As an aside
Oni Hebi38694.7480787037Yo. Has far as having no responsibilities, that bull. We're all still citizens of the world here, and personally I think that ADHD is a double-edged sword. While we can't always sit down and do our work, we're very creative and can come up with ideas that others have a hard time with. Kinda that thin line between insanity and genius thing, ya know? We're just not the norm so we can't go about trying to do our sh*t in a normal way. Whether we gotta write stuff down the minute it comes to mind so we don't forget or use speed to slow us down, we gotta take a different approach.
I know what you're saying about forgetting stuff. I forget stuff all the time and it can be extremely frustrating. I personally like to keep a little notepad with me so I can write stuff down then go back home and review it. The thing is if you procrastinate for a second it can cause you to lose out.
As for the math, all ADD kids being good at math is a crock. You need a different shrink. I suck at math and my best subjects ones that involve investigation, critical thinking, and abstract application. That includes writing, language arts, and psychology. I'm an education major and I excel at that. Don't let anyone tell you that you're a certain kind of personality just because you have ADD. We're all individuals.
Anyway, hit me back on messenger, AIM, or e-mail whenever. I'll be heading out to sea for about 5 days or so tomorrow, but I should be around for a little while more. Peace out.
Mike
To me having ADD and being at Uni is a real draw back they have people for me to talk to but even then I can't make most appointments because I forget or I am rushing to finish something. I have a really hard time getting organised for each day and getting motivated to study or do assignments. On top of this my spelling and maths is really bad which makes matters worse.
ADD and college for me...are not mixing at all. I have dropped out of a class every semester for no reason other than I wasn't getting or understanding the material due to very little study, or having trouble paying attention. Due to my going to a community college there is very little social life that I am aware of. I am in and out of the school ASAP. I generally tend to my homework, or attempt to, but I seem to fall short in getting things right, as well as on tests due to stupid mistakes! Which seem common when your head is moving so quickly. I'm getting diagnosed again for ADD and getting some meds so I can perform the way I should be.
Ken
Hi Whats_My_Name,
I can relate with what you're saying about motivation and getting to places on time. As for the people to talk to, I've found that some can be really cool but that most can't relate to anything that an ADHD person is going through because they don't have it. The cool ones either have it or really go out of their way to understand what's up. Are you on any medication for your ADHD? Have you sought out any academic support? I don't know how things are in Australia, but I know a lot of times you can get extended time on tests and note supplements in your classes if you're struggling. As far as getting yourself organized, do you have a palm pilot, a daily organizer, or anything like that? I've been trying to save up for a palm pilot bit in the meantime have found that having a hangling file folder boax, a 3-ring binder, and a way of color coding things is really helpful. What other methods do you have for coping? I'm always looking for better ways to keep myself together.
Hey Ken,
That's originally why I went seeking help and what led to my diagnosis. I kept falling behind not because i wasn't smart, but because i was just too easily distracted and couldn't keep my mind focused on a test long enough to actually do it without messing up. Granted I got by, but I wasn't living up to my potential. Let me know how the meds go for you. I was put on 6 different meds before I found one that worked. I now take short-acting Adderall.
I have the palm pilot, a CLIE by sony to be exact. It certainly helps...now that I remember to use it, or try to!
I was diagnose back in the day, when I was 5. I'm 21 now..well I will be monday! Not that I feel like celebrating..
Anyways. I won't go into what happened to me, you can read my introduction a few posts down. I hope we can figure out what med to put me on quickly. I just got a job, tonight was my second night working, that I love. I don't want the different effects from meds to interfere with work, and possibly cause me losing the job..though I think they can't fire me since ADD is recognized in the US as a disorder. I will have a talk with my employer after I am diagnosed and am put on meds. Um...I lost my thought.
Oh yeah, I also hope to get the medicine right before school starts up again. (yeah, that took about a minute to figure out what to write)
Ken
Hey Ken,
I went back and saw your introduction. It doesn't sound like you're too different from most people with ADHD. I am also 21 and turned to drugs for a long time to help deal with my ADHD and the depression and anxiety that came with it. I finally told myself I had to shape up and then went back and tried to do something about getting my life in order. It was kinda surprised when I found out that I had a chronic disorder but when the docs explained to me what ADHD was it all made perfect sense.
As far as the medication, I guess it all depends on the person and what type of ADHD they suffer from. Before I was formally diagnosed as having ADHD, I was told that I had depression and anxiety. I was started on Effexor before being moved on to Zoloft, BuSpar, Lexapro, Dexedrine (from a friend that had ADD and thought it would help), Ritalin, Adderall XR, and finally short-acting Adderall. The regular Adderall has done wonders for me in the right doses, but there was a time when I was prescribed too much and started to have some negative side effects from it. I am now on a healthy dose and feel pretty good. I am considering Straterra but for now I will be sticking with the Adderall as I am a broke college student and cannot afford constant visits to the doctor.
Anyway, that's my story with ADHD in a nutshell as far as the medication goes. Let me know if things work out for you. Also, if you'd like to chat on a more personal level, feel free to instant message me on AOL. Peace.
Mike
AlyeskanMike38101.857025463Marc,
I also read your introduction and can relate to what you're going through as far as feeling like you're all over the place. Drugs, fu*ked up relationships, getting bored in jobs in school... that's classic ADHD. If you click on the profile button on my posts you can contact me via instant messenger. Feel free to hit me up if you ever need a little boost. I know that a lot of people just get frustrated with us cuz they don't get what it's like to have ADHD, but I feel what you're going through. Peace out.
Mike
Hi
I sort of have an organiser my phone is a Motorola A920 that is like a palm pilot and phone in one cause it is all touch screen and that.
The problem is I make an appointment and say I'll put it in my phone or paper organiser dairy thing once I get home and have a guess what happens? I forget on the way home because I'll be thinking this is what I want to do on the computer etc or if I do remember someone @ home will start talking to me and I'll forget.
In Australia it is far behind you guys in the USA and UK. But the Uni I go to is really good. They give me a note taker, math tutor, time management person, extra time and different room to do my tests in.
I was going to uni the start of last year but that was pretty bad. I told the consoler that I am really bad in math and she told me well if you got ADD math is not a problem everyone with ADD is good @ maths. What a stupid statement.
As for coping methods I have none, which is why I am looking here. The problem is that someone will suggest something and I just won't do it or leave it to the last minute and then forget about it.
I really don't know why it is really driving me insane and I mean laterally.
I think I got it from my Dad he had ADD and believed he shouldn't have do anything.
I slept through every single class at school. Some teachers got so angry at me and told me that they'll kick me out of their classes. I don't know how they always find me sleeping in classes. I always sit in the back hiding in a large (100+ people) classroom. Only class I didn't sleep through was statistics. I don't exactly know why, but i found the subject interesting and i was doing very good at it. After 6 years of droping classes and slepping through, I completely dropped out of college. 3 years later, I went to UOP online shcool and last year I've finally graduated.
hellaphast38106.6381018519The thing that worked for me in college sounds pretty different than what worked for JustMe, so I thought I'd offer them up.
The best thing I did was to quit taking my own notes. I hooked up with at least two people in each class to get their notes from them (having two sets makes a huge difference), and then in class I could sit back and put all my effort on focusing on the lecture. I always told the prof what I was doing so they wouldn't think I was being flippant about their course, they all seemed to accept it well. I found that if I really "heard" the lecture the first time, studying was loads more effective. Certainly it worked better in some classes than in others, but it was alot better than trying to jot down important facts.
When I was diagnosed in 1994, part of the procedure I went through was some sort of biometeric test where I had to sit in a room and watch a computer screen and hit a button every time a box on it did something. I think it measured reaction time and error rate. The test lasted for what seemed like hours. At first it was easy, but as the time dragged on, it becamse torture. Reflecting back, that was what class was like taking notes - sit and wait for some thing important to be said and jot it down on paper - then go home and try to make sense out of what I had scribbled down. All my effort was spent trying to be ready to write down some random fact, rather than trying to process the lecture and learn what was being taught.
I found that once I put my pencil down and listened (using all my effort on focusing) I could really pick it up, and then I had something to offer the people who took notes for me. They had all the facts down on paper, but I had been listening for the concepts and could explain them to the note-takers.
Other little details: I always made sure to sit in the back of the class because I found that people talking or moving, etc, behind me was far more distracting than if they were in front of me. If folks moved in front of me, it would draw my eye, but I could tell what was going on immediately and get back to the lecture. If they were behind me, I couldn't so quickly drop them from my mind because I couldn't tell what they were doing.
Finally - and this is pretty dumb, but it worked really well for me - I got competitive. After years and years of doing really poorly in school, I was used to failing, and had less aversion to it than a person with a rosier history would have been. Fear of failure had stopped being a motivating factor in school, and that was a real problem. Everything changed when I got far enough along in my program where I was taking courses with the same group of people in each class (for the most part). There was one cocky ---tard in most of my classes who I was fond enough of to make friendly challenges with over grades on exams, etc. Most of the time, we wagered a beer, sometimes a pizza. It worked really well for me. Even when he beat me, my grades were far better than they would have been because I was trying to win. It worked so well for both of us, several other folks started sharing their grades and competing. We only paid attention to those folks with whom we could really compete, but I think it helped all of us.
Never a short post from me, sorry
Dh
I am/was a college student. After reading the post above I see that i'm really not alone. I've always had problems in school. I'll do well for awhile but my mind would drift to other places or I would get depressed...down and out. I've experienced this in college. My grades are poor and I'm almost at rock bottom now. I lose time...can't keep track of my days and such.
I'm in the process of trying to find a doctor who will see me so I can find out if I had ADHD and depression. I do want to finish my degree but I feel that my chances to find a great job is shot because of this problem.
Ty.
AlyeskanMike,
I have ADHD and I have no problem with math. in fact, that is where my strength is. So maybe some ADHD folks are good in math, but not all.
I think ADD affects everyone differently. I have problems with writing, getting my thoughts down. Somehow, I always struggle with English and term papers.
To survive at college and university, I developed some strategies. They are:
I discovered what time of the day I am less distractible and study best and study then- the evenings. I will study at other times of the day, but in short spurts,- nothing over an hour.
I always sit right in front and centre of the teacher. everytime he/she moves or talks, I look and listen. My ADHD works to my advantage here
For exams, I always ask the instructor exactly what will be on the exam and where the bulk of the marks will be based on. If the instructor will only be testing from his notes, I will not bother with the text, but only use it as a reference.
I go over the things we will cover in class the night before. I find that I am more interested and can follow better if I already know what is being talked about. Questions and things I do not understand could also quickly be clarified then.
This works for me, But you have to find what works for you.
Hi, I'm new but I'm in college and enjoyed hearing about other peoples expirences! I am eternally gratefull for my Palm... I programed all the due dates for assignments and it reminds me 7 days before it's due. It's saved my life! The rotten thing is that I tend to do really poorly in my 9AM class because my Adderall doesn't kick in until my 10AM class. I can't seem to remember to take the stupid stuff before I leave the house. (I was just diagnosed early this year) TRIO/SSS program has helps alot as well, we have to check in with our counselor every month. That helps.
I must admit I have never been great socially. I tend to say what's on my mind before I think about the impact it may have on others... but the good side of that the people who make friends with me tend to be self assured, they have to be with some of the things that come out of my mouth! And I can't tell jokes to save my soul... I only remember the punch line, or the joke, rarely both and unfortunately I find out I've forgotten it half way through trying to tell it. I can really only tell one, it's about Sven and Olie shoving potatoes in their pants.
The great thing about ADD is that all my life I have put SO much effort into homework to get acceptable grades that I can now put in the same effort and have doubled my results!!! I was in a steady downward spiral doing worse and worse in class. I was exhausted after an hour of homework and I was loosing my good GPA. I was recomended to get checked out for ADD (by my 9AM psych prof!) and with meds and help I kept up and even got ahead! I'M GRADUATING WITH HONNORS IN 2 DAYS!!! I have always done so poorly in school, I never considered myself smart! I cried right there when they handed me my silver cords!
Sorry to be long winded. I tend to make short stories long... College provides a great source of metnal stimulation and I really liked the competitive idea! I'm going to try it next year! Thanks!!!