Expert: Sharon Crandall - 3/29/2010

Question
"hello,
First of all i request to read my lengthy question and reply to my problem.
I am 22 year old from india. Since in india there is lack of awareness about ADD, it took me time to notice that i could be one with ADD. In past my lack of attention was always believed to be due to lack of concentration or lack of interest. So my first question is whats major difference between ADD and lack of concentration. I mean, i am not attentive it may be because i don't study or do work with concentration and solution is to improve concentration ?
Ok now coming back to ADD, i have lot of symptoms of ADD. I visited lots of site and did online test here http://counsellingresource.com/quizzes/adhd/index.html with result of 100. I know Online test are not reliable but i just did it for getting quick review of my situation. Apart from symptoms mention on test or most of sites, i will like to discuss some specific problems with me
1.While writing, i mostly tend to eat words. Even when i write a small paragraph i always miss one or more words. I notice the mistake only if I re-read the paragraph and if i don't Re-read it then mistake goes with out notice. So it most of times changes whole meaning of the sentence and sometimes sentence meaning gets funny. It happens most of the time. If such incidents doesn't happen then it always come as pleasant Shock to me
2. One of the biggest problem i am facing right now is the way i am making wrong decisions. When i take decision, i know i am taking right decision but with in 2-3 days i lost interest and like move to other things. My whole childhood is example of that, i have changed at least 10-15 different sports. Each time thinking i will do thing whole my life and lose interest within few days and then next sport. Even now, at 22 age, i am making same mistake. I join Reading room for studies and left it after 2 days. I join Gym and left it after 15-20 days. Even i thinking of changing of career, since i am bored with current one.
3. Even in office i easily make silly mistakes and i only realize them when my employers client call to compliant about of my mistakes. Mistakes are like Wrong party name or wrong amount or wrong details
4. I can't sit still .My body is always in motion, while studying or doing some thinking. I mean my body is motion when i am siting, always moving ahead and back.
5. As i mention earlier i have all symptoms like easily distracted, all day dreaming, lack of  concentration, like to doing thing which is easy,etc etc

sorry for lengthly question. i hope you do reply. I am really disturbed since my parent are not financially good and they are thinking my habit of changing career is just excuse for not to work or lack of concentration. I am some opinion before i went for professional."

Answer
Dear Ankit,

First of all it is important to know that your weaknesses are also your strengths. Each personality trait has two sides, the positive side and the negative side.

Your symptoms can easily be explained as personality traits and trait mood swings. Personality traits come from your genetic makeup and because your mother's side of the family influences your traits in part of you and your father's side of the family bring genetic influence to the other part of you. This makes it so that you feel differently in one mood than you do in another mood.

That is the reason you lose interest when you start something because you feel differently in one mood than in another.

As to 1. What you do is common to a person who is high on the trait of Ideas. One idea leads to another and so we kind of lose track when writing.  The key is to go back over your writing and check it. This is very common. I do the same thing and have to check and recheck my writing. It doesn't mean anything is wrong it just means that your mind is a little more complicated than some others.

as to 4. Some people are built to need to move around a lot and so when you have an office job, it is not good because your brain does not work as well when you are sitting.  You need a job where you physically move. My daughter is like that. She did property management for awhile, which helped because she sat only long enough to do the paperwork and the rest of the time was showing people apartments, checking out the buildings, going and talking to people, etc.

You are also probably wide Tolerant, which makes it difficult to focus on one thing for any length of time because you get distracted.  I would need to do a whole profile on you to really assess your situation but from what you say I want you to know that you are normal for you, according to your personality trait pattern. Go to my website, www.personalityconsultant.com for more information that will help you to understand about traits and how they work.

Now, as to changing your mind a lot. We always have a choice as to whether to follow our traits or act or react a different way.  You need to stick to whatever you say you are going to do. You can learn to control these mood swings by making yourself follow through on every little decision you make. You also need an occupation where you have a variety of things to do and where you can move physically around.

The problem with going to a doctor is that you take medication that is addictive and it only takes care of some of the symptoms but then the problems continue to build underneath. It is best to take charge of your life and make decisions very carefully, knowing that you will change your mind quickly and so you need to make decisions that you will be very determined to stick to. You will know in advance that you will change your mind but you are stronger than those feelings and can learn to stick to one thing. So, when you make a decision make yourself stick to it for a period of time and finish what you start.

If you decide to have one thing for dinner do not change your mind but stick to it.  All these little decisions make carefully and then stick to them. This will create a pattern of finishing and will help you become stronger. It will also help you to find out what is really best for you. If you don't give something a try long enough it weakens you and makes things worse.

I wish I could do a complete assessment on you as I know it would help you. I would have to do it from photographs.

Anyway. Try your best to sit down and determine what your assets are and all your talents and abilities. Write out the list. Then write out a list of your problems and challenges. Look at your problems and challenges as opportunities to figure out how to turn those weaknesses into strengths.

Make goals to improve yourself and know that sticking to one thing will be uncomfortable for awhile, but once you stick to something for awhile, it then will make you feel good about yourself. Self-discipline is very necessary. We can't always just do what feels good and what we want to do. Every time you do something that is difficult you build great strengths and you actually build new pathways in your brain, that will help you in your life.

So, I encourage you to follow what I have said as best you can.

Hope this helps.

Sharon Crandall
www.personalityconsultant.com