WARNING: If you are like me, you probably won't read this post. The 'why' of this is explained in this post. . .

I'm a smart kid. I speak multiple languages, I am socially intelligent, I'm creative, analytic, etc. . . All that stuff, no problemo for Tenshu.

Academics have been a breeze up till now. I'm 18, and have NEVER, EVER had to open up a book or study for anything, which is noteworthy, because the Belgian school system supposedly sets the highest standards in the world. I passed every test, and probably kicked *** while doing it. 'Up till now', meaning, utopia has ended.

This year has been hell for me... It was so bad, I even feel below average, a sensation strange to me since puberty (probably also noticeable in my massassi posts - for which I apologize btw).

I started to fail tests, exams, my grades dropped ultralow, ... The realization that I'm NOT above studying hit me, so I needed to finally open my books and hit THEM, hit them HARD.

Exams came up and I really put in an effort to study, only, studying is new to me, and it's as if my personality prohibits it. It's strange that I only found out about this just now.

I can NOT concentrate.

You guys have NO idea how long it takes me to write this post. I'm sitting here, thinking about the kickass game Ancic played this afternoon, about upcoming parties and other events, I'm watching the bunnies that are crossing my lawn, . . . Damnit Tenshu, ***KEEP WRITING***.

I have a lot of symptoms of ADD, including

• often ignores details; makes careless mistakes
• often has trouble sustaining attention in work or play
• often does not seem to listen when directly addressed
• often does not follow through on instructions; fails to finish
• often has difficulty organizing tasks and activities
• often avoids activities that require a sustained mental effort
• often loses things he needs
• often gets distracted by extraneous noise
• often forgetful in daily activities
• incredible problem with authority, rules, ...

I would be pretty sure about me having ADD, but sites say AD(H)D is diagnosed as a child, which I am not anymore, and my dad refuses to believe it or go check it out at a neurologist or something.

Buddiestomorrowatthreebuddiestomorrowatthreebuddiestomorrowatthreebuddiestomorrowatthreebuddiestomorrowatthree

FOCUS

And even if I do have ADD... I don't want to be dependent on drugs like Strattera, Ritalin, Concerta, Adderall, Cylert, Dexedrine ... (how can I remember those and not remember what I ate one hour ago? ****) I need to solve this on MY OWN. My restless brain has immense benefits, but there are times I need to direct its focus.

So...

Any guys here with concentration problems(ADD or not) who found a way to tackle their problems? I guess I'm really looking for feedback: how do you guys (not only those with problems) study? How much? When?

How do YOU concentrate?

HELP me get a FUTURE

Yeah, I was kinda like you for a while, doing well without studying, but since about the second half of grade 11, I haven't been able to "wing" science and math tests. I have piss-poor study skills, but my concentration is alright... All I do is think of the people at the place where I work who have worked that job since they were my age, and are now in their 30s/40s. I think of the people that I see working the same minimum wage as me, even if they're 10-15 years older. With an education, I have a much better chance of getting a REAL job, and I use that for motivation. You probably also need motivation.

I find it difficult to concentrate, but not nearly as severely as you. If you stay focused with what you enjoy, then, like Connection Problem, I'd suggest getting some kind of motivation... unfortunately, I can't think of much else that could help.

I don't know if they do it elsewhere, but here in the UK people with diagnosed ADD or ADHD get 25% extra time on exams... but like I said the condition needs to be diagnosed medically.

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[ Massassiism ] [ Cynicism ] [ Fanaticism ]
This is out of our jurisdiction, Bob. It's not wearing any pants.

If you had this problem through early school, I might be inclined to think it's ADD, but I'd chalk it up to a lack of proper study habits since this is the first time you've had to work to get your grades

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I'm not an actor. I just play one on TV.

I've only heard of Ritalin, but I used to think the same way about anti-depressants (i've been on one for a couple years now) - my line was something like "I shouldn't need drugs to be happy". Anyways, I ran through the gamut of psychological testing and learned a little about ADD/ADHD. I'd go see a doctor and take the prescription...

If you have it.

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"Look at me! I'm Tracer! BLAHBLAHBLAH!"

-MBeggar

[This message has been edited by Tracer (edited June 30, 2004).]

I'd get Ritalin. Really it's not that bad, and it'll help you if you take it in moderation (read only when needed). If you take it religiously, though, you'll start to get addicted, and it'll end up hurting you...like any drug can really.

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There is no signature

It might be anxiety, too.

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Superstition brings bad luck.
-Raymond Smullyan, 5000B.C.

Uh, are you sure? 'Cause the doctor told me it wasn't addictive.


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"Look at me! I'm Tracer! BLAHBLAHBLAH!"

-MBeggar

I know someone who takes Ritalin, and I wouldn't advise it, because sometimes he is not himself... Which is kinda scary.

I too share your reluctance to just toss some drugs at a 'problem'.

You have to accept that everything you listed is just part of who you are, it is just part of your personality, the way you think. It's not a 'defect'. You're probably a lot better at multi-tasking than most people, considering that you seem incapable of single-tasking.

The problem with exams is that they give an unfair advantage to certain personality traits. For me, the biggest problem is time.
I like to take my time with things, muse over the problem a little, scribble some ideas down, breathe, think some more, muse some more, and then finally construct a well-defined well-written answer. This simply isn't possible when our English exam is 1 hour 30. Maths and Physics aren't as bad, as many of the questions aren't really about working things out, but rather about reciting things, so you either know it or you don't. Only the last few questions are particularly interesting. But I'm always writing up until the last minute.

Is this a 'defect'? Should I be taking drugs to make me work faster?
I say hell no.
Exams are testing how well you conform to the requirements of your society. This society values speed, and I don't conform to that. I will not take drugs so to make me conform.
Why?
Because society changes. Or I might go live in some society that doesn't value speed.

[This message has been edited by Mort-Hog (edited June 30, 2004).]

your loss in mojo is only temporary, baby!!

if(getThingFlags(source) & 0x8){
  do her}
elseif(getThingFlags(source) & 0x4){
  do other babe}
else{
  do a dude}

Try takeing a break from the PC for a couple of days. Do some realy boring things like taking long walks. You'll get every thing sorted out in your mind and then see how you do.

Thanks for the great replies.

It's really funny, because when I AM able to concentrate, I'm in a state of hyperfocus. I remember times when I was actually in trance while playing guitar, reading books, ... It's as if I have immense focus 24/7, but it's divided among so many things that it's actually a burden. The hyperfocus state is not controllable, so I'll need some hard discipline and the eventual kick in the *** .

I think I was more or less looking for the magic pill, which I know is inexistent. I'll take up some serious studying the next years, cause even though school understimulates my brain, I do need the grades.

Thanks

Ask the doctor for something called a "Focus Modifying Placebo."

You don't need a perscription, it's cheap, and it's almost sure to work.

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[16:38] Correction: dick tracy was a real man
[16:38] happydud: Actually... He wasn't.
[19:08] Dormouse: hi, my name's happydud and i'm passive-aggress.. SHUTUP!! *stabs nearby orphan*
[You have gained 3 Dark Side Points]

I think you're insulting his intelligence a little there, boyo. ¬

It isn't if you take it as it's prescribed.

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There is no signature

This exact same thing started to happen to me around 8th grade (albeit much more slowly). I didn't actually start studying until college, though. So, yeah... that was a fun set of years.

I still have problems concentrating. Everything that used to be so easy to me is just strait confusing. I haven't found the cause yet, but it just keeps getting worse and worse.

[This message has been edited by DogSRoOL (edited July 01, 2004).]

There is such a disorder as Adult ADD that develops later in life than ADHD. You could very well have such a disorder. http://www.adultadd.com/index.jsp

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-=I'm the wang of this here site, and it's HUGE! So just imagine how big I am.=-
1337Yectiwan
OSC Returns!!
10 of 14 -- 27 Lives On

Ritalin is speed

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Massassi: We don't debate. We *****.

Unfortunately, you can't just get rid of a problem like this with will power. It's like having leukemia and saying you can get through it on your own without treatment.

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Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.

It isn't a problem, damnit, it isn't a disease. >:

It is a problem. Anything that prevents you from succeeding is a problem.

As someone who's been there (I have add/depression), I can honestly say that if you genuinely have a severe enough case of either disorder, medication can be a huge help.

You might be able to work though it if it's mild, but when the disorder starts to affect your life it's time to get help. Tenshu, I'd see a medical professional if I was you...

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"Look at me! I'm Tracer! BLAHBLAHBLAH!"

-MBeggar

Well what's more important, accepting who you are, or taking a cocktail of drugs to make you like everyone else?

I know I probably shouldn't throw this in, but not too long ago homosexuality was thought to be a disorder and medication was given to try and 'correct' it. Today, it is accepted that it is just a different lifestyle, a different personality.

It's only a 'problem' because society decides that it is a problem. You should be glad for who you are and what you are regardless of whether it is considered a 'problem' or not. What good is 'sucess' if you have to take drugs to achieve it?

Move to an american public school, they won't notice!

*dodges the tomatoes*

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WAITER: Here’s your green salad, sir.
ANAKIN: What? You fool, I told you NO CROUTONS! Aaaaaaargh!

Well, ask that question some professional sportsman

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"Music is the universal language and the
dialect we speak in is Hip Hop!" - King Solomon

By that logic:
What good is health if have to take drugs to acquire it?

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For a healty meal, eat mashed potatoes, peas, and catloaf.
Valuable Life Lesson: Frog + Potato Gun = Blindness
Catalog of Electronic Components - Complete IC data sheets
National Electrical Code® (NEC®) Online - Legal requirements for wiring projects.

What good is success with exams if it can only lead to a prosperous life full of multiple career opportunities?

Then again, I wouldn't want to be reliant on "quickfix" drugs that only solve the problem temporarily. I would maybe consider it if there was some lasting improvement to be gained from the taking of said drugs, but I hate the prospect of being permenently dependent on something.

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GhostOfYoda - General doer of stuff.

Become educated.

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Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.

No, in American public schools they just diagnose /anyone/ who doesn't pay attention well or do well as having ADD then truck them off and prescribe them with Ritalin, it's soo insanely over-prescribed here. When the majority of the time it's simply kids who have really bad home lives or whatever and so don't focus well on things like school or such.

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[Blue Mink Bifocals !] [fsck -Rf /world/usr/] [<!-- kalimonster -->] [Capite Terram]
"If all those usefull inventions that are lyable to abuse, should therefore be concealed, there is not any Art or Science, which might be lawfully profest."
-John Wilkins, Mercury, or the Secret and Swift messenger, shewing how a man may with privacy and speed Communicate his thoughts to a Friend at any distance (London, 1641)
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I was diagnosed with ADD in first grade, which was about 12 years ago. Apparently I was quite active, couldn't keep my hands to myself, and wasn't concentrating at all. I remember none of this. I was prescribed Ritalin. From what I remember (and the last time I had to take this stuff was over 7 years ago, more on that in a minute), Ritalin is indeed speed, but in the right doses, it acts completely differently on people with ADD, I can't tell you why, this is only what I seem to remember.

Anyways, 7 years ago, I went off it. I had more or less learned to deal with my attention disorder. I'd take a pill or something when I came home from school to help with homework, but that was usually it. That slowly died off too and for the last 4 years, I haven't been taking anything. Over time, I learned to deal with it. God knows I still can drift off VERY easily if I want to, but I catch myself when I'm doing it now and redirect my attention. It's useful in some cases though. Like when I was at a school presentation that I REALLY didn't want to hear, I could very easily tune out the entire presentation and everything being said. Quite fun.

In closing, ADD has been diagnosed wrongly far to frequently in recent times. I think what many others have said is true. You lack study habits, and thus you're zoning out because of that.

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Put me in the hospital for nerves and then they had to commit me,
You told them all I was crazy,
They cut off my legs now I'm an amputee, God damn you.
============
Frogblast the Vent-Core!

dexamphetamine > ritalin for ADD mediation. Although it is an apitite suppressant.

(no I dont want any food, I just ate two days ago )

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Those silly bullets have minds of their own!
Jon`C:Irony is spelling 'quality' poorly.
Spork:Well I think 'Irony is spelling grammar poorly'
Snail racing: (500 posts per line)-@%

Concerta > *

I take Concerta on school days. I notice no difference, but all the teachers and my parents notice a HUGE improvement. Of course it's summer now and I have no need for s...oh look a bird.

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I made a thread, that turned into the debate, so I made a second thread, that turned into a debate, then I made a third thread, that caught on fire, burned down, got flamed, crapped on, bashed, then turned into a debate...but the fourth one, the fourth one stayed on topic!

Mort, ADD is a problem because it decreases your quality of life. It isn't a lifestyle. Someone doesn't choose to have an attention span of seconds that impacts their education and working ability in a negative way. It's a disorder. But I don't know if Tenshu truly has ADD or just bad study habits.

Speed usually makes people hyper and jumpy, but I guess speed and ADD can cancel each other out.

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Massassi: We don't debate. We *****.

[This message has been edited by Kieran Horn (edited July 02, 2004).]

nice, so I've been forced to take spped for years when I was a kid...

When I was a kid, I was independent as hell, and I did what I wanted b/c i questioned the legitmacy of authority. I saw teachers screwing up all the time, so I mentally questioned their leadership abilities. Back in elementary school, i did pretty much what I damn pleased, the consequences didn't matter to me at the time. I found everything at school incredibly boring b/c I had surpassed everyone else and i was given no real challenges. In second grade, I was reading books when everyone else was struggling to write their own names. School bored me, so i slacked off and didn't pay too much attention and started messing around in class b/c I had to do something to keep myself entertained, right? The school people noticed this, and recommended ritalin, and my parents forced me to start taking it. (In retrospect, I think it was more or less a desperate attempt to try and control me, if it was anything at all ) Around 5th grade, I learned to calm the f*** down and I mastered self-restraint, and I mellowed out and went through the motions like everyone else in class. However, throughout high school and even now, I'm always one to spread my opinions far and wide, and I still subconsciously want to control authority instead of submitting to it like everyone else. Perhaps i have been a natural-born leader forced to coexist in a herd of submissive sheeplike followers throughout school, who knows. Time will tell.

My point: I believe that ritalin is over-prescribed these days. When I was a kid, i didn't condider myself hyperactive, I merely was independent and didn't submit to leadership like everyone else did. The people i considered hyperactive were kids that had tons of energy and just ran around simply to burn it up. I wasn't like that-- I can remember that everything I did I did with a specific purpose. Parents and teachers need to work with kids the way I used to be instead of trying to control them with drugs like they did me. Teachers want a bunch of submissive students-- people like me are their worst nightmare b/c we are not afraid to challenge them and reveal their own knowledge shortcomings to everyone else by asking questions they cannot answer.

I left many a HS teacher struggling for footing after I derailed them with a legitamate question. Good sport.


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The University of North Carolina has finally found a network server that, although missing for four years, hasn't missed a packet in all that time. Try as they might, university administrators couldn't find the server. Working with Novell Inc., IT workers tracked it down by meticulously following cable until they literally ran into a wall. The server had been mistakenly sealed behind drywall by maintenance workers.


[This message has been edited by Pagewizard_YKS (edited July 02, 2004).]

The American solution to child discipline and such has resorted to the use of drugs. ADD is a pretty handy excuse for parents and teachers who are too lazy to find out the problems that children really have, and their solution is to cram pills down the child's throat. I can't help but wonder the rate of children who actually have ADD compared to the whole of those diagnosed with it.

[/rant]

[This message has been edited by DogSRoOL (edited July 02, 2004).]

I know there are many alternatives to Ritalin, I am unsure if they are different chemically or are just marketed under different trade names.

Tenshu, it's probably not even necessary to see a specialist. Your regular doctor should be able to treat you, so long as your situation isn't very severe or complicated. I suppose it could be anxiety, depression, ADD, most likely anxiety or ADD, you only have a few symptoms of depression and most of them fit the others. So I doubt that's it. Lucky too, I think I'd rather have anxiety or ADD than depression, depression sucks.

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Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.

Ask your doctor about Concerta. It's the safest most effective. All the people I know use it.

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I made a thread, that turned into the debate, so I made a second thread, that turned into a debate, then I made a third thread, that caught on fire, burned down, got flamed, crapped on, bashed, then turned into a debate...but the fourth one, the fourth one stayed on topic!

So... all the people you know have ADD?

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For a healty meal, eat mashed potatoes, peas, and catloaf.
Valuable Life Lesson: Frog + Potato Gun = Blindness
Catalog of Electronic Components - Complete IC data sheets
National Electrical Code® (NEC®) Online - Legal requirements for wiring projects.

All the people I know that DO have ADD.

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I made a thread, that turned into the debate, so I made a second thread, that turned into a debate, then I made a third thread, that caught on fire, burned down, got flamed, crapped on, bashed, then turned into a debate...but the fourth one, the fourth one stayed on topic!

Whenever a generality of that nature, everyone, anyone, and so forth is used, it is understood to refer to a finite set, in this case the finite set of (people-he-knows AND people-with-ADD)

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[Blue Mink Bifocals !] [fsck -Rf /world/usr/] [<!-- kalimonster -->] [Capite Terram]
"If all those usefull inventions that are lyable to abuse, should therefore be concealed, there is not any Art or Science, which might be lawfully profest."
-John Wilkins, Mercury, or the Secret and Swift messenger, shewing how a man may with privacy and speed Communicate his thoughts to a Friend at any distance (London, 1641)
NPC.Interact::PressButton($'Submit');