Should I get tested for ADHD?

I have been thinking about asking my Psychiatrist if I could get tested for ADHD. I've tried to bring up the topic a couple of times, but for some reason, I just never end up doing it.

I'm 21 and in college. I have OCD and Social Anxiety (Social Phobia), which makes life pretty challenging. I have this overwhelming desire for perfection, but I can never meet those standards, because I am so disorganized.

My bedroom is a disaster. I have clothes all over the place as well as countless papers. When I actually need something, I can't find it. I hate the disorganization, but I just can't seem to make it neat. For school, I have one folder with every single paper, even though my OCD traits would love for me to organize everything. I just can't do it.

I also procrastinate horribly. A few weeks ago, I should have been studying for my Statistics final. I hadn't even opened the book, even though I had been off from school for the last two days and the final was the next morning. If I do try to study, most of the time I can't focus at all. I just want to get up and do something else. I usually get up every five minutes, put on music, and move around, as dumb as that sounds. I had actually tried walking around while reading my textbook to see if it helped at all. Most of the time, if I start something at 3:00 PM in the afternoon, I have barely made any progress by 2:00 AM. It's amazing how little I accomplish, even though I feel like I should be able to do a lot in 11 hours. My most productive studying seems to be 1 hour before the exam. Sometimes I'll do well, and other times I won't. I know that I could do a lot better, if only I could study. I also had to write a 7 page paper for one of my classes, which I started the night before. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to have productive thinking unless I am facing a time constraint. Surprisingly, my grades are pretty good, but I have this strong feeling of underachievement. I feel like even though I've done well, I could have done so much better had I been more focused.

In general, I procrastinate a lot. I've been meaning to mail thank you notes from my birthday, which was back in November. I have the thank you cards, but I just can never get around to writing them. I literally procrastinate with everything. I should have scheduled classes for my next semester three weeks ago, but I still haven't finished choosing them, and I go back to school on Monday.

I don't seem to have any hyperactivity.

I am sure that there are other things, but I can't think of them right now. Is it worthwhile to mention this to my doctor? I just don't want to look stupid, and him be like "that's definitely not characteristic of ADHD." I appreciate any input.

Hey,

After reading your message, I don't believe that you have ADHD. However, I think that you should take a look at the following things:

- Attention Deficit Disorder (i.e. - NO hyperactivity)
- Asperger's Syndrome
- Dissociative Identity Disorder

Just look each of these up in Google or AOL and see what you think. You could of course also just go to your doctor, but you should write out a list of your symptoms before you do so.

Take care,
Kevin

Thanks, Kevin. I actually meant "ADD." I don't have any hyperactivity. I was wondering if I seem to meet the criteria and should seek further evaluation.

Hi again Chris,

In my opinion, you match the criteria for ADD, but you should still go to a doctor about it; or perhaps even the school/college counsellor. I used to have a terrible concentration too, but I managed to get it under control by closely monitoring when I had least focus and when I had most focus.

Hi Chris,

Your story sounds a lot like mine. I have SP, too, and have many traits of ADD. The following test is very good, thought it cannot replace professional evaluation: http://www.oneaddplace.com/add-test.php

I am very disorganized. I lived without any significant arrangements and cleanups in my room for almost 10 years. Two months ago I decided to take action, because I was totally running out of space, but it was a difficult task. It was messy, with different books and pieces of paper thrown together, some of them 5 - 6 years old.

I graduated from university in 6 years instead of 4 and tended to procrastinate a lot. I did always use extra weeks to do something and one of my university projects delayed with almost an year. I've always been an underachiever in school (despite the IQ of 140) and was often criticized for not paying attention, being lazy, careless, with head in the clouds, living in my own world and so on.

I wish you all a healthy and successful new year!