I'm 16, and I think I might have ADD. (Do I have ADD?)?

Question

I write in all capital letters, I don't know my left from right, I have a very bad short-term memory, and I unintentionally ignore people when they talk to me from time to time... I don't know though. A couple years ago, my IQ came in at 150 (Okay, maybe a little bit lower, but close enough. =P), and I'm 16 years old... Would it have been detected by now? Anyone who can shed any light on this has my deepest gratitude.

Answer 1

my husband has ADD... get your parent/s to take you to a doctor, don't ask them, tell them.

i know how much it makes life hard for you. who knows, you might not have ADD at all but a learning disability!

Answer 2

smoke lil bit of weed if will help

im not playin

Answer 3

Don't take your "flaws" as bad things. No one is perfect, and you are unique; embrace it. As for determining your left from right, perhaps you can make up a mnemonic to help teach yourself. It's apparent that you are a very intelligent individual, so do not be so down about it.

It probably would have been detected by now, but if you're worried about it, ask your doctor or healthcare professional.

Answer 4

In my view, everybody has ADD.

Answer 5

You could possibly have ADD.  

"The most prevalent symptoms of ADD / ADHD are inattention and distractibility and/or hyperactive and impulsive behaviors. These symptoms are typically seen early in a child’s life, often when he enters a school setting. Problematic behaviors may continue into adolescence and adulthood."

Check out my sources for more info.

Hope I helped.  :-)

Answer 6

Have you been tested for ADD? there are other disorders that can mimic some of the symptoms of ADD. ADD requires a prof. evaluation.

Answer 7

lots of adults are diagnosed with Attention deficit disorder.  the only way to know would to be tested I am not sure how to go about this maybe see a school councilor and see what test they may have and go from there. The quicker you get it diagnosed the better you will be.There are meds that help with concentration. You will do much better in school and feel better about yourself.

Answer 8

Go see your doctor. No it wouldn't have been detected, if you haven't been checked for it.

Answer 9

ADD is characterized by three main symptoms:

-Inattention

-Hyperactivity

-Impulsivity

Inattention means that you make a lot of careless mistakes and have trouble staying on task.  It means you are easily distracted, trouble staying organized, have trouble following instructions.

Hyperactivity means talking excessively, having trouble staying seated, and fidgeting a lot.

Impulsivity means that you blurt out answers before the question is finished, have trouble waiting your turn, and you interrupt others.

You don’t have to have all of these to have ADD.

There are three types of ADD.

There are individuals who are primarily inattentive, there are individuals who are predominantly hyperactive-impulsive and there are individuals who have both.

Generally speaking, unless a child is hyperactive or impulsive, in which case he bothers everybody, ADD usually is missed.

There are a few reasons that ADD would not be picked up in your case.  First of all, you don’t describe any symptoms of hyperactivity or impulsivity.  That means teachers would not view you as a problem student and they would not necessarily tell your parents to have you tested.  So you could have the inattentive form of ADD and no one would notice.

The second reason is your IQ.  Apparently you don’t understand what an IQ of 150 means.  Genius level IQ is considered above 140.  If your IQ is 150, then you are so much smarter than almost everyone around you, that you can have the inattentive form of ADD, float in and out of class, and still pick up enough to be a better than average student.  So your teachers wouldn’t be able to tell by your performance that you have ADD.  They wouldn’t realize that you should be among the top students in the school.

  

Given all that, from what you describe I would suspect you do not have ADD.  The only symptom that you describe that could indicate ADD is that you ignore people when they talk to you.  However, you are describing a problem.  It sounds more like a sensory processing disorder, a learning disorder, or an executive function disorder.  It could be a combination of things.

I feel that you should be tested for learning disabilities, sensory motor processing and ADD.  And should have it done sooner rather than later.  Very often people with these types of problems can get a series of exercises or work with an occupational therapist and completely transform their lives.



Good luck.

Anthony Kane, MD

Answer 10

Do you have A......Wait! What did  you say? I was distracted.

ADD is such a "cop-out" in my opinion for bad grades, bad behavior, no self-discipline...etc. It's made up.

If your IQ was 150 you would be a genius.  

Answer 11

yes ,