Re: Do you have Predominantly Inattentive Subtype ADD, too?

[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

REPORT ABUSE