The impact of ADD on my life

ADD Article

I want to be clear in addressing the issues that people like me with ADD must face every day. First of all we are not imagining it, and it isn’t a matter of “sometimes we are OK and other times we are not.” Having Attention Deficit Disorder doesn’t mean that you can never concentrate or even that you can only concentrate when you ‘feel’ like it. It is a learning disability (or special learning ability depending on how you look at it) characterized by an interruption in the thought patterns and the way that we process information. I have discovered that there are a few different kinds of ADD sufferers. I have the kind that makes it difficult for me to stick to one thing for very long or even focus on a TV program or book that I enjoy. Environmental factors can influence this as well. For instance, if I haven’t been eating well for a few days, my concentration and focusing abilities will suffer. And stress plays and important factor in my ability to pay attention. Some of you reading this think, “Well everyone gets that way sometimes” And yes that is true; almost everyone has some difficulty with something at one time or another. But when those issues affect you continuously in your work and school life, then it is time to seek a professional’s help.

I first realized that I may have ADD in high school. Unfortunately I didn’t have a very supportive family regarding this matter and had to compensate the best way that I could. It wasn’t until I was in college when a severe lapse in attention made me realize that my problems went deeper than “not applying myself” and making careless mistakes. I realized that there could be more going on with my brain and the way that I handled sensory input. I have always been an intelligent person who loves to learn, but regardless I was on academic probation in college for poor grades. My grade point average dropped below a 2.0. In addition my financial aid was also reduced. I was struggling to stay in school, and eventually dropped out b/c of financial difficulties.

I am stronger for having realized this albeit on my own and without the benefit of a formal diagnosis. I now know the things that are beneficial to my advancement and those that are a hindrance. I am confident that as more people get to understand those of us with special abilities that we can work on ways to accomplish more and work together better for common goals. I am working on returning to school. As it stands now, I must first attend a community college until I am able to have a better GPA and then I can transfer to a 4-year institution to complete my degree. I plan to obtain my Bachelor’s Degree in English as I am a writer and would like to continue to grow and advance in that field of study as well as expand my writing abilities.

I hope that people reading this will accept the things that I have said with an open mind and understand that as a very self aware individual it has taken me many years of self reflection for these realizations to become a reality for me. I continue to listen intently and read wisely as my journey through life and self discovery continues. And I can only hope that this article will aid or reach someone somewhere that is unsure of themselves or another who is close to them and struggling with a problem that has not yet been identified.