Do I have a reason to suspect I may have ADHD?

[melina]

My"symptoms"---Please assess. Thanks.* writhing in pain and wanting to die in long lectures (>30 min), no matter how dynamic the speaker is. *I've never been a stellar student due to inability to concentrate/multiple activities, but showed potential to all my teacher. SAT was 1360.*tendency of thoughts to be compact, detailed, yet jump from one unrelated subject to another. *highly imaginative interconnected commentaries constant.*have multiple activites that are greedy of time (piano, singing), innate abilities (visual arts/painting) I wish I had time to express but feel guilt due to the amount of studying I have to do. Frequent avoidance of studies.*coming up with 10 different angles, when one or two will suffice, impeding decision.*need to be thorough to the extent of "beating a dead horse"*being overwhelmed with the number of things to do and sometimes simply staying on the internet on the weekends.*having a book open, eating lunch, while thoughts on present.Believe me, I've tried SO hard to fix myself and I've taken great strides with success to become focused and goal-oriented. I've changed, but I still feel pestered by my nature. I drink caffeine/coffee with some increased ability to focus. I have never been diagnosed or have taken any other stimulants to try to improve my focus. I feel drained, as I try to do things against my will (which is artistic and divergent thinking). Fatigue overwhelms me by the end of the day! On the other hand, I can spend 16 hrs straight on the piano or painting, but I'm completely Type A and focused. I can spend 16 hrs straight on matters of philosophy or psychology, and I'm just fine. When I have to study nursing, I'm usually suffering on large cups of coffee. How I got through nursing school with 48 hrs of work hrs and little sleep is a wonder. I hated myself then.trout_00. I appreciate your input with each point. However, I did not exaggerate. Yes, I can play piano and sing straight for this long because I have in the past and still do if I have a day off. But, in light of reality, this is not the best use of time...is why I ask such a question about ADHD....

[melcz]

Not really, you just may need better time management and maybe you have a touch of OCD. Many times when someone thinks they have ADD or ADHD all they really need is exercise on a regular basis to counteract the anxiety and inability to focus.

[Melinda]

Hello!You could have a bit of ADHD. But I was diagnosed myself and I have the symptoms you have. Since that time, I have come to realize and been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. I wish you luck in your life and finding the direction you need to go.

[melikedonutz]

* 1st one is obviously an exaggeration. * 2nd you just need to apply yourself. I was never a stellar student because I wanted to study what I was interested in.* 3rd this is normal* 4th normal* 5th do you like playing the piano singing? Can you do them for hours without getting restless? more on this at bottom* 6th everyone is indecisive sometimes. * 7th normal* 8th procrastination. everyone does it.* 9th multi tasking again, normalAs for the 5th one, this type of thing is why I think adhd is over diagnosed and self diagnosed. Parents let their young kids sit and watch tv all damn day. TV shows jump from on thing to another very quickly. Also parents lets their kids do what they want, so once the kid is in school, in a structured environment, they find it difficult to follow along with a class and do each thing at a certain time. Therefore the kid wiggles around and doesn't pay attention because they DON'T WANT to do what is required at that time. I know I'm gonna get tons of thumbs down, but it's my .02¢