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Lately I've been more distracted than usual. At work, I've got a lot of things on my plate, but sometimes I just don't know where to start, or I forget where I left off. People talk to me and 10 seconds into the conversation I've already zoned out and I have to ask them to repeat themselves. I'm constantly in motion, constantly doing something, constantly thinking, constantly analyzing.
I guess it's because of all the stress I've been under. Added on to the stress that I had last month with the company being sold, taking care of the house, recovering from emergency eye surgery, etc, all this business with the car accident has added on additional worries for me. I've been an emotional yo-yo for the last couple weeks, and I'm sure it'll all come to a peak in the next week - my mother's death anniversary. Hmm...not looking forward to that day. Just thinking of locking myself up in a room on that day.
So I've noticed that my attention span has been near zero the last couple weeks, and that it's been really hard for me to concentrate. I saw a commercial the other day which said:
"Feeling distracted, disorganized? Trouble waiting your turn in line? Fidgety? Maybe you have adult attention deficit disorder, or adult ADD, and need to see a doctor."
Hey, that's me! But do I really need to see a doctor? You know how I am with doctors. Except the one I'm married to, of course. So I found this online quiz:
Jasper/Goldberg Adult ADD Screening
...and I got a 67. "Moderate ADD or ADHD". Whoo hoo! I may have a mental disorder. Kind of ironic that I was a psych major, no? I thought my lack of attention span was because I was a Gemini, who are supposed to be mercurial, scattered, restless and lacking in concentration. Does this mean that all Gemini's have ADD?
Of course, I'm taking this quiz at a very stressful point in my life. I'm sure if I took it 5 months ago the results would have been very different. Also, there are some people who question the validity of the testing for adult ADD, saying that a lot of the symptoms are just a result of living an adult modern life. And I agree.
At least now, when someone gets frustrated with me when I'm not paying attention to them, I can just say, "According to Dr. Grohol, I have moderate ADD, so please be patient with me."
Posted by Yano at November 19, 2004 09:34 AMYikes I got an 85 but I never thought of myself having ADD. And by the way I'll tell you my theory someday on people that major in psych - so no I don't find you're results surprising. Anywho...
Posted by: Amy on November 19, 2004 11:24 AMI haven't mistyping/misspelling. I meant "your" not "you're".
Posted by: Amy on November 19, 2004 11:25 AMI meant "hate" not "haven't". Gosh maybe I do have ADD. And yeah I was an English major.
Posted by: Amy on November 19, 2004 11:26 AMi scored a 40. i'm so mild. hee hee.
i've met several persons with ADD or those that exhibit external symptoms.
i think it all has to do with instant gratification and our consumer culture. we love our quick fixes and we yearn for more and more. i can't imagine all those Tv shows that flash, explode, and dazzle us are good for our senses.
Posted by: Wally on November 19, 2004 12:00 PMI am off the charts. I used to be able to control it somewhat and force myself to focus, but lately it's been ridiculous...case in point, I just read the first paragraph and then clicked the comment button. Can't sit still long enough to read the whole thing!
Posted by: Beth on November 19, 2004 01:33 PMModerate ADD, that's me too! Hmmm, I wonder if it's covered under my disability policy? Would my prescription plan cover the Ritalin? Would it speed me up or slow me down? CCRRRRZZZZZHHHHH! Too much static- time to change the channel.
Posted by: Denise B on November 19, 2004 04:38 PM32 You appear to experiencing some type of attention and concentration problems which are often common amongst the general population, but border on the possibility of being more severe. It is unclear as to whether you suffer these problems severely enough to need to seek further diagnosis and treatment of them. You should not take your responses to this self-report questionnaire as a diagnosis or recommendation for treatment of any sort. Consult with a trained mental health professional if you are experiencing difficulties in your daily functioning that you are worried about.
Hmm intersting. I think my problem is that at work I am CONSTANTLY interrupted. Mostly by my boss who makes me change gears without pushing in the clutch first. I seriously thing SHE has ADD, but I didn't need the quiz to tell me that. By the end of the day, I'm usually ready for the drive home in a quiet car. I rarely even turn on the radio because I just want quiet but I catch my mind racing about all of the channels that were changed that wasn't my choice. Maybe I just need a vacation. LOL
Posted by: Pridey on November 19, 2004 05:39 PMI have to admit that I probably don't have ADD, I'm just busy and stressed. :-)
Posted by: Yano on November 22, 2004 07:42 AM
