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I am this exact way. I've come to the conclusion that I seem to be addicted to stress, and my mind purposefully avoids important tasks until almost no time is l

by borkt 8y ago

I am this exact way. I've come to the conclusion that I seem to be addicted to stress, and my mind purposefully avoids important tasks until almost no time is left, and then it is so much more easy for my brain to concentrate on the task and I achieve a level of focus that honestly produces much better work than when I've deliberately tried to work on a task in a timely manner. I have no idea what to do about this, and my family would be incredibly dismissive and judgmental if I ever tried to seriously see my doctor about this. Any time I have mentioned the potential for ADD I am scoffed at and called lazy. I am not lazy at all, I actually can't stand being unbusy and will find something to do to always be busy. I just have a huge problem focusing on what I actually should be focusing on until the last minute, and my brain is often somewhere else which causes me to forget where I put things all the time. Yet I am the person people seem to trust most if they need help with a critical decision Does this sound like it could be an issue? I am on Kaiser and I hear they have a TERRIBLE program for psych stuff in general. I hear I would need family to be interviewed or asked if they feel I have issues which, again, they will just say Im lazy and have no problems. Is there a place I can identify a doctor in my area that is either reasonably priced or does not require visits frequently? Even a web based doctor that you visit infrequently?

cowpewter 8y ago
Yes, that sounds like ADHD. I was only very recently diagnosed. After my diagnosis, I read the book "You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?" and it explains how ADHD is a problem both of over- and under-stimulation (recommend picking that book up, btw. It made me cry a few times as I recognized myself in it). You're addicted to stress because it gives you enough stimulation to focus. You keep yourself constantly busy to keep yourself stimulated enough for your brain to function. You are distracted by things because your brain lacks the filter to determine which stimulus is "important" so instead of focusing on the actual important thing, everything feels like it's of equal importance, and your thoughts race from one thing to the next. I can't hear people correctly if there's a lot of other conversations going on at once, or too much visual noise in the background. It's overwhelming. I saw a psychologist who specializes in ADHD. He did not interview my family (I was afraid of that too, my mom insists I can't possibly be ADHD because "I did so well in school."). He interviewed me about my history and symptoms going back to childhood, and I took a psychological profile test that involved ~400 true/false questions to rule out other problems. It was two visits to get my diagnosis, and now medication is in the hands of my regular physician. If Kaiser won't cover it, it might be worth paying out of pocket to get your diagnosis. Not very familiar with Kaiser, but hopefully once you were diagnosed, they would still cover your meds? I think https://add.org/ https://add.org/ has a page somewhere where you can search for professionals in your area. Or just call a psych, any psych, and ask for their recommendations on someone who specializes in ADD.
Eleopteryx 8y ago
>and my mind purposefully avoids important tasks until almost no time is left, and then it is so much more easy for my brain to concentrate on the task and I achieve a level of focus that honestly produces much better work than when I've deliberately tried to work on a task in a timely manner This was high school for me. I would have weeks to finish a significant paper. I would inadvertently wait until the night before, stay up all night working on it, and generally I would get a good grade, often an A. It was like the time and effort I would have spent on it was concentrated into a single 12-hour rush where the deadline pressure squeezed my best efforts out of me. At no point did I think "I should work on this paper, but, nah". In my head I was always getting around to it, but never did. Same was true for homework. I would be trying to finish first period's assignment on the school bus, next period's assignment in homeroom, another assignment in study hall, another assignment at lunch, etc. A lot of copying people's work. Also I have crippling ADHD and can barely hold a job.

by borkt 8y ago

cowpewter 8y ago

Yes, that sounds like ADHD. I was only very recently diagnosed. After my diagnosis, I read the book "You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?" and it explains how ADHD is a problem both of over- and under-stimulation (recommend picking that book up, btw. It made me cry a few times as I recognized myself in it). You're addicted to stress because it gives you enough stimulation to focus. You keep yourself constantly busy to keep yourself stimulated enough for your brain to function. You are distracted by things because your brain lacks the filter to determine which stimulus is "important" so instead of focusing on the actual important thing, everything feels like it's of equal importance, and your thoughts race from one thing to the next. I can't hear people correctly if there's a lot of other conversations going on at once, or too much visual noise in the background. It's overwhelming. I saw a psychologist who specializes in ADHD. He did not interview my family (I was afraid of that too, my mom insists I can't possibly be ADHD because "I did so well in school."). He interviewed me about my history and symptoms going back to childhood, and I took a psychological profile test that involved ~400 true/false questions to rule out other problems. It was two visits to get my diagnosis, and now medication is in the hands of my regular physician. If Kaiser won't cover it, it might be worth paying out of pocket to get your diagnosis. Not very familiar with Kaiser, but hopefully once you were diagnosed, they would still cover your meds? I think https://add.org/ https://add.org/ has a page somewhere where you can search for professionals in your area. Or just call a psych, any psych, and ask for their recommendations on someone who specializes in ADD.

Eleopteryx 8y ago

>and my mind purposefully avoids important tasks until almost no time is left, and then it is so much more easy for my brain to concentrate on the task and I achieve a level of focus that honestly produces much better work than when I've deliberately tried to work on a task in a timely manner This was high school for me. I would have weeks to finish a significant paper. I would inadvertently wait until the night before, stay up all night working on it, and generally I would get a good grade, often an A. It was like the time and effort I would have spent on it was concentrated into a single 12-hour rush where the deadline pressure squeezed my best efforts out of me. At no point did I think "I should work on this paper, but, nah". In my head I was always getting around to it, but never did. Same was true for homework. I would be trying to finish first period's assignment on the school bus, next period's assignment in homeroom, another assignment in study hall, another assignment at lunch, etc. A lot of copying people's work. Also I have crippling ADHD and can barely hold a job.