Teen ADD

[Anonymous]

I’m currently in 8th grade and I believe that I suffer from ADD. I’ve been wandering around the internet for a while and I’ve read in a couple of places that it’s common for teens to have ADD symptoms but I think that I have something more than that.

Sometimes I have trouble sleeping. It’s kind of like… say you were trying very hard to think about anything other than elephants, but now you can’t get the idea out of your head. One time I was having trouble getting to sleep and the only thing I could picture in my mind was my classroom. All my classmates were talking and it was nothing but loud, indistinctive chatter that wouldn’t stop. That went on in my head for about an hour, but now horrible sleeping habits like that only last for 10 minutes, but it’s still very annoying.

I’m one of those people who can get straight A’s in school by barely doing anything at all, but now in history and science it’s mostly about learning vocabulary which means I have to study. My study habits are outright atrocious. I seclude myself into a corner of my room with nothing but a study sheet and I still find myself more interested in the wall. At school it’s pretty bad. My friends will be talking to me and even though they are some of my best friends I sometimes don’t even know what their talking about. I just keep going “yeah, uh huh” until they stop talking. In class I always get called on during a lecture when I’m looking out the window or just not playing attention, but most times I’m able to answer the question based on the little that I remember the teacher saying, so I don’t think the teachers notice anything wrong with me.

The worst part is although in my mind I know that something’s wrong with me, my parents can’t tell either because their never with me at school. I’ve told my parents about 10 times that I think I have ADD, but all they do is say “Oh, I don’t think so.” Should I let it go or convince them to go see a doctor?

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[Hans]

SUBTRACT

Ok here goes. I had a high IQ-tested out 146. Thats good and bad,

Some of my history-and observations. then recommmendations.

Because we have good grades “We cannot have ADHD”—WRONG. We can get good grades because we learn to compensate.

Parents- Do not like to acknowlege they gave birth to a “Defective” child- Avoidance-Denial… You have told them 10 times already and they did not want to address the issue. Telling them to see a DR. will probably not work because they can’t t see the problem inside your brain.

Your hyper-focus-allows you to get great grades but also-tunes out friends and conversation when the mind wanders etc.

People with ADHD often have problems with relationships/work. Others think we don’t care because we can seem inatentive when in fact our minds just jump from subject to subject.

Outdoors soothes us. The out doors has a calming effect. I hated cub scout meetings in the church-loved the outdoors and hikes.

I loved looking out the window and day dreaming…looking for patterns in the wall paint–figures faces etc…

Recommendations/other issues

NO 1. Do not give up. If you have ADHD life is so much better when diagnosed and on medication. if needed.. You can use the information to excell in your strengths. Research..Research.Research.. objectivity.. There are many things you can do to help yourself now.

NO.2 Educate your parrents-See the progam “ADDand loving it. Record it and ask your parents to watch it with you. Try to have an open discussion. ADHD is not a sign of stupidily–Our brains work differently..Many Dr’s Lawers,and engineers like me have it. We are great but our think process is diffrent. We are inventive, creative and capable of thinking out of the box.

A friend of ours has a son diagnosed with ADHD. His mother refuses to put him on medication because she did not want him known as a “MED KID” .–Social Stigma- today and lifelong suffering tomorrow….

No.3. Talk to your school councelors. There is much more information on ADHD and your school officials can help and point you in the right direction.

BAD NO 4. Untreated ADHD (not being able to focus) can lead to stress in school. Stress can block your ability to do well in test or certain subjects. Your scholastic ability in certain subjects suffer. No matter how hard you try the information cannot be retained or called upon. I would have “Brain Freeze”. I would skip over questions on a test till I could answer one easily. Once the initail stress was gone i could remember the answers to the questions I had skipped.

Good luck

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[Anonymous]

Thanks so much, I will definitely take your considerations to heart.

My school counselor and I are on good terms, so I’m sure she’ll be helpful and honest. And as for my parents, I know it will be hard for them to accept that something’s wrong with me because they’ve already seen my brother go from genius to B-/C+ student in 3 years. And as for medications, I’ve read that there are many side effects to taking ADD medication. Do you think it’s worth it or do the cons outweigh the pros?

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[Lindstr7]

Subtract,

all great advice from Hans. If I could offer my 2 cents, I would watch the videos in the video section. especially the ones found on this page:

http://totallyadd.com/sponsored-video-5-medications-alphabetically/

Video 5 pops up first but if you scroll down you’ll see the other videos 1-5. start at one and work your way through. The dr. does an excellent job of debunking myths about ADD meds. It would be a good tool for you and your parents. After you watch it maybe you can watch it together with them. I am the mother of a 16 year old who told me she thought she might have it and my response was “I don’t think you do.” Even though I had just been diagnosed! I think it was just a knee-jerk reaction of denial mostly out of fear of the stigma attached to any “disorder.” So, I urge you to watch these videos and educate yourself then perhaps you can be more persuasive when trying to convince your parents. Also, I’m on my 2nd day of Ritalin and the only side effects are a little bit of a dry mouth (not much) and I have a slight headache. Working with your doctor is key in finding the right dosages and the right med for you. Good Luck!

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[Anonymous]

Thank you Lindstr7, you helped me clear a little of my nerves on meds. The videos will clear the rest I’m sure

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[Anonymous]

Subtract, I was not quite as good in school as you, but I also started having some major trouble in Jr. High and High School. My parents were already pretty sure I had ADD, but when I started getting frustrated, they went ahead and had me tested. I didn’t start Ritalin till my Jr. year in High School and it was a great help! I guess I just want to say I understand COMPLETELY where you’re coming from! Keep educating yourself and maybe you’ll be able to get your parents to watch some of of the videos on this site. Good for you for not giving up!! There is a great book called Fidgit to Focus that was a big help to me in dealing with my children’s ADD. It also helped me deal with some of my funny quirks in positive way. It also offers some good tips for dealing with ADD. Another good book is Simply Special by Ben Glenn. My kids and I read this one together and did a lot of laughing and then saying “ooo, that’s exactly what it’s like” or “Wow, what a good idea!” Hopefully you’ll be able to find these books at your library. Good luck and hang in there!

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[Anonymous]

I grew up with ADD and didn’t know it. Did the same as you, would get “lost” during conversations, spend an hour reading one page in a t;extbook, and not know what I’d just read. Yet, I could still manage to retain enough information to do well enough on tests, etc. to pass my classes. I’d do the term paper or big project the night before because I sucked at time management. . . and still manage to get a passing grade. Could not understand how my peers, whom I sensed weren’t as intelligent as me, could do so well with schoolwork. I tired 3 separate times to succeed in college. I still have no degree, even though I’m 3 courses shy (all independent study- studio) of an associate degree in graphic arts.

Flash forward to parenthood. Picked up a copy of a book “You Mean It’s Not All in My Head?” – about how women are commonly ignored/undiagnosed when telling their doctors about real physical or emotional concerns. A chapter that was a sort of “day in the life of an ADHD-er” was a lightning bolt. Tears shed over my life’s lost opportunities.

I realized my daughter mirrored my childhood. I was determined that she would have the tools to succeed that I didn’t. Daughter’s second grade teacher thought I was NUTZ for seeking an ADD diagnosis (“she’ll be labeled!”) and medication. But I did. It made a huge difference. My daughter is living up to her potential because her ADD was recognized early. She is now a junior in college and doing amazingly.

If you’re feeling out of sync with your peers, there is something going on. Your folks need to put you first and seek to help you find out what it is.

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[Anonymous]

Thank you Lion Lady. I’ve always assumed that most parents who get their children diagnosed early are diagnosed themselves. And my parents have set up an appointment with my doctor in the near future so I’ll see how that goes

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[Anonymous]

Hello from Ireland, I am in my last year of school right now, in fact if you want to see someone ADDing all over the important things they put off to do something else we are currently in a last minute. The rational part of my brain is screaming ‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU HAVE A STATE EXAM IN THREE HOURS AND THE BOOKS IS UNDER THAT T-SHIRT ON THE FLOOR!!! I CAN SEE IT!’ but she had always been so negative. There’s still time. If I handcuff myself to the book then I will find something much worse then the internet to distract myself with, like that loose bit of skin on the side of my thumb. Catastrophe waiting to happen right there.

Anyway, I don’t know where you’re at at the moment but I can tell you that I have definitely been in the same boat as you in my life. Whether we both are still in the boat remains to be seen as I don’t really know what eighth grade is and I don’t want to lose my train of thought to find out.

between me and my sister I was the ‘ok’ one, not good with letters, a little dreamy, but hey whose taking notes, the hyperactive child just learned to walk!

So despite ADD being a well worn topic in my house it was my sisters topic, not mine. I used to think that I didn’t have a restless tendency like my ADHD sister (note the H) but of course, in my family, these things usually find a way of presenting themselves.

I saw that you had your IQ done so I assume you know what I mean when I mention the three sections of an IQ test… here’s assuming that we match this side of the Atlantic. Well take my two highest scores and I am a 140, average in my third and I am a 70.

This is not regular, yet there isn’t a day that goes by where some ‘expert’ explains that I haven’t looked out the window for over ten minutes (they have been counting) so if I could stop making stuff up they would like to move on with there lives.

So sorry, allow me to call the Fidgeters Bureau of Exaggeration and alert them that some teacher in the suburbs had a nail to pick with an ADD sufferers ability to take notes for once. Oh no no ones picking up there must be something shiny in the office.

So to summarise reading this made me feel better. They say educations systems have to be fair to as many as possible and they are doing a damn good job of it. But when you take a seat at the uncommon side of not just one scale, but two, you need all the help and good company you can get.

I don’t want to be pigeon holed but I don’t want to have to hold everything back all the time either, ok, ok, ok

history, ok

I have an exam to cram for,

thanks for reading.

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[Author]

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