Expert: Dr Billy Levin - 11/9/2004

Question
Hello. My name is Caitlin. I'm a sophomore in college.  I've never been diagnosed with ADD, but people have always teased me about having it because I'm disorganized and forget things and stuff like that. Anyway, despite my total lack of organization and ability to focus, I got very good grades in high school.  I always seemed to be able to figure things out, and somehow pull off good grades despite the fact that I never could quite figure out how to take notes and sometimes forgot to read the books. Becasue of my good grades and good SAT score, I got into a very good school and got an ROTC scholarship there. My first year here went okay. My first semester I had all intro classes and I got worse grades than I ever had before, but they were still decent. The next semester I took all classes that I was really interested in, like screenwriting and a class on the elections. I did really well, but once again, it wasn't too challenging. This year howeve has been a huge shock. I'm now in upper division classes and I'm drowning. It's not that the classes are beyond me or even that difficult, if I could just get myself to focus I know I could make A's. But it's so much reading, and reading is just so hard for me. I just can't focus. I read pages and it's like I'm staring at a blank page. The one class I'm excelling in, almost everything is from the lecture. All my other classes I'm totally overwhelmed and way behind. I try to commit myself to reading but I always fall behind. I sit down to read and no matter how enjoyable the reading is I get anxious and just can't think about anything except that I want it to be over. Do you have any sugestions for me? Also are there any effective ways of treating ADHD w/o medication? Thanks

Answer
When somebody has ADHD in a mild form and is motivated and has a high I.Q., it is possible to get by .But eventually as the educational challenge get more ,so the problem begins to show and could possibly need medical treatment. For a proper dose of ADHD ,only medication really works.Medication prescribed and monitored by an expert is very safe and extreemly effectiver.