Has anyone else had problems with ADD and college specifically?

brxndxn

Diamond Member
Apr 3, 2001
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Thoughrout elementary and high school, I got in trouble for disrupting class. My teachers would call my parents and say I had to get checked for ADD. However, my grades were good and my parents and I ignored them.

However, in college, I cannot ignore it. I've been getting extremely nervous on exams for no reason and I've been failing courses that would otherwise be easy to pass. My time management is sh!tty and my ability to focus is out of control. My ability to concentrate is all but gone and I cannot pay attention to much more than 5 minutes out of a 1hour lecture.

Now, for the past two years, I have been trying to get help for ADD or at least tested for it. However, the psychiatrist I saw seemed to think I was depressed and said I should take Wellbutrin for concentration. (My roomate used to take the same thing for depression.) Well, I've been on Wellbutrin for a year and my dosage has been raised twice and it has done nothing.

I also saw a counselor provided by my school for ADD problems. The counselor just told me to keep seeing my psychiatrist and that he would handle it. Well, the psychiatrist has not done anything. I have not one single letter written by the psychiatrist to my school to even let them know.

I now have the single crappiest transcript that's full of garbage in engineering. I really do not want to change my major - but I may be forced to. I basically spent another year trying to get this problem fixed.

If you've had problems with ADD or getting diagnosed with ADD in college, how did you handle them? Why is there all sorts of help offered in elementary and high school and none in college? Why the hell does it take so damn long to get any sort of help?

It takes 3 months to even make an appointment with a psychiatrist. ARGH.

Are there any jobs that require a person to do something completely different every day?
 

glen

Lifer
Apr 28, 2000
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The evaluations said I should not really try college becasue my ADD was so bad.
I will enter medical school this fall.
The latest drugs fro ADD are WellButrin, Strattera, Focalin (an one of the isomers in ritalin a raemic compound), and adderal.

 

agnitrate

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2001
3,761
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Try Focusin.

But remember, nobody can go off of Focusin. You have to be eased onto one of its sister drugs.

-silver
 

Originally posted by: brxndxn


Are there any jobs that require a person to do something completely different every day?

Emergency workers...cops, firefighters, Paramedic.
 

amnesiac

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
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I've been diagnosed with ADD by two different doctors, and I STILL think it's a bullsh1t 'condition.'

Yes, there IS a problem with concentrating on one thing at a time, but everyone uses it as a CRUTCH, claiming "oh, I can't go to school. I have ADD." "oh, I need more time on this test, I have ADD."

I say BULL-DONKEY on that. Ever since 4th grade, I'd drift five minutes into class. I'd always get picked on for not paying attention. I never did homework all the way through. Yes, it hurt me in that I got a 3.11 in HS as opposed to the 3.5+ I should have been getting.

I failed a few courses in college from royally screwing up assignments. Then I figured something out.

FOCUSING.

If you try hard enough, you CAN get over the fact that you can't concentrate on anything for 30 seconds at a time. You have to train yourself to immerse yourself in your work, and if you drift, take that nervous energy and channel it into something else productive. It's a problem that can be easily solved by simple manipulation of the "symptoms."

Anyone who says otherwise is too damn lazy to do the same work as everyone else.
 

eviltoon

Senior member
Jun 22, 2001
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I had a heck of a time with university. I did get good grades, but I started lots of courses and often dropped them 1 month into the term. It took me 7 years to get the BA. ADD hits people in different ways. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 32. By that time I had a job and a family. Lots of councilling and a couple of years of ritalin helped me through. But for anyone with ADD I'd stress the importance of understaning your limitations and your heightened abilities. Not all, but many people with ADD have heightened alertness and an ability to "hyperfocus". If managed properly this can be a great asset.

Keep looking for a psychiatrist that will recognize ADD. I spent over a year getting tested and medicated for depression. Boneheads got it all wrong, I wasn't depressed. Finally I linked up to a psychiatrist who specialized in ADD. She diagnosed me in less than 5 minutes. It was a big turning point in my life. But like your experience, it took me some 4 months to actually book and see her.

Hang in there though.
 

brxndxn

Diamond Member
Apr 3, 2001
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I've been diagnosed with ADD by two different doctors, and I STILL think it's a bullsh1t 'condition.'

Yes, there IS a problem with concentrating on one thing at a time, but everyone uses it as a CRUTCH, claiming "oh, I can't go to school. I have ADD." "oh, I need more time on this test, I have ADD."

I say BULL-DONKEY on that. Ever since 4th grade, I'd drift five minutes into class. I'd always get picked on for not paying attention. I never did homework all the way through. Yes, it hurt me in that I got a 3.11 in HS as opposed to the 3.5+ I should have been getting.

I failed a few courses in college from royally screwing up assignments. Then I figured something out.

FOCUSING.

If you try hard enough, you CAN get over the fact that you can't concentrate on anything for 30 seconds at a time. You have to train yourself to immerse yourself in your work, and if you drift, take that nervous energy and channel it into something else productive. It's a problem that can be easily solved by simple manipulation of the "symptoms."

Anyone who says otherwise is too damn lazy to do the same work as everyone else.

Focusing.. great.. all my problems are solved!

I have problems focusing in that I cannot control when and on what I will be focused. One day, it may be upgrading my computer has full attention and I won't eat or drink until it's finished. Another day, it might be cleaning my apartment. Another day, I might not be able to focus on anything. Even if I have free time, everything will be boring. I can't even play a video game sometimes because as soon as it's opened, I'm bored with it.

I'd probby be a lifer now if I posted all the posts I started and just got bored with typing a response.

I love you people that say ADD is a bullsh!t condition. I got a 3.6 in high school.. I also never did homework, studied, or paid any attention whatsoever. My teachers hated me. They thought I was lazy. I'd get A's on all my tests and then I'd get a B in the class because I never turned in any homework. I got the 2nd highest SAT score and the highest ACT score in my class and then I barely made it into the top 30% of my high school GPA class.

However, I've never been challenged before, IMO. Now, I'm being challenged and I'll readily admit I don't know how to study. I don't know how to prepare for a test. Even when I try to study or do homework, I can't stay focused on it long enough to complete it.

Yea... ADD is my crutch. The only other alternative is being stupid. Well, my 3.6 in high school says I'm less stupid than you then.
 

XZeroII

Lifer
Jun 30, 2001
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I learned to ADD in first grade ;)


Seriously, the problem is probably that you are in classes with friends and they are distracting you. Get away from them and take some classes on your own. Sit away from the crowd and see if your situation improves.
 

bunker

Lifer
Apr 23, 2001
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Read this

This supports amnesiac's theory. There are many other articles just like it, not sure why I picked this one. Here is one poignant passage:

ADHD: Nothing but a Sham
A condition such as diabetes carries detectable physical evidence of disease ? abnormal blood sugar levels, evidence of pancreatic malfunction ? justifying medical treatment. Families confronted with the ?wouldn?t you give insulin? argument could begin by asking the neurologist to provide medical evidence that a disease requiring treatment exists. Between 1993 and 1997, neurologist Fred Baughman corresponded repeatedly with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Ciba-Geigy (now Novartis, manufacturers of Ritalin), and top ADHD researchers around the country ? including the National Institute of Mental Health ? asking them to show him any article(s) in the peer-reviewed scientific literature constituting proof of a physical or chemical abnormality in ADHD and thereby qualifying it as a disease or a medical syndrome. Through sheer determination and persistence, Dr. Baughman eventually got these entities to admit that no objective validation of the diagnosis of ADHD exists.4

 

amnesiac

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
15,781
1
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Thanks Bunker.
THere's two distinct schools of thought in psychology - those who think ADHD/ADD is fake, and those who don't.
I have a feeling that this debate will go on for a long time.

brxndxn, what do you drift to when you're getting "Distracted?"
Try eliminating such distractions. For example, I kept hovering over to the TV or my PS2 or the computer...or I'd go next door and hang out with my neighbors. By cutting those off and studying outside or at the library, etc. I drastically increased my productivity.
 

yellowperil

Diamond Member
Jan 17, 2000
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Lack of attention may be a symptom and not a disorder but I wouldn't go so far as calling it a bullsh!t condition. I've had attention problems ever since I can remember (every report card I had in grade school had 'needs to listen and follow directions' checked). Sometimes the harder I tried to focus the more unfocused I became because I was so intent on focusing! I believe it may due to sleep problems, poor diet, lack of exercise, depression or sometimes biological, but it's definitely real and not just a slacker's excuse (all the time).
 

bunker

Lifer
Apr 23, 2001
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Originally posted by: yellowperil
Lack of attention may be a symptom and not a disorder but I wouldn't go so far as calling it a bullsh!t condition. I've had attention problems ever since I can remember (every report card I had in grade school had 'needs to listen and follow directions' checked). Sometimes the harder I tried to focus the more unfocused I became because I was so intent on focusing! I believe it may due to sleep problems, poor diet, lack of exercise, depression or sometimes biological, but it's definitely real and not just a slacker's excuse (all the time).

I'm not saying I don't think there is some sort of problem. My argument is there is no such "disease" as ADD/ADHD. My opinion is it's nothing but a behavorial problem that can be corrected w/out drugs.
 

Cuda1447

Lifer
Jul 26, 2002
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Originally posted by: amnesiac
I've been diagnosed with ADD by two different doctors, and I STILL think it's a bullsh1t 'condition.'

Yes, there IS a problem with concentrating on one thing at a time, but everyone uses it as a CRUTCH, claiming "oh, I can't go to school. I have ADD." "oh, I need more time on this test, I have ADD."

I say BULL-DONKEY on that. Ever since 4th grade, I'd drift five minutes into class. I'd always get picked on for not paying attention. I never did homework all the way through. Yes, it hurt me in that I got a 3.11 in HS as opposed to the 3.5+ I should have been getting.

I failed a few courses in college from royally screwing up assignments. Then I figured something out.

FOCUSING.

If you try hard enough, you CAN get over the fact that you can't concentrate on anything for 30 seconds at a time. You have to train yourself to immerse yourself in your work, and if you drift, take that nervous energy and channel it into something else productive. It's a problem that can be easily solved by simple manipulation of the "symptoms."

Anyone who says otherwise is too damn lazy to do the same work as everyone else.


You took the words right out of my mouth.


Don't take this the wrong way man, but just buckle down, stop making excuses, and get the job done. Everyones got problems in life, ADD is a very minor one in comparison to others. If you have to just take more breaks in between studying and then come back later to study. I probably have ADD myself (or what doctors diagnose with ADD) because Im one hyper-active crazy kid, but when I need to do something I buckle down and focus. Making up excuses won't do you any good. (Not saying that you are so don't take any of this the wrong way)
 

Babbles

Diamond Member
Jan 4, 2001
8,253
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I have been told by more than just a few people that I have ADD & OCD tendencies.
Quite a few people.

When I was in college (am 25 now) I had major focusing issues and my GPA really blows. I hate to make up any excuse, lame if you ask me, however I just simply could not study well and had major procrstination issues.

Even now I can not focus on something, or I focus too much on something and ignore all other things going on around me. Some things are strange such as I 'forget' to go to the bathroom because I am so into what I am doing I do not want to take those few minutes to go to the restroom. By the time I do it is after I am so ready to piss that I am about to explode; like that feeling you get in the movie theatre when you do not want to leave for fear of missing a cool scene so you hold it for an hour.

Anyhow, I was thinking about seeing a psychiatrist about it. Maybe it is nothing and just a personality quirk (or two), or maybe I have some sort of adult onset ADD.
 

HokieESM

Senior member
Jun 10, 2002
798
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brxndxn: while i don't personally suffer from ADD, I've taught several students who have (in sophomore level classes and senior level labs in mechanical engineering). I was notified--on several occasions--by the college about students who had "letters" in their files. My personal observations: there are several of the people who obviously suffered from actual PROBLEMS related to their condition (they also typically had OTHER medical problems, as well). But a great deal of the cases were what I would considered, ahem, a sham: frequently they were VERY bright people who were horrible students because they had never been challenged before. They had problems focusing on their schoolwork because they had never focused on their schoolwork before--in other words, they finished all their work in high school in an hour, so a four hour statics assignment was past their "attention span". Organizational skills were often poor--which have nothing to do with ADD.... they're just an acquired skill.

Honestly, you may or may not have a problem. Engineering can be a very challenging curriculum.... and if you never worked hard in high school, you may be finding out how difficult it is to work HARD. I've seen several VERY bright people fail out/drop out of engineering because they didn't either want to do the work or couldn't put that much time into their schooling.

As far as suggestions: you can ask about being put on medication. A warning though, many drugs that are used to treat ADD (i.e. Ritalin) are stimulants to "normal" people. I taught a middle schooler who was WORSE when he was taking his medicine (he was basically a little sh*t whose parents were excusing his behavior with a disorder). So definitely talk to a different psychiatrist, get a second opinion, and see what they think about medication. The other recommendation: work on developing organizational skills. Even if your attention span is short, keeping yourself organized can let you "pick up where you left off" on work.

Best of luck to you!
 
Mar 15, 2003
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Hey,
You're basically describing my life (well, I wasn't a distraction in elementary school - h.s. is when my violent side kicked in)... College is an extreme challange, but I think you (and I) should seek medical help in this case.. To people that say "just focus, ADD is BS!" - they probably don't experience the symptons to the degree that we do.. I'm going into film because it's the only think that really excites me - I've always been skilled with the tech side of life but, like you, don't think I have the focus to keep at it.. I haven't been able to learn a foreign language (which is why I'm still in college after 4.5 years) and I really can't learn any skills because my mind totally wanders.. I think I'll go see a shrink- i think you should too...
 
Mar 15, 2003
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Hey,
I used to believe that ADD was a fictional disorder until I took a psyche class and actually read the case studies (it wasn't a 101 class- it was my major until I stopped paying attention in class ;) These drugs DO work miracles for patients diagnosed with ADD.. Yes, they are over prescribed.. TOTALLY.. Some parents demand that their hyper active 4 year old get the stuff! But to dismiss it, especially in the face of someone who is experiencing these issues, is a bit too simplistic...
 

Pliablemoose

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
25,195
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I had to get out of the dorms so I could concentrate...

Youngest kid had ADD & oldest kid is gifted, the difference between these kids is enormous.

IMHO ADD is real, and if you are having problems, need to be treated. It took forever to find a hospital that would diagnose the youngest kid's ADD, we have her on medicine & work closely with the school to help her reach her maximum potential.

The newer psychiatrists (I work @ a teaching hospital) are about 80% in favor of treating ADD and they're serious.

I don't think much of Wellbutrin, I've seen 6-10 people have seizures while on it, it has the curious side effect of lowering the seizure threshold of virtually everyone that takes it, some folks just have a high seizure threshold. The poor folks show up in the ER seizing or just after a seizure & have no previous history, I look in their med profile & usually find out they're on Wellbutrin. My doctors usually miss it & try to put them on anticonvulsants till I show them the Wellbutrin side effects in a textbook.

Go back to your psychiatrist with a written list of what you think you need & don't let him/her blow off your concerns or just find a different psychiatrist.

Just a FYI, Psyclologists do the testing & Psychiatrists do the prescribing/diagnosing.

Good luck, & do not give up, even if things go all to crap gradewise, it's only a few months out of your life, you've got a lot of time to catch up...
 

glen

Lifer
Apr 28, 2000
15,995
1
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don't think much of Wellbutrin, I've seen 6-10 people have seizures while on it, it has the curious side effect of lowering the seizure threshold of virtually everyone that takes it, some folks just have a high seizure threshold. The poor folks show up in the ER seizing or just after a seizure & have no previous history, I look in their med profile & usually find out they're on Wellbutrin. My doctors usually miss it & try to put them on anticonvulsants till I show them the Wellbutrin side effects in a textbook.

Most of us have hardly ever seen someone have a seizure.
You are saying you have seen 6 to 10 people, knew they had it from Wellbutrin, but not sure if it was 6 , 7 8, 9 or exactly 10 people?
Wellbutrin can really help some folks out.
Please, get your facts straight on an issue this serious.
Some folks did have seizures.
But, it was a very small percentage, of a statisticaly insignificant sample of anorexic/bullimic women at high dosages.
In follow up studies, with a larger sample group, no statistically significant increase in seizures was reported.
Let me see if I can find the details and post them here.
 

Ulfwald

Moderator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
May 27, 2000
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While there is a considerable amount of abuse in prescribing drugs for "ADD KIDS", There are those out there that do suffer from this. I am one who has dealt with it all my life. I have undergone psych testing as well as medical testing before being prescribed anything. One such test was ordered by a Med Dr, not a shrink. They hooked me up to a machine that measured the brain activity. They did this before and after being on Adderoll for a month. Before meds: my brain activity was off the scale for normal people, I am not saying I am more intelligent than everyone else, instead, my brain picks up on every little distraction around me. Making it impossible to concentrate and focus. After the meds: Brain activity is more normal and I can concentrate on tasks much better. Something in my brain just is not wired right.
 

HokieESM

Senior member
Jun 10, 2002
798
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Originally posted by: Ulfwald
While there is a considerable amount of abuse in prescribing drugs for "ADD KIDS", There are those out there that do suffer from this. I am one who has dealt with it all my life. I have undergone psych testing as well as medical testing before being prescribed anything. One such test was ordered by a Med Dr, not a shrink. They hooked me up to a machine that measured the brain activity. They did this before and after being on Adderoll for a month. Before meds: my brain activity was off the scale for normal people, I am not saying I am more intelligent than everyone else, instead, my brain picks up on every little distraction around me. Making it impossible to concentrate and focus. After the meds: Brain activity is more normal and I can concentrate on tasks much better. Something in my brain just is not wired right.

Most definitely. I helped coach a 9-10 year old baseball team, and there was a child who was on Ritalin. His mother, being one of the apathetic types ("he's not here, so I don't care.. I'll give it to him later"), would frequently not give it to him at dinner (before practice).... and he was absolutely unruly when not on the medicine (and completely fine after he took it). If his mom didn't give him his medicine, I'd usually buy him a king-size snickers and send him home (he lived across the street from the field). Eventually, his mom got the idea (nothing like having a kid with no exercise, no medicine, and hopped up on sugar coming home 2 hours early). :)