Coping with ADD

[kyleb]

I was "officially" diagnosed with ADD with a lot of the symptoms matching up with mine: Inability to keep things clean, unable to prioritize tasks, procrastination, wandering mind, blah blah blah.

We all deal with problems of some sort. I don't see these are being symptoms of a mental/psychological "mis-wiring." I dropped out of college because I'm an idiot and didn't dedicate myself, not because I have ADD.

It really pisses me off that some people choose to hide behind the diagnosis. Everyone deals with someone that is as bad or worse.

To add something constructive, I second keikiwai's idea of listening to music or doing something that will help you stay on track. Having something rote or superstitious can aid you - I listen to the same 10 songs when I'm programming, the same 10 songs when I'm doing task X, etc.

[mattak]

[ QUOTE ]
I was "officially" diagnosed with ADD with a lot of the symptoms matching up with mine: Inability to keep things clean, unable to prioritize tasks, procrastination, wandering mind, blah blah blah.

We all deal with problems of some sort. I don't see these are being symptoms of a mental/psychological "mis-wiring." I dropped out of college because I'm an idiot and didn't dedicate myself, not because I have ADD.

It really pisses me off that some people choose to hide behind the diagnosis. Everyone deals with someone that is as bad or worse.



[/ QUOTE ]

Whether you believe that I am hiding behind a diagnosis or not is irrelevant. What is important (to me anyway) is that I feel better about myself and I am better equipped to deal with my problems. Maybe ADD is just a bunch of psychobabble or maybe I have been misdiagnosed. Since accepting my condition my life has been better, without the aid of drugs, so I am going to keep at it.

[kyleb]

I wasn't specifically referring to you; I used Quick Reply. No offense intended, you aren't the target audience for that particular tirade.

[Idiotex]

It's really interesting reading this thread. But I think there is a very good chance I have mild ADD at a minimum. I completely agree that the internet and high speed connections have probably exacerbated our problems.

[Idiotex]

[ QUOTE ]
This thread has hit home for me. I never really put much thought into whether or not I had ADD, but I certainly have a lot of the symptoms you guys are talking about. I always did pretty well in high school; show up, take test, easy enough. But when I got to college I found out I was a really horrible student. I always just thought it was basically a motivation issue, and that my school was a tough school, blah blah. And while it's true that you need to apply yourself, I think it's definitely easier for some people. Some people definitely have a natural organizational edge.

Waking up on time, scheduling time to study, meeting deadlines, and all that stuff is easier said than done for some people. And reading. I HATE to read. Even if it's something that interests me, the actual reading is a chore (the stimulation of learning is sort of separate, and what ultimately drives me to do it). But being forced to read a certain set of pages, forget about it. Even if I really made myself sit down and crank it out, my mind would wander so much that I'd get very little out of it. Reading internet forums is really a good way for me to learn stuff, I guess because of the way it's broken down, and the personal aspect (and occasional interaction) helps stimulate me. But even longer posts on here I just can't bring myself to read, even if it's something that I think would interest me.

I've always been bad with those things (organization, deadlines, reading), but good with small, concentrated tasks. Like Pete said in the OP, some people don't see it as a disorder, but more a trade off. Personally, I like our side of the coin. Though I'm not sure what I would actually be doing if I didn't stumble upon poker a few years ago.

Another thing. Movies. If a movie sparks my interest, then I'm totally engaged in it. I'll enjoy it so much and catch every detail. But if someone else puts one on (say I'm hanging out with a few people) and it's not something that I particularly want to watch, I'll have a hard time even following basic plot lines. And I mean that quite literally. I'll just totally space out. I might occupy my mind by being intrigued by a certain person's accent, then wandering again, then maybe catching a stimulating scene or line or two. But I'm not really "following" the movie (even a blatantly simple one).

I've always had it in the back of my head that maybe I have some sort of (maybe mild) case of ADD, but I've never really bothered to connect the dots. After reading this thread, I think I'm in the same boat as a lot of you guys. I don't know if I really "have" ADD in the sense that the drugs would do much for me, but I certainly might. If nothing else, I exhibit similar behavior. I guess "it is what it is" in my mind, and I'm not too concerned about labeling it. I always thought it was just sort of the way I was, and didn't realize a lot of others had similar behavior patterns. This has been interesting to read.

[/ QUOTE ]

This thread has really hit home with me also. Some movies I become obsessed with every detail. But often I go to a friend's place they will have a movie on and I just can't stand it and have to get up and do something because I'm so bored. I'm so used to my poker / do whatever I want when I want lifestyle that I hadn't considered the ADD possibility seriously.

[sawseech]

1) caffeine
2) more caffeine

i've tried the meds and caffeine is far, far better imo

on caffeine all i need to do is make sure i get all the sleep my body wants and sporadically take a day off

[Mempho]

[ QUOTE ]
Two years ago I was doing some pre-marriage councilling and my (soon to be) wife went down the list of things that piss her off about me. The councilor then asked me what I felt my biggest problems were. He recommended a book for me (Driven to Distraction) without really making any judgments or diagnosis. The book basically changed my life. It is amazing to me to look back on my life and see how many problems and relationships have been colored by ADD. Things like getting in trouble in grade school, or making the women in my life feel ignored and alienated. I have since been "officially" diagnosed and have begun to try to come up with effective strategies to deal with ADD.

Here are some point form (for my ADD brethren) thoughts and experiences



-lack of social grace
i have always had problems in group situations because i quickly become distracted with the conversation and start reading, watching tv or doing anything other than paying attention to the person who is talking to me. i will also try to cut short conversations or "get to the point" with people that i find long winded. this has made some people feel like i think that they are boring or uninteresting. i have acknowledged that my behavior is socially unacceptable and have begun to "fake it". i make a game out of acting like i am interested. i literally have a dialog in my head during a conversation that goes on about pretending to be normal and that i am fooling everyone. kinda weird but it has worked for me so far. the biggest thing though was recognizing that i am (was) the common denominator in my awkward social interactions and that i had to take steps to correct it

-addiction problems
i have always been consumed by some passion at one time or another. i have become focused on to the point of obsession (among other things) chess, football, video games, guitar, d&d, poker, history, theology, martial arts, etc. i also have always had a predisposition to binge drinking (i was never a have a beer at home guy, i was a drink 14 tequila shots at the bar and pass out by 11pm guy), taking recreational drugs (the first time i tried cocaine was like peanut butter and chocolate coming together). binge drinking got old for me (or i got old for it) and i have somehow avoided more serious problems with narcotics but i still get consumed by hobbies and pass times. strangely enough, pets (2 cats and a dog) have been my saving grace here by breaking up my time and giving me some responsibilities that i just cannot put off (or they will crap on the floor).

-procrastination/inability to prioritize tasks
i have very little initiative and when i am working on something i can be distracted easily by my surroundings. so far the best thing i have come up with is routine. i find it so very hard to impose this on myself, so i ask for help from my wife. i often have large amounts of paperwork to do in my job. if i find myself in a place where i am unable to focus, i will often do something else for a while instead of forcing it. i understand that medication (adderall/ ritalin) are supposed to be very good for helping with this. i have yet to explore that route. still a daily struggle with me

-inability to keep living space clean
keikiwai made some good points earlier on this. so far, best thing for me has been to make lists and try to establish a routine. i am very lucky that i have an understanding wife who takes the lead in this area or i would still be living in squalor. we have established a routine where she will give me a task and i can complete it. she wishes i were more proactive in this area but i try very hard to make up for it in other areas (i do all the cooking and landscaping)


I feel that at least now I can put a label on the problem's I have and try to find strategies to cope. Before I always just felt lazy, forgetful or mean. I am kind of an old school guy and I hate it when people blame their problems on something and don't accept responsibility for their actions. I didn't want a crutch or anything, so accepting this "condition" was tough for me.

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The first person to mention it was my boss who has a teen kid with ADD. He asked it offhand and I immediately replied "NO." He was challenging me to be the "brilliant me" more of the time. With the increased pressure, I slowly figured out that there might really be a problem over the course of a few weeks. I looked it up on the internet and I was surprised to find out that it described me perfectly.

I had always thought that there was no way that I had ADD since I had the ability to focus intensely at times. I didn't know much about it as it turns out as hyperfocus is actually a symptom.

[Mempho]

[ QUOTE ]
1) caffeine
2) more caffeine

i've tried the meds and caffeine is far, far better imo

on caffeine all i need to do is make sure i get all the sleep my body wants and sporadically take a day off

[/ QUOTE ]

How do you dose with caffeine? Coffee...Vivarin...Energy drinks? How much?

[warlockjd]

Wow, holy shiat, 19 out of 20 for me. I always suspected that I had ADD, but had no idea that the meds could be as helpful as the accounts here It sounds like it could be a whole new world, and that is really exciting.

Let me ask the forum. Of those who are now on meds, did anyone start sucking LESS at poker after the meds?

Anyone start sucking MORE?

Just curious, and thanks for all the great, informative posts.

Incidentally, I wonder if insomnia is at all related. I have to be at work in 4 hours and should go to sleep but can not.

Finally, I am off to the Med Check to see about this ADD this week for sho!

[warlockjd]

I would also add, that I had previously always associated ADD with a learning disorder or dumb kids in class.

I am not sure where I got this misimpression, but I thought the fact that I was at the top of my class somehow disqualified me.