Hey everyone.
I am a senior in high school, and i’m just now starting to believe that i’ve had some sort of attention problem(though not ADD) all my life. I have always made good grades, but i’m lacking in the concentration department. For example, when i take tests, i am ALWAYS(no exaggeration) the last person to finish, even if it’s a test on a subject that’s a breeze for me. Throughout elementary and middle school, my teachers always noticed something special about me and tested me for gifted programs. I never got in, though, and i believe it was because i’m such a slow worker. I always have to read sentences over and over to apprehend them. And even right now, i’m supposed to be working on a project for my Anatomy class, but i am too distracted-that’s why i came here!
**Addition!** This might be irrelevant, but throughtout high school i have battled with anorexia and bulimia. I was never diagnosed with one because it never got to the point where my life could be in danger; plus, no one knew how serious my obsession got. I spent many days, though, where i had a lot going on or a lot to look forward to, but i was always preoccupied with my weight-how i could lose it, how i would look in an outfit for my date next week, etc. It was like my world revolved around what i ate and what size i wore, and this caused me to lose focus in school and other situations that were important. Eventually, i was depressed. I told my doctor about this depression and my eating disorder(unfortunately, i didn’t mention my concentration problem!) and was prescribed to take Prozac, which i have been taking for about half a year now. It helped immeasurably with the depression but not really with concentration or preoccupation with weight. So later on i started going to an eating disorder therapist and improved a lot, but i still have trouble with it. The reason i’m telling you about this is because i’m curious if this could have anything to do with my “attention problem”.
I do not believe i have any degree of ADD, because i have heard that to have ADD you have to be “hyperactive”, which i certainly am not. On the contrary, i am perpetually exhausted. I fall asleep in school at the exact same time every day; it’s like my body’s on a clock. I do a lot of extra-curriculars after school which prevent me from having time(or being too tired) to excersize as often as i would like. And when i should be doing homework, sometimes i am too distracted and/or tired to do it! On a typical school night, i go to bed around 11:30 and wake up at about 6:45.
And one last thing, my friends have always made fun of me for constantly being “in the clouds”. I admit i get really deep into thought sometimes, but i never consider it to be a real problem. Could it be the result of something potentially harmful, like an attention defecit, though?
If anyone knows what might be going on with me and what i might could do, i would greatly appreciate it! I empathize with anyone in a similar situation. Hope everyone’s having a good day!
Re: Highschool student needs HELP!!!!
[quote=”Debra”]
Talk to your daughter about your concentration problems…it may be inattentive ADD or it may not. Please let your Dr. decide!
.[/quote]
Oops, that was supposed to read “Talk to your DOCTOR!!!”…sorry!!!!
:roll:
ADD
whoever told you that to be ADD, one must be ‘hyperactive’ did you no service and wasn’t right. Your description of yourself as “in the clouds’ suggests the possibility of ADD.
Talk to your parents and/or your family doctor. Good luck.
Re: Highschool student needs HELP!!!!
Poor nutrition and starving the brain of food can cause extreme attentional problems.
I would most defitinely talk to your doctor about possible vitiamin deficit issues. Depression can also cause huge attention span issues.
The big difference? Well I suppose one thing to consider;
ADD,while are not all hyperactive,lack focus.They pay attention to everything,therefore they have a big problem focusing in on one little thing,like the question asked on the test. This wouldn’t be the same thing as preoccupation with the same thought,which can be a symptom of a different problem. This also isn’t the same thing as not being able to focus on anything.
The diet issues are huge,please,before you diagnose yourself with yet another problem, look further into this one.
Now with this being said, I have two teenage boys who happened to be gifted lder’s with ADHD. Both can be preoccupied with worrying,figuring,daydreaming etc. They mostly live on the line of depression/happiness. No in between for adder’s, the world is either wonderful or terrible depending on which day of the week it is.
I will say ,they probably got it from us,their parents.
Does these traits make them Add,or Gifted,or Ld?
Heck if I know. Most of these characteristics are included in the traits of these disorder’s/ disabilities,etc. Being gifted can be as hard as being ADD in school.
Public school is boring,torture,even a nightmare for someone who’s mind wants to stretch,and the teacher keeps saying,pay attention,slow down,give me a bibliography, I take points off for spelling,puncutation,yadda,yadda,yadda…
Anyway,you sound like an intelligent kid who needs to find themselves. If academicly you are doing okay,not failing,having huge academic problems,then college is right around the corner and will be a WHOLE new world.Take care of the mental health issues,and yourself first,you might find in the end what your looking for.
From an adult Lder/Adder. A nurse,a mother,a wife.
Re: Highschool student needs HELP!!!!
i find tests easy and work boring and hard to stay focused on (ESPECIALLY long enough to finish AND turn it in).
btw what exactly did you need the help with?
cant really relate to you much besides lacking concentration (easily distractible by inside and outside stimuli…)
get the munchiez! pizza will never taste so good… ;)
im probably not supposed to say that lol
this post brought to you by slight sleep deprivation (up for 20 hours straight when i usually sleep for 14 hours if someone doesnt wake me up) and… ADD inattentive!
Lemons,
You sound very much like my sophomore daughter! She is very smart but takes FOREVER to do tests…always the last one finished! Just to let you know, it IS possible to have ADD and not be “hyperactive”. My daughter has ADD inattentive type…she’s not hyperactive, but has a very hard time concentrating, focusing and organizing her work. She takes Concerta during the school year and it REALLY helps her concetration at school. She is preoccupied with weight at this time in her life, also. She takes Luvox to help with anxiety…it helps a lot. In all other ways she is just a normal teenager…interested in boys, clothes, music, etc. She does very well in school, even though she works slowly and the teachers love her because she is nice and polite. She is a cheerleader and is a brown belt in Karate. Just telling you this stuff so you know that having ADD doesn’t have to ruin your life!!!!
Talk to your daughter about your concentration problems…it may be inattentive ADD or it may not. Please let your Dr. decide!
Best wishes…