OT: Anyone else ADHD? Help?

[jerseycow6]

Yeah... among the other things this side of the family doesn't like about me is that I've been on ADHD meds for years. It's Speed, and it's bad, and I'm obviously just like every other college kid who "knows just what to tell my doctor to get him to give me these drugs," and what I'm doing is wrong, end of story. So, to respect their wishes, I've been off it for most of the summer. Only problem is, I'm not getting anything done, and I still have classwork to finish so I can finish this degree. I know that part of it is that I think I'm just lacking in motivation, which is kind of dumb considering that once I finish my first degree I theoretically win my lawsuit and get the money from my house and whatever stuff from it that my uncle took (hopefully). Plus, wanting to get out of here and back to PA is totally an incentive. It's just so hard to concentrate, and part of me is just so sick of trying after all the games that have been played for the past year. My mom was a great teacher and was so good at helping me get stuff done- not by ever doing the work, but just helping me sit down and focus and organize my thoughts, even if I didn't necessarily like it at the time. Now, I really only have my dolls to try and talk papers and other work out with. Only problem is that then I sometimes get a bit too focused on the dolls, since they can often be a bit more interesting than trying to decipher French texts for papers or than writing about my opinion on tracking in elementary schools, especially when work has already snowballed to the point where there's so much to do that it can be difficult to focus on just one thing at a time. Actually, that tracking paper has felt particularly hypocritical since I was in the gifted class and then upper tracks throughout school, but now I can't seem to get a simple paper done. I'm not even sure what to do to make some kind of distraction-free place for myself since they feel that I'm "blocking them out" if I even keep the door shut to my room.

Does anyone else have these issues? How do you deal with it? Has anyone ever tried any ways of regulating their diet that helps them focus more? I heard something about that once and have always wondered about it. Does anyone have any other ideas?

[MaryCarly]

You could try limiting your sugar intake and eating six small meals a day.
Make certain you eat your veggies at your normal meals and don't go back for seconds. Then have a balanced snack between meals. You need to make sure that each time you eat some protein along with the carbs.

Examples of snacks:
An egg and a slice of toast.
A bit of cheese and some grapes.
Yogurt and a carrot.Peanut butter and crackers.

I often find that when my sugar goes up and down, I get sluggish and have more trouble concentrating.

I also find that keeping to a schedule helps. Try studying at different times of the day and see which time is best for you. Then let your family know that you will be closing yourself in your room at that time each day and hopefully they will respect it. Make certain that you are exercising daily as well. You can even work on ideas for writing while you take a walk so you might want to take a small pad of paper and pen in case inspiration strikes. A good dance session with your favorite music could be nice when your mind needs a break.

I personally find that Yoga helps the most to clear my head and relax my body. I am always much more able to concentrate afterwards, though I admit I hardly do it here at home. I need a class to keep me accountable. That might also be why you are having trouble studying over the summer. You need to find some way to keep yourself accountable since you don't have regular deadlines like when you are in school.

Mabye you could make plans to meet someone to walk with or make a deal with yourself that you need to write a certain number of pages each day, before you do fun things. Even if much of what you write is not usable for your paper, it will help to clarify your thoughts and also get you in the habit.

I used to write whatever came into my head. I kept each idea slightly separated so that once my mind had been dumped, I could go back and circle the parts that were usable and cross out the ones that weren't. I would then decide the order I wanted the ideas in and put a number in each circle. My papers looked like an explosion of Graffiti, but then it was a simple task to recopy the good parts in order and I would have my paper ready to turn in. I took honors classes and I always pulled A grades so my method worked.
I know this is not the way you are supposed to write, but the tradtional method of making an outline first never worked for me.

Good Luck! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[mom4four]

Our pediatrician recommended the Feingold diet for our son . It among other things, cuts out artificial sweetners, flavorings and preservatives. Although it may have helped some it did not help the way his medication does. I am so sorry that you have family members that say such terrible things to you. I would suggest you have your doctor talk to them but they seem like the kind who wouldn't listen anyway. This medication has given my son a new lease on life he now has friends, plays sports and does well. school, NONE of which he was able to obtain before the Rx. My heart really is breaking for you

[bgeurtz]

If you are truely ADHD, or ADD and you need Rx to stay focused and accomplish your work, than you need your medication. I have a 24yr old DS who takes meds and I don't think he uses it because he knows its "speed". He needs it to just get through every day life.
Try turning your passion for what is at the end of you getting your degree into working on your degree. I think people with ADHD/ADD have some problems with obsession, try taking that and using it to your advantage. Make your school work your obsession. Make a schedual/list and try and see if that works.
Also if your bedroom is where you are doing your school work, and they don't like you to shut your door than maybe you should just pack it all up and go to the library.
Just my 2 [img]graemlins/money.gif[/img]

[ams37]

Wow, you have a lot going on in your life. I don't know the whole background-only what I've read in the past few months and as I'm sure your family loves you maybe you haven't spent enough time with them for them to truly get you?

When I was younger I hated having confrontations with my parents. When something was really troubling me I wrote them a letter. It let me get my side out without being interrupted or losing track or feeling intimidated. I also think that by my parents seeing it in writing they took it to heart more rather than considering it to be an "emotional
ranting of a young girl".

Regarding the medication issue...doctors don't give out rxs just for the heck of it. Perhaps you can print out articles regarding the positive effects of your medication versus not taking it. When my son was born almost 4 years ago I suffered heavily from post partum depression. I tried to fight it on my own because I didn't want people to view me as a "nutcase"(not meant to be deragatory towards anyone). Let's just say that didn't work and I wound up being hospitalized for a while. Everyday still I take my little pill and my life is normal and wonderful. I know that your case is not the same but if medication helps so be it. Would your parents object if you were diabetic and needed to take meds for that? IMO it's the same thing.

OK, one thing that worked for my cousin with ADHD and studying:He set a timer for 45 minutes and worked for that long. He then took a 15 minute break and started over.

I hope you find suggestions in this thread to help you. Please PM me if you want to talk. I feel so bad for you-go nittany lions!

Alicia

[Katie from IL]

I am 30 years old and I have Asperger's Syndrome, which is high-functioning autism. I was diagnosed in 2004, but 6 years earlier I was diagnosed with ADD before we knew anything about Asperger's. Anyways, I have many symptoms similar with ADD. My mom also has ADD, but I live on my own in a small apartment and my mom also lives alone in the 4-bedroom house I grew up in since I was 8 years old.

I often have a hard time concentrating, especially with things I don't like to do like college schoolwork or housework. I often space out a lot or start doing other things like go online or watch TV or make something to eat or make phone calls. I take a number of meds, mostly for moods, anxiety, depression, etc.

I also can be impulsive at times which leads me to problems like credit card debt(a lot of it from AG) and saying things without thinking first. I'm always losing things and forgetting where I put things and what I need to do. I never read a single book from start to finish until I discovered AG as an adult in my mid 20s.

Anyways, I get frustrated often with things like this. But I see a counselor weekly. You can try to turn to family and friends to give you encouragement. Many pro organizers know how to help people with ADD, and one is coming to visit me this week to help me with my chronic and severe problem with not being able to keep my space manageable. And sometimes there are even support groups in schools or in communities.

I only take 2 classes at a time in school because I know I'll get overwhelmed if I take more. I use the disability support center which I highly recommend. I get things like extra time taking exams and in a quiet room seperate from the rest of the class. They have other services too like books on tape and use of tape recorders. Starting this fall I'm going to try the use of note takers that can come to your classes and take notes alongside you (and they look like another student in the class so you don't have to worry about being embarrassed).

I still am nervous about telling teachers about this because I'm afraid they'll think I'm trying to use an excuse to get less work or get away with more or things like that, and I'm not. That's why using the disability center is better because everything is through them.

I try to use the CD-ROMs that come with many of my textbooks which help me learn things in a more interactive and effective manner. Using your computer helps learn with more interactive things instead of just reading a book.

The point is there is help out there, and many, many people have ADD. There are many books for adults who have ADD. If you go to amazon.com and under books do a search for "adhd college" you'll find several books.

ADD/ADHD and the College Student:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155...e=UTF8&s=books

Good luck. [img]graemlins/rainbow.gif[/img]

<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ July 31, 2006 11:12 AM: Message edited by: Diamond Dragon ]</font>

[Donna Cotterman]

Ok Jersey Girl. You are someone special. ADD is a health issue and it can be controlled. Yes, there is medication and diet.
I noticed in your post that you are down on you. STOP! I will not tell you to lower your standards... but remember you can pass with a C ...not everything has to be A+ If you have a paper that is due...get a friend, or TA or RA and brainstorm with them. Have them edit and organize your paragraphs. Then rewrite. THEN when one paragraph is the way you want it...reward your self with a treat. (bubble bath, long walk, ice cream) Keep this schedule for a week and get the papers done. Get the degree and then get out there and reach for the stars, girl. You can do it.

[Skywalking]

I have ADD myself and I've found that my meds are the most helpful thing for me in controlling it. However when it comes to getting stuff done, making lists has been helpful for me. I tend to write down assignments in an order I'd like to do them and take a break after so many things are done before going back to it.

Good luck with all of this, I know you can do it. My father is the same way about my ritalin as your family seems to be, but he's also seen me off it enough times to finally have realized that it really does help me.

[thepidget]

Jersey, I'm really sorry to hear about your family's attitude towards you and your ADHD medication. I am sure that they care for you, BUT it also makes me really sad that they can't seem to accept you for who you are. I hope you can get your parents to talk to your doctor so they will understand that you do have a real problem and that your meds are indeed necessary.

[jerseycow6]

Thank you all so much for your support and advice. I'm definitely going to work on a better diet- when I was little, I think that my mom's stricter enforcement of her diabetic-diet probably helped me a lot. And it's so nice to know that people seem to know exactly what I'm going through, even with my description not nearly encompassing everything. (I figured I'd written enough already) But, yeah, that obsessiveness thing is totally an issue- as well as the dolls, one of my problems is that I've been focusing so much on being angry at certain people in my life that I don't get stuff done, even though getting my work done is the way to beat that person. After my uncle sold my house, my family out here was totally nice and gave me a place to stay here, even though I hadn't seen my dad since I was about three, but it's just frustrating that we're so unfamiliar with each other.
Well, I'm going to sign off until I get at least one paper done... and then I totally will take a few of you up on your offers to talk, because I really need to find ways to deal with this besides drugs. Thanks!