Are you very undecisive at times? | ADHD Information

Before ritalin, I could go into a store for something
very specific. Inevitably, I would wander around the
store for 20-40 minutes, getting increasingly
indecisive and confused. Eventually I would leave the
store in a total panic with worth of random items
that I didn’t need. Just forget shopping for clothes – it
was almost impossible and if I did buy anything I
would overbuy, then return everything. Miserable.
Part of the way I knew that ritalin was helping me
was that my husband asked me to go in and get a
salad for dinner. I went in, made a salad, picked out
some bread, paid and left the store. Like a
normal person – it was amazing. Especially to think
that normal people do that all the time!

I was wondering if this is also part of ADD? There are times I get very undecisive. One moment you made the right decision but after words regretting. You think over it..over..and over wondering if you made the right decision.

I am noticing more and more with myself.

Case in point. I make a purchase. I know that's a good deal and decide to buy it. Shortly after, I keep telling myself I could to better. I know this is typical of best buyers but it seems to go beyond that. I can't explain it but I feel that more so then normal. Or is this just a competitive nature?

nothappy38499.5529398148yes

-indecisive at times? how about occasionally decisive. the store thing hits home. grocery shopping is hilarious.

i often get lots of smiles because i wander, and wander and wander. the other shoppers must be thinking"how many times is this guy gonna pass me in the aisles?" or "is he a stalker?"

i rarely get groceries ahead of time because the produce goes bad, or other things go bad because i can't stick to the menu. i never seem to want what's on hand, or i've made a menu and haven't gotten all the ingredients so i can't make the stuff anyway.

so, i wander around the store, regularly revisiting almost every aisle until i get what i think i need, forgetting and remembering multiple times what i'm looking for.

then i get home and still don't have it all. and that's when i can decide on something to make in the first place!

[QUOTE=nothappy]

I am noticing more and more with myself.

[/QUOTE]

Oh man...this sounds just like me.
I've had (many) times that I've gone to a store with the intention to buy something. Then when I get there I can't decide between a couple of choices (like between different models or brands). So, I just don't buy anything, and leave the store. On a positive note I've probably saved a lot of money that way!

I over analyze and agonize over nearly every other decision in my life, too. It's crazy. Also, sometimes I'll do the opposite of the store thing. I'll be going nuts trying to decide something until finally I just pick one and go with it. Of course down the road I think about it over and over wondering if I made the right decision, but I stick with it just so I don't have to replace it by making another big decision.
Should I have taken that job? Should I have bought that camera? Should I have chosen this career? Should I have submitted this post? etc, etc...

Indecisiveness is popular topic...

http://www.adhdnews.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4955&K W=supermarket

I hate when friends ask what movie I want to see, or which restaurant I want to go to. I'd be happy to eat any kind of cuisine, it's too hard to narrow it down to one.

Do I want vietnamese? Italian? Japanese? Indian?

I can't decide which one I want, and when I get there I'm just going to order the same thing I always get anyway.

Making decisions about restaurants and movies is very hard for me. What if, after 2 hours of thinking, I finally decide what I want and the other person says they don't want that?

They don't understand how long it took me to decide in the first place!

Much easier to get other people to decide for me.

Clothes Shopping—Oh my god—I get into a ‘zone’ and can spend 4 hours at one smallish store. I worry that the employees think I’m stealing and other shoppers prolly think I’m a ‘plain clothes’ store detective who’s looking for shoplifters. I think I’ve been followed by one of those store detectives too! Man it’s bad. I go to the dressing room so many times that I start to feel really bad for the dressing room attendant ‘cause I make her re-stock all my non-purchases. I sometimes pretend that I’m gonna buy them, take them with me and restock them myself. I’ve worked in clothing retail and know how annoying restocking can be. Finally I buy a bunch of stuff that I’m not sure about, bring them home and pick out about Ľ to keep and return the other stuff.

Grocery stores are bad too. I live alone; I don’t have to eat ‘meals’ and I eat pretty much the same foods all the time, so I usually just buy the same food every time I go the store. It has to be my regular store—a different store equals a 3 hour ‘experience.’

Maybe this is another topic, but I saw that ‘eliza’ eats the same meal at restaurants. Do a lot of y’all do that? ‘Cause that’s me too!

I don’t know if indecisiveness is related to ADHD (I don’t necessarily trust what I read on the internet and don’t recall seeing it in a book—books are always true right? Just kidding). If this topic were posted on an non-ad(h)d board I wonder how prevalent it would be?

sakura,

Any sane woman spends at least 4 hrs shopping for clothes. Just ask my wife. You don't need ADD to do this.

[QUOTE=sakura]

Maybe this is another topic, but I saw that ‘eliza’ eats the same meal at restaurants. Do a lot of y’all do that? ‘Cause that’s me too![/QUOTE]

I totally do that. Otherwise I end up staring at the menu forever and can never decide; then when the waitress is there waiting for my order I get pressured and end up getting the same old thing. So I've learned just to go ahead and get the "usual" and save myself the trouble.

I feel like I could cry (or laugh). I relate so well to what I've read.

I'm Leigh, was diagnosed "hyperkinetic" in 1971 at age five. It's been a struggle my entire life (elementary, middle and highschool were hell. College was MUCH better). My son, who is nine, is ADHD (among other things). It's CRAZY!!!! An ADHD adult trying to deal with an ADHD child. All the issues, the doctor appointments, the school meetings, things going on with my four year old son, playdates, etc..........I have to keep a calendar with me at all times. I have to write down absolutely EVERYTHING. I write on my hands, my wrists, notebooks, post-its, receipts......you name it.

I second-guess myself in every decision I make. Clothes and grocery shopping? I wander around endlessly if I don't have a very specific list and a certain number of minutes to get the task done. I feel so unorganized, though you may not know it looking at my home. On the surface, I appear neat as a pin (especially if I have advance warning that company is coming.) When my house is messy (clutter of any sort anywhere), I feel almost mentally paralized and can focus on NOTHING until things get cleaned up (clutter out of site). "Out of site" is a key phrase. If you open a drawer, look in a closet or open a cabinet, you see what's going on in my head. It's a jumbled up mess. <sigh>

Anyway, I think I'm going to like this web site. Glad I found it.

Leigh_GA_6638502.7679861111

Are you very undecisive at times

Hmm... I'm not sure

I do the samething. At first, I thought I was just being picky. But when I started to notice I always end up ordering the samething AND still being unsure after the order.

[QUOTE=sakura]

You sound EXACTLY like me. I'm extremely indecisive about EVERYTHING, ranging from little things to big life decisions.

Are you very undecisive at times?

I've never had that problem. I've always been very good about making.... actually, now that I think about it, there are times when I have a hard time.... No that's not true, I'm not indecisive at... wait a second.... well.... Ummm, what was the question?