Do I have ADD or what?
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That happens to everyone. It's completely normal to day dream or lose focus sometimes, especially if you're not getting enough sleep/food, are not interested in what your teacher is saying or are worried or excited about something.
If this is just an occasional problem or something that has shown up in your teenage or adult life, maybe due to stress or anxiety, you don't have attention deficit disorder. ADHD/ADD shows up in childhood, not high school, not college and not as an adult. Although it can take awhile for some people to get diagnosed, you would have had this problem since your elementary school years.
People who have ADHD have this problem almost none stop, unless it's something of extreme interest to them, but even then it's quite difficult for the person who suffers from ADHD to pay attention. Along with not being able to pay attention you would have to have a least a few other symptoms of ADHD/ADD to be diagnosed with the disorder.
Yes, there are ways to learn to pay attention and certain coping mechanisms that those who do not have ADHD and those who do have milder forms of the disorder can successfully use without medication. Unfortunately, for many, the medication is needed. (Medication will work to get both none and adhd people high and pay attention. People with ADHD may require a higher dosage to get high, but can most certainly abuse the stimulants like anyone else.)
Since this seems like a new problem with you, it's probably due to some other issue and not ADHD. It wouldn't hurt to talk about this issue with someone that you trust or perhaps a counsellor at your school, so you can learn some of the ways in which we all must train ourselves to focus even when we don't want to or feel we can't. This is especially important if you are planning to attend college or university. ADHD medication simply takes the edge off to disorder, but those who do require medication, still must make an effort to pay attention using coping mechanisms, so if it's found you have the disorder, trying is only going to help.
What ,I don't have time to read the question
You might. Don't assume so because the drugs you might have to use might ruin you.
sorry, i wasnt paying attention...
i don't know if you have add.. HEY LOOK AT THAT SQUIRREL
Have yourself evaluated. What you're experiencing might be a "blink."
http://adhd.kids.tripod.com/page5.html...
You might, though, be experiencing a Petit Mal or Absense Seizure.
http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/seizure...
You may just need to practice paying attention to thinks that you need to. People can learn to " concentrate " their thoughts. That way you will actually learn more than others from the same class. Try to stay away from being classified as ADD , I hear the drugs make you worse.
As a card carrying ADD'er myself, with a prescription of Adderall to boot, I can honestly say that I do the things in which you do while ever I'm in class. However, ADD is complicated. It comes from your brain's inability to process messages, or impulses. Adderall, Ritalin, or all the other meds stimulate your brain in various ways so that your brain becomes supercharged and is more capable of filtering out the good messages from the unimportant ones. And, allows you to keep a clearer consistent train of thought.
Getting back to your case, you could very well have ADD. The simple answer is "get it checked out". However, ADD symptoms will also show up in other aspects of your life. Most of us that suffer from ADD medicate ourselves with uppers (caffeine, speed, adderall, etc) and downers (alcohol, tranqs.), have to amp ourselves up to study with gimmicks, or things of that nature. Sure, like everyone else does but we have to rely on it time and time again to get anything done or to live a comparably "normal" life.
Just a note on the meds. Adderall is crazy powerful and can lead to intense bouts of anxiety. All the meds have drawbacks. It's best to try and manage your situation without resorting to it. However, I still have to go back to Adderall whenever I have to get things done like cram for a test or write a paper.
Daydreaming...it's a severe and undiagnosed problem not only in schools, but many adults who are trapped in tedious jobs have the same problem. Adversion therapy treats it...F's for those students who suffer from the disorder, and "getting fired" for adults who have daydream disorder.
To fined out if you really have ADD/ADDH you need to be tested by a professional that your family Dr. would recommend. Here are some of the sings,i know i raised 3 kids with ADDH. first of all are you over hyperactive,do you fidget allot ,are you unable to concentrate,cant sit still for 5 min. ,do you have a vary strange sleeping pattern, like you sleep for a couple of hours and that's enough . and can you stay focused for long periods at a time. If you can answer yes to most of these ? chances are you have ADD or ADDH. this is very treatable by a change to your diet,medication,behaviour modification one of these can be enough or you may need a combination that's for your Dr. to decide with you.
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