adult a.d.d.?

[rightlyso]

i'm 24 and have withdrawn from college twice. i need to go back and finish in order to get on with life and establish a career for my sake and my marriage's. my mother has read all these books on adult a.d.d., and a lot of what she is saying seems to describe tendencies i deal with. however, do i really have a chemical imbalance that has caused a psychological disorder, or do i simply have a sever procrastination habit? could i have conditioned myself while growing up to avoid actions associated with negetive feelings? is it possible that i simply need to draw closer to the Lord Jesus and glean discipline and motivation from Him? i'm seeking educated Christian advice on the subject of adult a.d.d.

[Mark_S]

Not professional advice, but your story is very familiar to me. I've been living it for about 11 years longer than you. My advice is simply get help sooner rather than later.

[rightlyso]

Not professional advice, but your story is very familiar to me. I've been living it for about 11 years longer than you. My advice is simply get help sooner rather than later.
what kind of help have you gotten and from whom? and what relationship have you found this sort of psychology to have with your faith?

[MuggleOrSquib]

I agree with Mark S. I struggle with (mild?) Attention Deficit Disorder myself.

I knew someone in an Arkansas church I attended in the late 1990s whose whole psychology was negatively affected by ADHD (behavior indicating feelings of guilt and inferiority...). Since I met him and his wife, he apparently got sufficient treatment (both neuro-chemical and psychological) that Walmart hired him as a general manager for a new store opening in another mid-western state.
There are tests you can take to get a clear diagnosis of A.D.D.
One evidence for me is that I find tedious mental work actually painful. I probably gave some friends a scare when, while working on their computer (searching out some entries in the Windows registry) I started repeating 'Oh God, Oh God...'. I was in actual pain, caused not by their computer but by the type of concentration necessary.

ADD and ADHD appear to be related to low levels of one or more neuro-transmitters or neuro-repressors. Mine appears (my guess) to be related to low seratonin levels. Other common causes are low dopamine levels or low norepinephrin levels. Interesting stuff on wikipedia about all this...

[Ben Franklin]

I wish I could get diagnosed to that level. For me, it's hereditary (both of my sister and younger brother also have ADD). I have a tendency to veer off track everytime something pops up, most times I give up in the face of heavy concentration, I forget why I'm doing time-to-time, when crossing from room to room, and thoughts bombard me at a high rate of speed. So much so that to compensate, when talking about a subject, I grab on to a point, like "jaws of life", and I won't let go until I'm satisfied it's finished (no fun for others)... My coping tactic is to make constant notes, so I don't forget what I'm doing along the way, or, to do one thing at a time, to stay focused.

[docjam]

I agree with Mark, get help sooner rather than later. However, you can also use this to your advantage. I know us ADD people have a tendency to get sidetracked very easily. If for some reason you're in the middle of a conversation, and you get sidetracked, you can just say something along the lines of "sorry, my ADD kicked in and I missed what you said." Then they nicely reply...or if in class, you if you get caught not paying attention, just tell them you forgot to take your ritalin and were zoning. If can also work against you though, I know I have a hard time taking tests because often times I read 1/2 the question and assume the rest and zone out and just answer based on 1/2 the question. So while ADD can definately hurt you in times such as test taking, if used properly you can use it to your advantage at times such as when you're really not listening to someone. I know it's easy to go on tangents too with ADD. If you're the one talking, and you get sidetracked and start tangenting, blame it on the ADD and people will understand. Speaking of taking tests, I've got one on Monday and Thursday of this week. Speaking of Monday, I'm trying to switch a shift this week at work. I want to work Monday and give up my Sunday night shift so I can go to Minneapolis with Tom this next weekend. I remember running through the streets of Minneapolis once and this homeless guy who was laying on a bench got up and started running with us. Our whole basketball team and he tried to start running with us...what were we talking about?...something bout ADD I think, that's my two cents worth...