I have often wondered if I suffer from ADHD, since I often fidget when sitting down and get distracted when I find a lecture boring. Often in conversations I forget names, and when reading boring school textbooks I easily get distracted. I was a hyperactive kid and often got in trouble in class, only certain classes captured my attention, those that were a challenge and I considered interesting. Growing up I thought I was just hyperactive, but as time passed and I stopped being hyperactive I started noticing these things. The weird thing is I get good grades, so how can I have the ADHD symptoms but perform so well in school, often without hard effort?
I found a psychological study on SONA called Attention Difficulties and Social Concerns. I took the online part of the experiment which asked questions that you would expect to get at a doctor's or psychology specialist's visit in trying to diagnose ADHD. A few weeks later I got an invitation to participate in the in-lab study, I was interested to find out if I had ADHD or not so I was looking forward to participating in the study.
However, I remembered that in psychology, not everything is exactly as theories predict, so I decided to do some research on my own, how is it possible that through all my life I have gotten good grades and often without hard work? If I had ADHD then that wouldn't be possible. However I found and article that states that you can be intelligent and be mistaken for having ADHD or you can be intellng and also have ADHD.
Because of this I decided to not participate in the study since it was not focusing on measuring intelligence, it was mainly just an Attention Difficulties Study. I will instead wait later on to find a professional to find out once and for all which of the two I have. But in the end, you can't let such a thing affect you in your school and career.
I found your post extremely interesting because I have often wondered the exact same thing! I do not know much about ADHD and know I am in no way qualified to make a diagnosis but I have always wondered if it could explain my behavior. Just like you, I get easily distracted in school and rarely find myself paying attention for more than 10 minutes at a time. Although everyone around me, especially those that have to share a couch with me, are acutely aware of my constant need to shake my leg, I can shake for hours without notice. However, I had never struggled with school growing up. Maybe these questionable self diagnoses are a result of societies current need to label and find an explanation for all behavior. Perhaps society should accept it as more of a spectrum rather than labeling anyone who has trouble with attention and focus in need of medicine. Ultimately I agree with your concluding statement, that you can't let the "what ifs" affect your school and career.
ReplyDeleteHey Jose! I really enjoyed reading your post. Since I started college I have definitely dealt with a lot of issues with trying to stay focused during lectures, reading textbooks, and often even while studying. I have found that by doing things in small increments and taking short breaks I get a lot more done.
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear more about the study that you read because it sounds very interesting. I have a good friend who has had a lot if trouble with their ADHD, but it also one if the most intelligent people I have ever met, so your article seems to make a lot of sense!