`m only taking a break, but i`m not completely done yet.

I`m aslo forgetfull and stuff. I really hope you get an answer, and it sucks that your mom doesnt treat this like a real thing. :/

(sorry for mess, i`m kinda in a hurry ^^; )

 

I felt like this today. I just tried so hard, but still i just couldnt do anything you know? I felt hopeless. I managed to plan everything, but i couldn`t start writing. I just sat there doing nothing for hours making excuses for myself.
When i finally managed to start working i worked a tiny bit, stopped, tiny bit more, and when half of it was done i just kinda had a minor breakdown and i just had no idea how to make this work. I managed to kinda drag myself up though, i ry to do my best, because when the manus and the powerpoint is done it is just so much easier.

 

Ah thank you, i feel like i am going to throw up. My presentation is short, i feel like i have nothing to show, and just The whole situation makes me too nervous. :s

 

A propos...


At 40, Lisa Ling Gets Surprising Diagnosis Of ADD (VIDEO)

 

If it makes you feel any better I think I might have OCD

 

You remind me of myself, at least with the results of your testing. I, too, was told I was advanced, and that was partially why I had behavioral problems.

They were partially right about that, but not in the way they were thinking.

I suppose you could ask to be placed into a more advanced class, if that option is available. Though, if you're like me, you'll still find a reason to "not pay attention" if something 'isn't interesting', or doesn't pertain to your interests. It's probably going to come down to one of three things...

You get medicated, and hope that helps.

You force yourself to pay attention, and pray that helps.

You get a more challenging curriculum, and believe that helps.

 

The first thing to do is try not to worry or let it get you down. Although I don't often like to talk about this much, I used to be plagued by concentration problems when I was younger (and still am to a certain degree). Of course back when I was a kid things like ADD and Autism etc, where not heard off and I had no support.

I found that there are various mental excercises that can help concentration. Like any part of your body, your brain and mind need to be excercises to become better working. For some of us, it takes a lot of efforts but if the will is there, it can be done.

For example, when I was a kid, I always drifted off into daydream and never did my work. All my teachers thought I was really thick and because I couldn't concentrate, I wouldn't amount to much. Now I have 2 degrees in physics and radiography.

So as I said, don't worry about it. There is hope, just try and get the support you can, and if you work hard at it, hopefully you will get what you want. If, you really aren't making progress, then it is worth seeking professional help if it's available.

Hope that helps a little,

Happy days

 

oh wow this is basically the same thing I have! i ace tests and stuff but I can't turn paperwork in for some reason

you could be ADHD/ADD. I suggest you get a professional diagnosis and try a couple of treatment options because maybe that will help you.

 

Many ADDers also score high on intelligence tests, I am way up there for verbal and spatial, but it's such a pain to get anything done, without some help.

 

I would look further into the potential of ADD/ADHD - seek a professional consultation for it, and they will be able to give you a more definitive opinion on the matter, or perhaps a diagnosis.


If you do actually have it, chances are the drugs prescribed will help quite a bit.

 

Start off with something simple and fun. Try a few number and word games. Don't overdo it and try to go for too long. Just 5 mins at first. Also, do a little bit of reading. Just something you find interesting (you are more likely to keep with it that way) and again start with short time intervals. Writing also can help. Perhaps short journal entries each day. This helps your recollection and concentration.

As time goes by, you can try increasing the amount of time you do it for. Take small steps and only increase in small increments. The key is determination and patience. It's all about exercising you mind.

Meditation techniques can also help, although you need proper guidance to do that effectively in my opinion.

I'm not saying this is guaranteed to work as different things work for different people. But I found that by exercising my mind a little but often over time, I slowly began to increase my concentration span.

Hope that helps a little.

Happy days