am i add? - ADD / ADHD Message Board

Hayden · 12-30-2002, 11:36 PM

[EDIT woops sorry about the "am i add" its meant to be "do i have add" (its early in the morning) ]

hi im 14 and struggle with anything im not interested in i wake up at about 7 each morning and go to sleep at about 1am or 2am.

im always thinking about things and cant sleep until really late when im soo tired im about to pass out. i get alright marks in school but almost all my reports say that i only do what im interested in. when things are new i enjoy them but quikly get tired of them and end up abandoing them (ie. building things).

i dont want to tell my perants because if im not ADD then it will be a waste of time.
i took a test on "brainplace" and it said
ADD Intattentive Type : Highly Probable

also i dont know if getting "diagnosed" with it would help me much because im quite happy as i am.

(sorry i know you probably get heaps of topics like this.and sorry if it seems jumbled)

[This message has been edited by Hayden (edited 12-31-2002).]

ravekane · 12-31-2002, 04:58 AM

You do sound like you are ADD type. But that is not a bad thing. Most people w/ ADD are actually smarter than most others, because their brains are always running on a motor. I think that you should keep up w / your thinking and mabye see a dr. There are some online tests to see if you have ADD or ADHD. Some medications can help you with your restless symptoms and help you concentrate on 1 thing at a time.

Hayden · 12-31-2002, 05:10 AM

thanks alot ive taken all the online test i could find and they all say the same thing that i probably have ADD but i dont think ill go to a DR untill it starts getting worse (ie. ill see how it goes when im back at school). thanks again

Hayden · 12-31-2002, 07:04 AM

also the test say i most probably have it but i dont know because by the sound of all the people who have had a DR say "yes youve defintly got it" they sound like life is soo diffuclt with it and i dont feel my life is that diffcult i forget things and forget what im doing sometimes but it dosnt seem that bad so i musnt have it???? damn this is confusing :0

cthrn · 12-31-2002, 10:23 AM

Whoa! You should not hesitate to discuss this with your parents. Be sure to tell them that you have done some investigating and you have come up with certain facts about what ADD is and that you feel you have it because.......? Attention DEFICIT is somewhat misleading. Perhaps a better name would be Attention Inconsistency. On some days, when you are well rested, very motivated and interested, things can go really well. The next day, for whatever reason, things go really bad. That's part of the problem. Someone with ADD never knows how the day will go, or what exactly to do to make it better. Just the fact that you feel something is amiss is indication enough that you should at least talk to a professional. Sometimes, at your age a chat with the school counsellor/social worker will help put things in perspective.

In the mean time, keep doing what you are - research, research, research. Make the public library your next stop and see what books they offer.

Again, talk to your parents. ADD is often a genetic (hereditary) thing so you parents may understand right away, or may say "I was just like you, and I'm fine". It's up to you to tell them how this makes you feel. You have a right to feel that you are the best you can be.

good luck