Could this be ADD - ADD / ADHD Message Board

G2004 · 02-24-2005, 07:09 PM

I am an 18 year old female in college. I have a really hard time actually sitting down and doing my school work. I don't know if it is just that I am not interested in the subject so I can't focus or something else like ADD. Most of the time I plan on doing my work with plenty of time to spair (like over the weekend) but I usually end up doing them at the minute.
I have been looking at some websites about symptomsof add some that I have are; sitting for long periods of time (like movies), bored easily, figgeting, and inpatient.Those are just a few, but the ones that I really notice.
Not sure if these symtoms mean I should get tested, or they are just common things that happen to be symptoms of ADD.
thanks for any advice
-Emily-

index.html · 02-25-2005, 11:38 AM

Well, Emily, they are common complaints. It is a matter of severity, really. Everyone has a harder time focusing on things they aren't interested in. Someone with ADD finds it nearly impossible.

The main question that I have to ask is: how long has this been a problem for you? Just recently or was it always there? What were you like in elementary school?

G2004 · 02-25-2005, 03:36 PM

THis has been noticable for a little longer than a year. I really started having problems with this during my senior year of high school, but I just assumed it was "senioritis". I am now in college and I still have problems. I thought that maybe I was having problems with doing my work last semester because it was my first semester of college, I was away from home and not very happy. NOw I transfered to a different school and I am living at home with the same problem.
you asked about elemetary school, I don't remeber any problems. I have always had decent grades but never did much work. I don't know if ADD has to do with Genetics, but my brother was diagnosed at a yound age (elemetary school).

Exile · 02-25-2005, 06:40 PM

I came here to post almost the exact same thing, so im gonna chime in with my potential problem. I am also in college, and have all the signs you mentioned in the first post. And I will sit down and try to read my assignment, and my eyes will go over the words and i will read them, but my mind will be activly thinking about all sorts of other things... I am not sure if this is just dis-interest, or if there is something else going on. but it gets difficult to get ready for an exam, if i read it and dont retain any of it. its getting pretty bad.

index.html · 02-26-2005, 02:38 AM

Well, for both of you, the reason I asked about elementary school and how long you've had this problem is this. ADD, by definition, must begin at a young age (technically, age 7). So, for this to be ADD, it must have always been there and not just developed recently.

That said, though, it isn't uncommon for individuals with ADD to compensate for it in their younger years until they reach a challenging environment where they are no longer able to compensate. Some patients aren't diagnosed until their adult years. However, the problems were always there in retrospect.