Adult Attention Deficit Disorder or just a lazy hypochondriac?

[Naetha]

Does anyone here have adult ADD? If so, have you been formally diagnosed? Are you receiving any treatment? (Either drugs or non-medical therapy).

I don't know if I'm just looking for excuses for my laziness, but I'm struggling so hard to get anything done. I have a 5 month old baby, and I'm constantly using him as a reason for not having done things (arranged child tax credits, missed doctor's appointments (it took us 4 attempts to get his final set of jabs) got the car in for a service etc) but the truth is he is a very easy baby and I have plenty of time to do these things. I just find it so hard to actually knuckle down to do things - I get distracted and end up doing little easy things and I achieve nothing. Often I'll sit down at the computer full of determination and optimism for doing something important, then the next thing I realise is an hour has gone by, and you guessed it - I've achieved nothing.

Often I know in the back of my mind I need to do the thing, but I qietly ignore it in the hope it will go away (or my husband will do it!), especially if it requires a lot of concentration. I push procrastination to new limits. So far I've had four failed attempts at trying to even get the forms to claim my child tax credits.

Anyway, essentially what I'm saying is am I just lazy, and looking to justify my laziness, or is this really ADD? I suppose I'd like validation from someone that has it

[annoyingdevil]

Hi there. I am undiagnosed, but in no doubt whatsoever that I have ADHD (as does my Dad)

I have always felt different to others. At school my parents were called to the school because I was forever rocking in my chair. I didn't have many friends, and was told I was stupid (I could never understand why, as I knew I was brighter than average). I have never been able to concentrate on anything and to this day, find it difficult to watch movies or read books (unless they grab me from page one).

Like the previous poster's DH, I finally got my act together to go to University at 35 (but dropped out when I fell pregnant)

These days, I am much like you, cannot get anything done and it's driving my crazy. I can't keep the house tidy, I leave everything until the last minute, so disorganised, distracted and slap dash. I am also feeling increasingly depressed about the way I am, and so sad that this condition wasn't recognised when I was a child.

I think the point I'm making is that If you have just had these problems as an adult then it could be depression rather than ADHD

[lackaDAISYcal]

a lot of the things you are experiencong could also be sdown to postnatal depression. I have suffered from depression on and off since my DS was born six years ago, and the inability to get things done, or starting something with gusto only to get a bit meh about it halfway through is a recurring theme here. I find things are much easier and I am much more proactive when I'm taking the right drugs.

Talk things over with your GP and see what he/she thinks

[Naetha]

No sorry I should have made it clear that I've always been like this!

It's just now the people I'm letting down are people that matter to me, rather than my
employers, who to be brutally honest I never really cared much for.

When I was young I was always very bright, and generally did well, but this was more due to
voraciously reading books I was interested in (Dorling Kindersley books!) rather than
actually paying attention in class. I did amazingly well at GSCE (got all As), but then got poor grades at A-level and barely scraped through my degree. I put so much effort into my GCSEs and A-levels, as well as having extra help from my parents, friends and extra tuition. It was so frustrating to see my grades fail despite trying so hard, but at the end of the day, if it wasn't that interesting, I just lost interest and couldn't concentrate for the life of me. I'd read the same passage of text again and again for up to an hour, then exhausted from all the effort go to read a "chapter" of a fun book, then surface three hours later having learned nothing, but had a relaxing read! I could usually wing it in exams, but half of my coursework wasn't even finished, and revision involved having a quick scan of someone else's notes.

My report cards all the way through school were full of "lacks application", "talks too
much", "would do well if she ever stopped daydreaming", and the constant "could do better".

The number of times I was sent to the headmistresses office for being disruptive (swinging back on my chair constnatly, fidgeting, jiggling my legs etc) was
significant. I also had a bad back (that I've only recently grown out of) because I always had to carry all of my books with me all the time, otherwise I'd forget them. I used to use a 40 litre rucksack as my schoolbag . The only reason I wasn't chucked out of school was because it was a private school and my Dad was a respectable member of the community .

At university again I was damn lucky to fall in with the right crowd who really supported me and (I'm not particularly proud of this) gave me their note cards to read through the night before the exams, as well as patiently explaining anything I had a problem with. As it was, I got a third, and was nearly chucked out for non-submittal of coursework.

I've been working in the same place since I graduated. I'm frankly gobsmacked they haven't sacked me for the amount of time I spend staring out of the window or on the internet. I'm lucky that my job isn't too taxing (most of the time) and I can get away with spending three hours on a report that should only take half an hour. The hardest part I find is actually starting anything - if I am given a template to fill in, I'm usually OK, but if I just have to fill a blank piece of paper I find it virtually impossible to get started, and really push the bounds of procrastination. I've also turned into the backup office receptionist as I can't let a phone ring for more than three rings. Again, I'm lucky because I've got a reputation for being helpful, as I'd always rather do little easy jobs, especially if they involve driving anywhere, or doing something that doesn't involve my brain so I can let it wander.

Sorry, I have a tendency to go off on tangents - what I'm trying to say, is yes I've always been very absent minded, a definite daydreamer, procrastinator, and general slacker. I've always found it so hard to make the first moves. It's only become a real issue for me recently because I can't get away with it any more. I can't still have this amount of mess and clutter with a baby who's about to start crawling, and because DH is working extra hours to provide for us, there are some things I have to do myself, and they're still just not being done.

I guess the next step is to go to my GP, but I don't want to make a nuisance of myself or be accused of being an attention whore (something I always got when I was younger) and lazy to boot. I very tentatively mentioned it to my dad (as he has a tendency to be absent minded and scatty, but not as bad as I am) and he preached to my about organisational skills (as if I haven't tried!) and told me to "just snap out of it", so I didn't take it any further. I guess I'm just worried of getting the same response from my GP.

Sorry this post is so long! I'm just trying to clarify the situation more in my own head than anything else!

[Naetha]

It took me three hours to write it, although in several stints of about 5 minutes each!

It actually reminded me of when I was much younger though - I was referred to a child psychiatrist because my stepmother thought I was going "off the rails", and I told lies a lot. The psych decided that this was because I'd just been through a pretty crappy divorce and break-up (my mum left me and my Dad for another man when I was 6 and took my older half brother and sister with her), and that my lies (which weren't malicious) were due to my inability to differentiate reality and fantasy, which I suppose ties in a little.

I'm not breastfeeding any more - I did until 16 weeks.

A diagnosis would help me a lot - I'd rather be told that I have a reason to be the way I am, rather than being told by everyone that I'm just lazy, inattentive and can't pull my weight. Obviously treatment would be great (from what I've heard it can work wonders), but I can't say I'm that positive about getting it sorted in this country. Maybe attitudes will change though

Thanks for all your replies - you're a great bunch

[annoyingdevil]

Good to read all the replies. I am too scared to go to the GP as I'm sure I'll get laughed out of the surgery (he's very old school).

I do try to focus on the positives: we are highly creative, have a total refusal to conform and are brilliant at thinking outside of the box. But the p r o c r a s t i n a t i o n - is slowly driving me INSANE