Attention Deficit Disorder

Former Member

At the age of twenty, I was diagnosed with a condition called dyspraxia... It was kind of useful at the time, as it explained a lot of physical difficulties that I had and it meant I got support in university and my current job...

However, I was watching Jeremy Kyle recently (not a habit of mine usually lol) and there was a guy on it who has ADD. It's really weird because he was acting physically a lot like me... For example, he was shuffling a lot in his chair and looking around and getting distracted when he was talked to... I know it has been commented that I do those things as well... I have real difficulty in classroom situations, as I am distracted easily and I have to get up and walk around and can sometimes get distruptive.

So I looked up ADD and found that it pretty much matches a lot of my character traits, which I thought were just down to personal faults of mine... For example, impulsiveness, addictive behaviour, feeling the need to change jobs, getting overwhelmed by some simple day to day things, difficulty with instructions... I literally can't focus on something for very long at all. For example, I really struggle following public speakers and I can't normally watch a film all the way through... I often speak first and then regret what I say, my mind is always racing, I always have to be on the go and I get really frustrated if I'm not stimulated...

At the same time, I can go a bit crazy on things... My Blackberry is my new best friend because it means I can follow them online. So whilst I can get distracted easily by things that don't interest me, I can also sit online all day researching something that fascinates me and have forgotten to eat in the past.

I think the worst part is my mind is always racing, it always has. People have commented before, that I can be too intense with what I talk about. Often I just say what's on my mind... Sometimes my mind races so much, I feel overwhelmed... Even something like filling out forms can feel like too much...

I can't really explain it, other than from what I am reading, I feel like I have ADD. I don't know if I should go and try to be diagnosed...

Has anybody else been diagnosed and received help? Is it worth it?

I don't care about the label, but if I can get some kind of support for say, calming myself a bit, that would be awesome.

Former Member

im pretty sure i have it to some extent as well, and i also suspect im slightly dyspraxic too. Ive posted about it here before. Never followed it up or tried to get a diagnosis or anything.
Omega 3 supplements have made a noticeable difference to my concentration span in the past though

Former Member

I am doing a trade union course and spoke to a woman who specialises in special educational needs... She asked me some questions and then told me that there's a very high probability I could have ADD and that ADD is a lot more common if you have dyspraxia... Gonna go sign up with a doctor.

Former Member

Namaste wrote: »

I am doing a trade union course and spoke to a woman who specialises in special educational needs... She asked me some questions and then told me that there's a very high probability I could have ADD and that ADD is a lot more common if you have dyspraxia... Gonna go sign up with a doctor.

:yes: It's great that you are going to see your GP.

This will be the only real way to know if you have ADD. Self-diagnosis off the internet is never a good idea. The GP should be able to explain what steps you need to take next. Good luck and let us know how you get on. :thumb: