ADD Question?

I know that I need to go to a doctor but I just want to see if people think the appointment is warranted! I believe I have ADD. I have been classified as learning disabled my whole life but the only "special treatment" I was entitled to was extra time on tests. I would have a lot of difficultly focusing on the task of taking a test, primarily because things were so quiet and then I would hear the slightest sound and I would have to force myself to refocus on a question I have already started to read 5 times. I have been treated for depression and anxiety since junior high to the present. The "red flags" I see are that I am extremely impulsive . . . I buy anything and everything I want! I get down on the floor with the full intention of playing with my children and within 2-3 minutes I am up and about doing something else that has crossed my mind, usually not something important. I can be sitting at the table having dinner with the family and I just up to empty the dishwasher

Answer:
The fact that you have to re-read a question 5 times because a distraction causes you to lose your place is the key signal that yes you probably do have ADD. The impulsivness could be anything but that re-reading 5 times cause you lost your place is a real sign that you might have it. See the doc and ask for a referral to a testing center that tests for ADD/ADHD.
I had exactly the same symptoms you describe from the time I was a very young child. In those days I don't even think they had a diagnosis of ADD. My IQ tested well above normal but my inability to concentrate, focus meant that my grades suffered. My parents (in a very innovative approach) put me in a private school and they were able to get me to skip a grade. Since I had to work so much harder to keep up my grades started to improve. By the time I finished I was ready for college and was able to pursue a career in medicine. All during my childhood I suffered from anxiety and depression. This was the dark ages for this type of illness so it was mostly ignored and I simply managed to cope. When I reached middle age, all of those years of coping and secretly suffering caught up to me. My story can be found on Yahoo search under "The Last Temptation of George Petrie". I hit rock bottom. I ended up homeless with nothing but what I was carrying in a small bag. I was committed to a psychiatric facility and, since mental health has come a long way, I was diagnosed with depression and put on anti-depressants. I spent 30 days in that terrible place. (Now that I look back on it and the results that I got it wasn't that bad) When I got out I was getting stronger every day. I was able to go to court and fight to get back everything I had lost. Please don't give up on yourself as I did. Talk to a professional about your symptoms. If left untreated they can compound themselves and lead to some serious depression. One thing to remember is that there is treatment for what you are describing and, if you had symptoms of diabetes or heart disease or some other physical illness you wouldn't hesitate to get treatment.......

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