It must be ADD! It has to be! - ADD / ADHD Message Board

Starter7777 · 10-28-2004, 06:11 PM

I'm convinced I have ADD, I have always had trouble with math, even though I love it! I love eveything about it, and I struggle to understand.
Now the reason I think I have ADD is this.......... I know for a fact 10 will go into 100, 10 times, but sometimes when I'm performing a complex opperatation, it will escape me completely! And may take several seconds to relize this. Other examples, if I try to remember a conversation that me and X had, I'll get so far along and then, it's not that I forget the rest of it, but my brain keeps wanting to repeat from the begining of a conversation.
Or if I try to play a song in my head, I know all the music and words, but when I try to play it continuosly, it braks up an skips from place to place.
The harder I try to think about a concept the harder it is to comprehend! I hate it! I have and above average IQ, but when comes down to calculations, which are the basis for the understanding and decifering of all existance, I'm at a loss because I keep skipping simple operations of that calculation, I just can't focus!
I think I'm going to consult my family doctor, and keep it confidential, I don't want anyone else to misunderstand me. Does all of this sound like ADD? I also have O.C.D., this I know for sure. If I do have ADD, and I do find a medication that helps with my symptoms, would my math abilities improve any? Because my problem is not within the concept of math, but just the quick calculaions I need, which I just can't stay focused to make.

index.html · 10-29-2004, 12:25 PM

Well, it's certainly possible that you have ADD, but none of us could possibly diagnose you from what you've written. I have to say, though, that I'm not convinced. What struck me first was that you sound like you have problems with retrieval. Not so much that you can't concentrate, but that you can't always access the information that you are looking for. Of course, I could be way off base.

Generally, people with ADD *can* concentrate on things they enjoy - like math in your case. The inattention is more of an issue when they have to force themselves to concentrate on things that don't really interest them. ADD kids are notorious for being able to play video games for hours so their parents often say "he can't possibly have ADD, look how long he concentrates on this".

The real tell-tale factor for you would be have you always been this way or did this recently become a problem? ADD, by definition, must have been present before age 7.

This comment makes me think that your OCD is kicking in:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Starter7777

...if I try to remember a conversation that me and X had, I'll get so far along and then, it's not that I forget the rest of it, but my brain keeps wanting to repeat from the begining of a conversation.

Again, I don't profess to be an expert, but you asked for opinions, so I'm offering mine.

fuzzybaffy · 10-29-2004, 06:38 PM

You bring up an interesting subject... are there any disorders related to problems with retrieval? Or is it just a matter of poor memory?

Starter7777 · 10-29-2004, 08:05 PM

You could be correct, I know I have O.C.D. there is no doubt there, and I hope that is just it. Also I forgot to mention, if I'm told that is 4:29, and I want to figure what time it will be in 30 minutes, the obvious answer is of course 4:59, but sometimes, I will think 5:01, it's almost like a revearse, now if I take effort to really concentrate, I don't do that, it's like I revearse things, but no always. It's like when make the calculation, I can't hold the 4:29 in my head long enough or something. Thanks for you imput guys......
To answer the second post, I'm not really sure, I'm sure we can search and find out, I'll post it here if I come across anything.*S*

When I go seek medical advice, should I go on the premise of O.C.D, or ADD, or just let him make a decision by describing my symptoms? I'm going to a family doctor.

MafiaKiddo · 11-03-2004, 09:18 PM

Since it is mostly a problem with calculations it doesn't seem like ADD although you won't know for sure until you are tested.

In any case a family doctor is usually the worst choice to diagnose ADD. To get an accurate diagnoses and treatment you really need to see a specialist. Family doctors are great for colds, the flu and normal health problems but they usually don't have much knowledge about ADD.