Do you have Predominantly Inattentive Subtype ADD, too?

[Anonymous]

Hi, everyone. Newbie here. Been reading a lot of the forum postings and identified with most of the feelings: being bullied, being marginalized, being belittled, feeling like increasingly people don’t trust you, don’t value you or your work – and that’s just from my family members. *rim shot*

Seriously… I have felt all of those. I’m 42 and just now realizing that it’s possible to have subtypes of ADD and not be defined or diagnosed based on the old stereotypical ADD traits everyone has come to watch out for. I’m not hyperactive (though my mother always wanted me to be an actor so I would finally have an outlet for all of my energy), and I’m not fidgeter (except when I have to pee and can’t leave to hit a bathroom, of course),

I haven’t been fired from more than 3 jobs in my life, but I have always felt passed over (not that I wanted to be a manager of a retail store at 20 – pfft!) and put down (by management and co-workers alike) for missing simple details (I hate details). I haven’t had it as bad at work as a lot of you, but there have been many jobs I have had where I found myself talking me out of projects, promotions and other perks because I somehow knew I wouldn’t be great at the details or little parts of it that were so very important. In a lot of ways, being a slacker has saved my psyche many times over. (Yay?)

Anyway, just wanted to see if there were more like me on this forum, and to find out more about my sub-type from those who have lived with awareness of it for a long time. Also want to know what kind of work you gravitate to to suit your ADD.

Thanks,

Stacey

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[Anonymous]

i have inattentive add. i was always the lazy day dreamer type. now that im on meds im finding i am better able to hear others and do the things i need to do. im not procrastinating as much and i have more “get up and go”

i am a daycare teacher but i am finding i cant work in just any center, i had to find one where i fit in well, now that i have i am doing great.

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[Anonymous]

Jennee, that’s great news for you! Congrats. It’s not easy fitting in at the best of times, so finding a workplace that you’re paid to be in 8 hrs/day, 5 days/wk, is a tremendous bonus for you. I’m envious – not that I have it so bad working for my husband in his computer store. I hate the work, but the environment has more pluses than minuses for someone like me. Most days, however, the sheer volume of customer complains and fast talkers frustrates the hell out of me and I tend to have a few “mood swings,” as my husband is fond of calling my little meltdowns. I honestly can’t function when there is too much activity and noise, and when someone thinks humans can listen to new information as fast as we can talk (newsflash – it’s not possible!), and yet if I came across an accident where people’s lives are at stake, you’ll find I’m the calmest person there. And apparently I’m good with death and funeral homes. The staff at funeral homes will gravitate towards me out a packed room of emotional “normals” for some strange reason. Could be I’m the only one laughing that draws attention to myself. Dunno. I’m part Irish; we celebrate life not mourn it.

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[Anonymous]

Stacerella, I’m also a Newbie to this site. Just watched the PBS special yesterday (channel surfing, caught it by accident). I took the self-test and was found to be like you: Inattentive Subtype.” Looking back over my checkered career, I have left and/or been fired from many, many jobs, and now I know why…luckily I have a job now that is great, doing electronic records management which I love, but couple that with being the admin and receptionist for the Sales department/company makes me crazy. I am interrupted so many times during the day I want to hide somewhere. And this job relates to the many tasks I have and “where do I start”, (interruption), continue, (interruption), etc, etc…I’ve asked that the job be split into Sales Admin and get someone else for Reception/backup. We’ll see, my patience is wearing quite thin lately, and I’m so full of anger…but looking back at my childhood, I can see how ADD was a real part of me…jumping from one thing to another, starting but not finishing things, (you should see the stash of yarn I have now)!

I’m the quiet, shy type, like to be left alone to do my stuff, so this Electronic Records Mgmnt is great for me. About ten years ago I was in a similar situation and really liked filing, and now everything’s going electronic. I sure wanted to go to get my Master’s in Library Science, but I’m 60 now, memory isn’t that great as well as my attention span…so at least I found what I like, but it took 30 years and a diversion through Culinary School, Kennel Attendant, Real Estate person, and back to secretarial work to realize what I’m good and what I like…and Mom passing away in 2000 pretty much put me in a tailspin for about ten years, running from house to job to temping to not being able to leave the house to son leaving home…so much stimulation just couldn’t cope…luckily I had a great therapist who got me into a dr. and he gave me the right meds. Been on Effexor for ~4 years and it’s worked great. Still have some anxiety, but have been able to cope with that.

That PBS special really hit home, and I hope you had a chance to see it. One of the things we ADHD people need is to fit in the right job, and as I mentioned above, I am seriously lucky I got an opportunity to do what I really like. Not finishing things is very strong with me, I get excited about a project, then the steps come into play, and I get really confused on what’s important, what’s important to do next or now, or whatever. It’s like I don’t know what to do next, and I believe training comes in very strongly here. If your company is willing to do that so that you can do your job, all the better. We can have training where I am, but I am inundated with daily tasks and the doc mgmt is dormant until we get this OTHER system up and running…very frustrating…

I like details but I tend to get lost in them and their importance in the overall picture…that’s when I start daydreaming, and doing something else. Or I see the big picture and want to do it all at once and that can’t happen with anything. I see it as a giant project and then don’t do it; same with training; I feel I need to understand eveything about a new system, and I am not a computer person, although I can understand some stuff. Frustration then I give up…

So, my advice to you is to look over your past jobs and see what you really, really love to do. There’s going to be a pattern somewhere, and take a look at that. Go back to school if you can…see a professional career counselor. This will take some time, but you have a lot more working years ahead of you so you might as well be happy…nothing worse than going to a job you hate, and I have had plenty in my time. Actually, the jobs weren’t bad, it’s the people with negative attitudes around me that pretty much made me move on…

Best of luck to you and let me know how you’re doing!

Mary

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[Anonymous]

I have the predominantly inattentive sub-type. This is why I never thought I had ADD until recently. I thought you had to be hyperactive. In school I was always passively daydreaming. I could not control this. The teachers told my parents that I stared out the window a lot. My mother often punished me for “not paying attention, loosing things, forgetting homework.” She would yell at me and tell me I was stupid. None of these behavoirs were within my control. It was terrible for self esteem. As I got older, others in school referred to me as the space shot.

I did not have this problem in gym, art or science (lab)class. Those classes were very hands-on so I guess tactile learning helps me focus.

I can not function in loud, chaotic environments. When forced to endure such environments I tend to hyper-focus on some aspect to the detriment of others. I was a CCU nurse in a veterinary hospital. A very high stress environment. I tended to hyper focus on my own patients. Because of this I could not hear the IV fluid pump alarms of other nurses patients going off. I was expected to respond to the alrms of other nurses patients if that nurse was either on break of occupied elsewhere. This proved impossible for me. People thought I was being selfish and only taking care of my own patients and not helping anyone else out. This simply was not true.

Hopefully I’ll obtain some health insurance soon and possiblt find a doctor to help with ADD. Until than I am trying non medical approached to help me cope with it.

Peace All

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[Anonymous]

I too have predominantly inattentive sub-type ADD. I cannot tolerate loud chaotic environments. I always heard in school that I didn’t apply myself, that I was a daydreamer, etc. I made passing grades but was pretty bored most of the time. I remember never being able to find my shoes in the morning and/or my books and homework. I hated school. Every single minute of it. The idea of going to college was absolutely out of the question. Working has not been easy either. As the lady above said, as long as I was not interrupted I did OK. Must have been hyper focused on my project. I worked for 25 years in the legal field as a legal assistant. I would have liked to work more with our clients but pretty much just typed all day — except when that pesky phone would ring and interrupt me!

Does anyone out there have problems with math? I have never ever balanced my checkbook. I have no interest in it — at all. Anything that has to do with numbers or math I completely ignore. I do however love to write. Spelling was always easy for me and the written word is fascinating. Now, don’t ask me what a pronoun is or ask me to diagram a sentence, but I am a great story teller!

I still need to work but I sure would rather not. The thought of going into an office again makes me crazy. I have tried retail, but there is that ever present math situation. I’m great with the people, but the detail work — well, not so much. I have attempted many, many businesses of my own. I have a wealth of ideas. However, once I get things started and the routine sets in, I’m pretty much done. NEXT! Would that fit in under not finishing projects? Oh yes, and I have quite a yarn collection myself — unfinished projects abound.

Is anyone else out there dealing with depression along with this? Is it part of the diagnosis of ADD?

Would love to hear/see your responses. We certainly are all in this together and it’s actually kinda cool knowing there are plenty of others out there like me!

Thanks to all.

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[Anonymous]

Yes, I’m the inattentive one too. I’ve always been the underachiever and my mother still loves to go on about how lazy I was since I always had my head stuck in a book. (Funny, she was so proud that I loved to read, but it annoyed her if I read for more than 30 minutes a day!) I couldn’t stay organized and still have trouble, even with meds. The computer is a new distraction that gets me in loads of trouble–it’s supposed to be a tool to work, but I usually spend too many hours doing something else with it. And though I have a bachelors degree from Washington University, I am employed as a teacher’s assistant–not exactly a career job–never have had one of those. The one thing in my life that I can say I’ve done very well is mothering my children, and I’m extremely proud of that.

And yes pworthy, depression is a component, but I think it is in response to the frustrations we experience–what are neutral experiences for most people are uphill battles for us. Everything is harder, and that does take a toll. LOL on the yarn collection–I have one of those myself and haven’t knitted for years. The moths have probably eaten it all up.

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[Anonymous]

I also found this site by accident. I found the PBS show flipping channels in the middle of the night–which is one of my problems. I stay up late every night. After taking the online test, I realized that I tend to be the inattentive subtype as well, although as a child, I could be pretty hyperactive, usually talking (which is still one way it presents itself, especially if I’m anxious). I think I like to be up late when everyone else is sleeping because there are so few distractions. It’s quiet. I have the world to myself. No phone calls. No demands. Add to that a natural body clock that tends to be late day, and it’s a recipe for failure to succeed in the “real world.” I always said if I could just sleep between 2 AM and 10 AM, that would be perfect. But like I said, the rest of the world doesn’t operate on that schedule, so I end up trying to exist on 3-5 hours of sleep.

Well, it’s catching up with me. Even though I’m medicated, I think the Adderall I take is just making up for the lack of sleep and not really helping my ADD. I’m just where I would be unmedicated with slightly more sleep. I didn’t take any Adderall yesterday and I realized how much it masks how tired I am. Then today, I ended up sleeping in until after 2:00 PM. Now, probably tonight, it will be even more difficult to go to sleep at a “normal” time.

I’m a real estate agent, so I don’t have set hours I have to be at work. The only problem is, if I want to do my job right, I still need to be “on the job” around 9 AM. Today there were things I needed to take care of, and now I’m going to be way behind. Sitting here posting on this forum isn’t helping that, I know, but I’m feeling really overwhelmed and I was hoping by posting here, I could feel like I had someone who might understand what it’s like.

I need a coach. I know I need a coach. But, I don’t have any way to pay for one because my husband, who is a contractor, and I are self-employed. Given the two industries we’re in, you can see how we would be short on funds at the momment. And health insurance, forget that! We haven’t had that for years! (Even when I did, it didn’t pay for coaching.) My hope when I went into real estate 4 years ago, was to bring in more money, but if course, the real estate market didn’t pick up like everyone hoped.

And pworthy, depression is a part of it. I’ve been on Welbutrin for years. My son tried to tell me he didn’t think my problem was ADD, but depression and anxiety .But, I know the reason I have depression and anxiety is because of the ADD. I’ve spent most days of my life as far back as I can remember feeling overwhelmed and one step behind the rest of the world. I find myself screaming inside, “I just want to be normal!” It’s horrible that the simplest everyday tasks take on monumental difficulty because of this. Everything I have to do takes more time. I used to get so sick of hearing teachers in school say, “You have so much potential, if you could only get organized and get more done.” Decades later I’m saying that to myself. Funny how that works, isn’t it?

Well, the day isn’t getting any younger. I need to go actually do something productive. If anyone knows a way to find get some ADD coaching that’s free, please let me know. I really could use some help.

Thanks.

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[Anonymous]

I too have predominantly inattentive sub-type ADD. I think that if i were diagnosed as a child I’d has been diagnosed with the hyperactive part as well but over the years I have mellowed quite considerably. At least…out in public. I still get overly excited about things. Especially things that I just…well…that I love. (>_<)

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[Anonymous]

Greetings, rookies. Make note – We need emoticons and smilies in this forum. I was diagnosed with ADD in 2001. I don’t really know if I have the symptoms of sub type ADD but I do know I have it and only now slowly learning how to live with it. I don’t think I fit what the typical ADDer have but I do know I can be easily distracted at times. It is a very difficult thing for me to deal with. I have emotional roller coaster rides all the time. It is difficult for me to maintain any form of stable relationships in both personal and professional environments.

I like to tell you something about me. All I know is I had grown up feeling being different from children my age. My childhood was a nightmare. My grandpa was probably the only one in my family who understood and accepted me as I am. He encouraged me to explore my abilities while my parents had forced me to suppress them. For years I had learned to buried my ADD nature. As a result I grew up feeling isolated, very angry, resentful and alone. I am more sensitive than “normal” and I am more emotional than others. I am often described as the silent observer. I had a tendency of being the person everyone seems to ignore or go unnoticed.

So who am I? I have been seeking an answer to this question all my life. I have yet to find the answer. My doctor believed I had ADD. Base on my observations my mother and my nephew had it too but they refused to acknowledge it. My sister don’t want to talk about it. It is hard to bring ADD into the open when it is surrounded by years of misconceptions. I suppose I must just keep on searching. The answer is out there somewhere. I just have to find it.

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[Curlymoe115]

Newbie to this site, but not to ADD. I was diagnosed when I was in grade 1. I was the fidgety child that always blurted out the first answer that came to mind. It was usually the right answer, but I got in a lot of trouble because I never let anyone else have their turn. I am very private, secretive and shy but hide this behind an avalanche of words. So I am often in trouble because I fail to ask others about themselves. I figure that if you want me to know something you will tell me, if I stop talking long enough to listen. If there are long lulls in the conversation I either jump in and start chattering or more likely start slipping back into the safe daydreams that keep me busy when I don’t have a book. Therefore when you do start talking it is often a sentence or two before I am aware that you are talking to me again. Then I just guess at what I missed and continue as though I understood it all. (Quite often I get puzzled looks and they pass it off as she is just eccentric)

I have had a few jobs that I loved, but more often I ended up in conflict with co-workers for being impulsive and completing things to my specifications instead of theirs. Instead of seeing the big picture from their perspective I am sure of what needs to be done, and race quickly to complete this. If I get interrupted to do something else it could be hours or days until I feel the energy to get back to it. And then the project can languish because I have lost the vision. I am better at jobs that require a sequential focus and as long as I know the steps I can finish these quickly. My body may be still but my mind is always racing to fill itself up. I think this is a way of compensating because I was forced to stay still. My last job was in a busy government office where we had cubby’s. This was the absolute worse place for me to be. I often would hear conversations going on between co-workers and would feel this overwhelming need to stand up and blurt out a comment. Restraining myself was exhausting. I worked as a program assistant for 4 programs and was required to book conferences and mail outs that needed to be done in a certain way. This information was not disseminated very well and the one coordinator was also ADD so she would tell me what she wanted and could see it clearly in her mind but was unable to share her vision with me. I also could clearly see the project in my mind and would try to explain my vision and she would agree with what I was saying but we both only saw our own vision. So therefore the end result would often fail to measure up to the coordinators expectations.

They then appointed a person to act as the go between for us. She would break the steps down and tell me exactly what to do. She would only explain one or two steps at a time and then disappear and I would quickly finish this and then when I went looking for the next part couldn’t find her and then the enthusiasm had worn away and by the time she came back I would be caught up in a new project and resented having to quit doing what I wanted to go back to this other thing. This person also took an opportunity to draw attention to me and heap ridicule on me. Instead of appreciating the fact that the coordinator also needed her to act as an intermediary because she lacked the ability to explain she used this as a way to point out that she was superior. I finally quit because I always felt ridiculed.

That was 2 years ago. I now stay home. I read 2 or 3 books a day, nap and find other ways to fill my time while my family goes to work and school. I loved my job but I hated the social fall out. I often felt just like when I was in school like there was always a spotlight on me when I just spilled something on myself. I have a hard time being socially appropriate. I come on too strong with friends and family and have to make a conscious effort to not overwhelm people. If my house is clean and organized I function well in the home but things melt into chaos very quickly then I have a hard time getting back on track. I will tidy quickly (putting things in boxes and drawers) and then the next day I have to find something and everything gets torn apart again. I could easily be on one of the hoarder shows because I hate to part with anything. I have every receipt, manual (French and English) and box of household items but they end up shoved away and never found again, unless I am hunting for something else. I lose my keys, glasses, articles of clothing because these are discarded while I am busy doing something, or thinking something and then I come back to where I thought I put it and it isn’t there. I spend a lot of time playing “If I was blank, where would I be”.

My family try not to interrupt me when I am reading or watching tv. They get my attention then stand back while I take a moment to stop focusing on the task that I am doing. If they interrupt me too fast I get angry and lash out. I hyperfocus on one task and the rest of the world ceases to exist. I can be in the middle of an ocean of people but the only thing that matters right now are me and this book because too much stimulation overwhelms me and I get giddy and drunk on social situation. I have to be socially engaged in my conversation or I get lost in my own thoughts and bored and start looking around at something else to focus on. If I am bored I will become engaged with other conversations and will interject comments like I was a participant and give unsolicited advice. My family is always chiding me for eavesdropping on others.

I regularly do 2 or 3 things at once, and if I find it interesting I can complete them all, but if I get bored I can abandon 1 or all of the tasks for something else. I hate to be late but will often get caught up waiting so leave later and rush to get there. I hate to wait on someone else, and this often leaves me angry and impatient when the world does not function on my timetable. When something must be done I am decisive and swift and will finish everything to my specification. I can wake up 5 before I have to go, have time to shower, dress and get out the door. But if I have hours to wait I will often get busy or distracted to keep myself from focusing on the endless time ahead and therefore have to rush to get ready to go.

I was called an old-soul or just weird as a child, I got along well with adults but never made many friends. My social world focused around my family, and if I did get invited to a strangers home it was the same nightmare. I would be on the edge of my seat with excitement, the time would creep by slowly until it was time to go, then finally the time would arrive. I would be manic and hyper and overwhelm everyone else at the party, I couldn’t sit still and had to see and do everything all at once. I usually ended up spilling my drink on the hostesses dress or her brand new couch, or I would have my mouth full of ice cream and something funny would happen and I would spew ice cream all over. I was never invited to their home or any of the other participants homes again. Now I often get cued that I talk to fast, too loud or I am unable to talk at all. If the party is too loud, I can’t concentrate on any one voice. I can’t hear clearly and it all just buzzes through me. I get jazzed and it is like too much champagne. I feel giddy but disconnected. When I get home I just deflate. It takes hours to stop the buzzing in my head. I feel like I have been stung by a million fire ants.

I have a memory like an elephant, and I never forget. But not anything that I need to remember. I can recall the first words you spoke to me, but I can’t remember to get milk when I am at the store for milk. I remember when you need to pay your Visa bill but forget that I promised to make 2 dozen cupcakes for my daughters dance. That is the dichotomy of ADD. My brain is different then everyone else’s. I have to make a conscious effort to be “normal” like everyone else. I have had 42 years experience being a mimic. It helps remembering so much trivial bits and pieces because then you can follow the sequential steps to be like everyone else. But beware, because you are just a mimic and at anytime you could be unmasked.

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[Anonymous]

Wow Curly Moe, nicely written and sums things up well for me as well, except for the diagnoses in grade 1. Mine was last week and I’m 41. All of these disconnected problem with me that I fought against all my life now make sense. Like one of those connect the dots kids puzzles, once I understood how to connect the dots the picture was clear and I understood why. Now that I know why, I can choose to embrace what makes me, me, or I can fight it and deal with the frustration and anxiety with out feeling confused too. Win – win for me. That said I am who I am and it’s going to be a lot of work to overcome the distraction and impulses, while learning how to manage my attention threshold issue. I don’t feel like a mimic, more like a super-ball contained by elastics, elastics that are either there because I self imposed them do to learning that certain actions and behaviors are not acceptable, or because of the socially accepted rules imposed on everyone that didn’t really fit me either. Now they are gone and I can decide one day at a time, one situation at a time how to behave or respond or act and feel like I’m being true to myself. You can’t make all the people happy all the time, but you can make yourself happy anytime you want!!

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[billd]

wow curlymoe – well said, and so much of that fits me! My ex-FIL farmed and I did as well a few miles away. Because he had equipment, and I had time, I helped him on stuff in exchange for him doing combining for me, for example.

When it was time to do their hay, on the day they were going to put it up, he’d pull out the baler to get it ready………… then if it was broken or needed a part – we’d wait……… sometimes for a day or two, while the hay sat.

Me, if I see the hay will be ready on the 15th, I have the baler out on the 1st getting it all ready – just in case.

He could not operate that way. Nice fellow, but drove me nuts!!!

When planting time came, my planter was ready and had been ready for over a month. All checked, adjusted, tested and whatever. Others were just pulling their planters out and going nuts because a part was on backorder.

This >”Predominantly Inattentive Subtype” of ADHD< is how this site diagnosed me…….yet another test I scored perfectly on.

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[Anonymous]

WOW, WOW, WOW! I have joked my whole adult life that I have ADD, but I truly know I do now! I am glad to know, because now I can do something about it. Mine is ALL inattention ADD subtype….I’m not really hyper, nor as a child I think.

1) I have always hated reading because I couldn’t focus on the material and would have to re-read all the time, which frustrated me to no end!!! I rarely finished any long books in high school and just tried to do my best on the tests…..was able to pass due to my very good writing & grammar skills. Math is OK for me, but I wouldn’t say I love it.

2) I am a total procrastinator, even on little work tasks…and definitely in my personal life. I just can’t motivate myself to do anything before it is urgent! LOL! Then suddenly I can get it done & finish it!

3) I am calm during an emergency and work well under pressure….that used to confuse me…..but I get it now!

4) I tune people out all the time & I often think 2 steps ahead during conversations and forget to stay in the moment!!! Then I am like…”What?”. Or I miss details of the conversation.

5) I am SUPER FORGETFUL and always nag myself “Why can’t I remember things….or why did I think I did something when I didn’t?!?!?!”. I have so many reminders on my computer they all blur together now!!! AAH!

6) I don’t think I struggle with self esteem, other than wishing I could be more like my super organized un-cluttered friends….but they help me slowly learn how to organize. I really think that my Christian faith has a lot to do with it….I know God loves me and forgives my shortcomings….and my mother put me in private school as a child where I did fairly good, except with reading. I can read, I just hated book reports, because I always waited until the weekend before it was due and then couldn’t focus on the reading!!! Sad, but I do love reading short magazine articles (and internet articles) and wish I could read through the Bible….I started last year and am only in Leviticus, because it is just so hard for me to stay focused and then I don’t go back to it for months at a time…..

Any suggestions out there on how to tackle Bible reading or large novels which I totally avoid?? I own books that I want to read, and just don’t know how I’m ever going to…..maybe books on CD??? LOL!!!

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[Anonymous]

Any suggestions out there on how to tackle Bible reading or large novels which I totally avoid?? I own books that I want to read, and just don’t know how I’m ever going to…..maybe books on CD??? LOL!!!

Yes! Books on CD is exactly what I was going to say. I love them for when I’m doing something tedious like painting a room or driving long distances or working out on a machine.

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[Author]

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