Do I have ADD?

Question

My parents are hippies and I have never been to a regular doctor that would diagnose my attention problem. My parents don't believe in regular medicine. My entire life I have had severe problem focusing on things, I am not "off the wall" but I am completely in my head, I have trouble staying engaged with what it happening in any given moment because I am constantly daydreaming, all the time, hwen i am by myself I somtimes daydream for hours and then realize that i havnt been doing anything....in school i pretty much tune out what is going on, or if i try to pay attention i get bored and talk to the people around me.


i'm sort of "all over the place"....is this add or just my personality?

Answer 1

Yes, you can tell by the sentence you wrote, it's crazy. Have you heard of periods, People with ADD can't stop and think they just go crazy blah, blah, blahbeddy blah, blah... go on one tangent to the other... we talk about marshmallows and flying to the moon in the same sentence then make love while we are fixing dinner and fly a kite while doing the laundry.

Answer 2

I used to be the same way, it was just laziness. You don't have ADD, everyone daydreams and tunes out sometimes, when it becomes a problem it is because you are being lazy. You will probably notice how many other people here said something about knowing someone that has or having ADD themselves. When many people have a psychological disease it is like it is what people do on a regular basis and for that reason not a disease.

Answer 3

It's really hard to tell. I myself have ADD and while not being able to sit still or pay attention are symptoms, it's not enough to say "You have ADD." Being "off the wall" is actually more along the lines of ADHD than ADD. I would suggest looking up ADD online and seeing if any other symptoms apply to you. When you're doing school work, try and sit in a really comfortable spot by yourself so you're not distracted. In school I would also try and sit in the front so you're more tempted to pay attention and there's less people in front of you causing distractions. Also taking Omega 3 will help calm. You can buy them over the counter. Good Luck.

Answer 4

If you would like to get a better sense of whether ADD might be your problem you could talk with a school counselor and possibly request that the school psychiatrist evaluate you for ADD. Also, there is a test that helps to diagnose it, generally it is filled out by family members and school personnel, however it may be of benefit for you take it and see how much fits for you-it's called the Connors rating scale, but I'm not sure whether you can access it online yourself. Your school counselor should be able to do this though.

Answer 5

My son has the condition but suffers from the hyperactive form of it. We were told that it has to affect at least 2 areas of your life in order to be diagnosed. So for him it affects his schooling and sports (others as well, but these two for sure).

Here is an off the wall question for you.....Do you drink coffee?
If you don't then try drinking a cup (yes with caffeine) and see if that helps. I know it sounds strange but it should have a calming effect on you. It works for my son when he doesn't have his medication. I am not sure if it will help with the attention or if it just helped his hyperactivity. Good luck....but definitely go see a psychiatrist for a formal evaluation!

Answer 6

It could be ADD but it is hard to diagnose this without having different people see this behavior.

Symptoms of INATTENTION in ADD ADHD:
A lot of people, including his parents, complain that he just doesn't seem to listen when spoken to;
Because of not sustaining attention, or because of acting like a "space cadet," he doesn't finish his chores or homework;
He can't keep his mind on what he's doing for very long unless it is very exciting, or very entertaining;
He doesn't pay close attention to what he's doing, so he makes a lot of careless mistakes. Video games are an exception because they give immediate feedback, they are exciting, and they are fun. Chores and homework are not.The inattention is seen most with homework, chores, and other boring things that you want him to do;
He's really disorganized. Most commonly seen in spending three hours to finally finish his homework, then losing it at school (it's in his backpack), or forgetting to turn it in;
He really tries to avoid doing homework or chores;
He gets distracted easily, or pays attention to the wrong thing;
He is often forgetful and has to be reminded to do things often.

Go to this website....there is more info about ADD and ADHD:

http://www.add101.com/diagnosis.htm

Answer 7

I have a personal theory that everybody has ADD, some more than others.

ADHD is the hyper one, while ADD would be the attentive.

What you need to do ((hate to sound like your parents)) is help yourself NATURALLY. Before you overlook my answer, keep in mind that I have been diagnosed with ADD about a year ago. The doctor prescribed me Adderall, and it made me go insane with mood swings. I have seen these mood swings take swing with EVERYBODY in my presence who is prescribed to any add/adhd medication. It is so out of control, man.

If only somebody would've told ME what I am telling you..
that would've saved a whole lot of fights and unhappiness

Answer 8

I couldn't say for sure, you need to talk to a psycologist, and if you are ADD it is actually a part OF your personality, i should know, I am ADD, oh look a butterfly..............

and yes, caffine should have a calming affect on you as should most uppers, they should calm you down and increase your concentration.

Answer 9

i have the same prob but i have no idea what to do i just try to stay on track the best i can but its hard. like right now i have a F in 5 of my 7 classes......but it is also hard to sleep at night!

Answer 10

We need information about your memory, how do you remember things. Also, how do you learn new information? How do you react to criticism?

Do you like to be shown how to do something, or can you just be told. If I told you a list of things (5 things) would you be able to recall all of them?

What about your impulse control? Can you stop yourself from doing random physical things like throwing something or kicking something?