I think I have ADD :/ :/

[unreal]

Ok Ok a bit of context first - I have found concentration on anything unenjoyable (no matter HOW benificial I convince myself it is) or lengthy is very very weak. I was trying to work on my graphics work a few hours ago, and caught myself fiddling with something else literrally once every 10-20 seconds (seriously). Every single holiday, I say to myself "Right Keith, this is the chance to catch up on all my work". EVERY single holiday, I leave it till the last day, like what I'm doing now, and I regularly have to work through sleepless nights just to get work done for the deadline. I checked the Wikipedia entry on ADD a short while ago, (the attention disorder, for people who don't know) and I'm kinda worried now.

I'm a genuinely hard worker in college sometimes, I dont know whats up. I'm not a stupid guy either, every SAT's back in the day, I got above average in every single one. And I was lucky enough to get into one of the top 30 ranked 6th Forms/Colleges in the whole of the UK. But I can't work anymore, and its getting worse. I just got kicked out of computing apparently (speaking to teachers tomorrow) because I missed the final computing deadline, and truth is, I was far behind in the first place.

This is slowly a problem thats getting worse and worse, and god forbid, even my passion of music making is suffering as I can't be asked to make music sometimes anymore - instead I waste time on blogs, games, and general internet browsing and timewasting around the house. It really gets me depressed and to the thought of sometimes dangerously depressed, if you know what I mean...

What should I do?!

*thanks in advance*

[Theo]

Turn the Internet off. It sounds like the root of your problem.

[sawyen]

yeap, get rid of the internet.. get a 6200 and forget about gaming.. works for me during varsity, was a 2:2 student.. graduated 1st, and finished my doctorate last year..

Lock the front door and throw it out to ur mates.. pull out the tele cord, leave only your walkman (then..) or MP3 (now).. start getting the work done. If you cant live with a 6200, just uninstall everything except your work stuff. Just to be safe, chuck the ADSL router to your gf and ask her to look after it till you're done with your work.

[unreal]

Well I hope I am just being paranoid or something. I've already chucked out all my games, and gave my Steam account to a mate (I had my xfire installed on my downstairs comp hence the CSS hours until I gave it away). I will take one of my 4-way power leads out (so my TV and other novelties can't be turned on, I cba to take them out). Looks like I will be lending my graphics card to my dad for the meanwhile then, getting his trusty old Riva TNT2

Internet is basically non existent in my room now, the wireless router has three brick walls to fight through and I rarely get signal in my room.

Thanks for the advice then guys, maybe just a hard slap in the face by my own hand might do the trick (...lol not literally..)

[arthurleung]

I think I'm getting that too...

Can't focus in my Advanced Higher Maths...Used to be top in maths last year in my schl but hell...my head just went blank facing those maths stuff now.

In the end I think I need to cut myself off from internet. New generation of addiction huh?

[unreal]

Hell yeah, I got a few mates with the same problem as me too so I guess its shamefully down to a lack of self discipline really Intarweb is teh evil?

[pr0p4g4nd4]

Any free hard/software would go down a treat here so dibbs on yer gfx card

Then we could help each other

You're art work is fantabuloso anyway, I had a quick flick through before I registered and account. Keep up the good work mate.

[pp05]

Try having net off for a few days. Also writing your tasks down on paper and hang it on wall... that might help you stay focussed.

[Knoxville]

Sounds like you just have a short attention span, its not exactly un-common amongst young men.

[Stewart]

I have the same problem. Wallpapering to do, clothes to wash, dog to walk... and I'lljump on Dead or Alive or Burnout for a few hours and get nothing done.

No depression or anything, I'm just a lazy person, but its getting to be an illness.

Also, the other day I poured milk into the kettle. Went for a cuppa, put a cup down by the kettle, tea bag in cup, then got the milk out and just started to pour it into the kettle when I realised what I was doing.

Bad news man. Hope I'm not going simple at 25.

[TeePee]

Looking at the internet and diagnosing yourself as having problems is a really bad idea. I bet 90% of people fit the DSM-IV description of Bipolar Disorder for example. It's easy to use excuses like ADD and Dyslexia when all you really need is to put some effort in.

Live your life, focus on what you want for your future and good luck to you.

[Rave]

You might well have ADD, but I doubt you'll find an NHS shrink willing to diagnose you. I'm exactly the same, although there's never been much progression for me, I just did progressively worse during my academic career as the work got harder and more boring. Eventually I flunked out of university because I could do about a quarter of my course work very well and the rest hardly at all.

It started to affect my work a while ago too, I'd get distracted and fall behind. In the end I managed to keep my job by writing a to-do list every morning and uninstalling IE from my work computer, but in the end I realised I was always going to hate a job that doesn't provide me with enough stimulation, and I took voluntary redundancy when they offered it to me. I'm becoming a bus driver now- I simply don't have the option to switch off and lose concentration doing that.

Anyway- there's no harm in going to your doctor and asking for a referral, you only stand to lose a couple of hours of your time that you probably would have wasted anyway. A friend of mine got himself diagnosed with ADHD privately, and went on ritalin, the change in him was quite remarkable; he went from being far worse than me to having impeccable concentration. The consultation was 400 quid, and the tablets are something like £50 a month, so sadly that's not an option for most people (including me).

[Stewart]

A bus driver with ADD. All above the Rave bus everybody!

*Inside Raves Mind*

Busy junction coming up, I better keep my eye on this... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... isn't electricity amazing? Its blue sometimes, and it makes things work... ... ... yep, it sure is amazing stuff... ... ... ... ... Should text the missus I suppose, see how things are... ... ... ... ... whats the capital of Norway then? I'll throw it open to the passengers.

"Ok people, nice and quick; capital of Norway? Anyone?"

"I don't know mate! Sh*t that was close! Oslo?! Arrrggh! Keep your eyes on the ro..."



Seriously though, problem with these syndromes is they make everything sound like its a... well, a syndrome. Some people have short attention spans, or struggle to get motivated, or aren't happy at work and so don't put the effort in. Not all these people have ADD. As someone already said, don't read a few links from Google and take it as read that you have ADD. I'm sure if you went to the Doctor with these symptoms a million other much more likely and common causes would be considered before ADD.

[unreal]

Ahh thanks for all the comments through the strange hours of the morning guys Thanks for the compliment prop4g4nd4

Well, I don't think its lack of effort, because I'm really scared of my own grades because I really need to give in this work, yet I keep talking myself into doing something else, like checking my email, getting something to drink, or even wash my hands or tidy my room a bit. And I get so cross at myself I literally smash my keys down LOL

@ Rave, damn, if it costs that much I will forget about it and just try to deal with it by myself. Good luck with your Bus Driver thing though, I find jobs like that, which can occupy me in a different way are far more different than something like an office job and I can easily concentrate on what I'm doing (almost like a video game). Well I'm thinking about retaking my A-Level year during my gap year (going to have to discuss things with my head of year) so hopefully the stress eases up a bit. I really hope it all goes well, as I've always been a person to set my targets high, and before I worked hard to acheive them - I hope I can get that attitude back sometime.

LOL @ Stewart
Yeah you are probably right, I shouldn't diagnose myself upon little facts. But my lack of attention has just been almost alarming over the past 8 months, and I literally said to my mate its like a disease or condition or something, and he said 'What, ADD?'.. and then I looked into more detail upon it. But I hope I'm being overparanoid about it all, as I am scared of what something like that would have effect over job placements etc in my future.

Also could a mod take the Help Me! bit off the title please? I didn't really realise what it looks like on the forum page, it's like I've got a missing foot or I accidently murdered someone or something

[unreal]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procrastination

Hmm that seems to be a lot like me too, my mum even said I'm such a perfectionist, and I always seem to bully myself these days about my lack of work. I guess it can directly link to ADD though

Severe procrastination and/or ADD can cross over into internet addiction or computer addiction.

Procrastination is commonly noticed in the academic setting, where students are required to meet deadlines for assignments and tests in an environment which is full of events and activities which compete for the students' time and attention.

Some students struggle with procrastination due to a lack of time management or study skills, stress, or feeling overwhelmed with their work. Students can also struggle with procrastination for medical reasons such as ADD/ADHD or a learning disorder such as dyslexia.

I wonder if there are any other Hexus browsers that can relate to that

[BeoWulf]

You will more than likely get anything you need on the NHS if your not working. People who have to pay usually go private or are working. It just does sound as if distractions are getting in the way of your work, and lets be frank, school/6th form/college.. isnt the most stimulating environment.. its downright boring and a archaic system that is rapidly becoming obsolete. People simply dont learn well that way anymore.. hell its been proven that home work actually has a detrimental effect on pupils since they cant relax, add on top of the time to do that, travel time etc, and people barely have any time to themselves anymore.. I remember staying up till like 3am, or doing a round robin simply to get things done.. that certainly isnt good.
Good luck to you, sounds like your on the right track (removing outside stimulation etc).