Not sure where to start

[slarabee]

Hello,

I was diagnosed with hyper-activity as a child. Doctor recommended Ritalin (as best my mother can remember considering that was like 1974 or 75) but my mother declined.

As I grew older concentration in school became more and more difficult, especially in classes that moved slowly through the material (from my perspective). By the time I hit 7th grade I could no longer maintain my studies, and failed nearly every subject, yet I could pull out a C in science, by acing the tests, while turning is no homework.

All my life I have struggled with maintaining focus. I procrastinate minor work tasks, and even though I am very good at my job, I always feel as if I am muddling through.

In every area of my life I have the potential to excel, yet I rarely manage to finish projects, unless I have absolutely no choice, or it is something that I am interested in so deeply that I obsess and drown myself in it completely.

I have no balance in my life, and the only reason I have not been a complete failure is that even though I do not apply myself in any organized or focused manner, I can accomplish the complex tasks required by my work, simply because I am intelligent enough to do things that are difficult, with very little effort.

I have experienced long periods of time where by 2 in the afternoon I am exhausted, even if I haven’t worked very hard or long that day. It seems to come and go.

I “feel” like there is something off, something not right with me, that almost prevents me from finishing tasks I start.

I went through this list of symptoms and here are my answers:

1. I have difficulty getting organized. – Always a problem for me.

2. When given a task, I usually procrastinate rather than doing it right away. – 95% of the time.

3. I work on a lot of projects, but can’t seem to complete most of them. – 75% of the time.

4. I tend to make decisions and act on them impulsively — like spending money, getting sexually involved with someone, diving into new activities, and changing plans. – It used to be that way for me and now in my 50’s these issue seem to be under control for me for the most part.

5. I get bored easily. – Yes.

6. No matter how much I do or how hard I try, I just can’t seem to reach my goals. – I can’t seem to even focus on a goal, I have tons of them and never work towards any of them for long enough to make any kind of real progress.

[Self-Test: Could You Have a Working Memory Deficit?]

7. I often get distracted when people are talking; I just tune out or drift off. – Yes

8. I get so wrapped up in some things I do that I can hardly stop to take a break or switch to doing something else. – Yes, and that is the only time I seem to get things done, is by obsessing.

9. I tend to overdo things even when they’re not good for me — like compulsive shopping, drinking too much, overworking, and overeating. – to some extent.

10. I get frustrated easily and I get impatient when things are going too slowly. – Not as much now as I did when I was young.

This message is a little haphazard, I think what I am getting at is I need to know where to start as far as getting a screening by a professional, so I can get some help.

TIA

Sean

[Penny Williams]

Your next step is to find a clinician that can evaluate you and make an appointment. This article outlines your options:

Who Should Evaluate Me for Adult ADHD?

Penny
ADDitude Community Moderator, Parenting ADHD Trainer & Author, Mom to teen w/ ADHD, LDs, and autism

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