My sis in law keeps swearing to me that she has add (inattentive), mainly because she keeps getting distracted during conversations. I'm really pretty sure she doesn't have it, for various reasons (like she shows no other symptoms at all....) But, one of the biggest is that she has the cleanest, most organized, well decorated homes I've ever seen. She does all the work herself, and it looks good ALL the time, not just for visitors. Her kids clothes are always immaculate and matching, and their closets are organized by clothing size and purpose.

But, as I'm no psychiatrist, I cannot diagnose anyone, so I thought I'd just ask out of curiosity ---Is there anyone out there who is diagnosed add who lives like that? Very neat and clean? I have to say, my house looks like a bomb was dropped in it, and that's after I've cleaned! :faint:

Sounds like overfocus to me. An attempt at creating order in your external world to somehow reign in the chaos within.

Il like to be neat and organised and when I can I am. That is how I was raised, that is how my grandmother was raised and so my mom is the same way.

I am a little more relaxed since my mom told me not to be perfect. She is sorry she raised us in that way. BI cna only let my apt go for so long and then everything get an overhaual. If I had a house I would be like you sister. My kids would be neat, but not to an excess. I think we have to accept other peoples ways. Everyone is different.

My sis in law keeps swearing to me that she has add (inattentive), mainly because she keeps getting distracted during conversations. I'm really pretty sure she doesn't have it, for various reasons (like she shows no other symptoms at all....) But, one of the biggest is that she has the cleanest, most organized, well decorated homes I've ever seen. She does all the work herself, and it looks good ALL the time, not just for visitors. Her kids clothes are always immaculate and matching, and their closets are organized by clothing size and purpose.

But, as I'm no psychiatrist, I cannot diagnose anyone, so I thought I'd just ask out of curiosity ---Is there anyone out there who is diagnosed add who lives like that? Very neat and clean? I have to say, my house looks like a bomb was dropped in it, and that's after I've cleaned! :faint:SHE SOUNDS A BIT LIKE ME.. caps lock oops LOL :D

overcompensating...overcompensating..overcompensat ing..
due to the fact, in my mind, if the house is tidy, and organized, I'll find the kids eventually...
I used to go overboard too....now I am way more relaxed..since I can sit down for a while at night now, I am not looking for things to do all the time ..EG tidy up, and do the washing etc etc..
I found it a brilliant way to cope with the hyperactivity that comes with ADD..mind you, it's not as easy as it sounds, and I used to panic if I couldn't do it...:eek:
so..don't dismiss her thoughts just yet :p

At home, sometimes I'll go into a state of clean that surprises that hell out of everyone I know.

When I worked as a cook, on the nights that I closed, I would be tired and not too enthusiastic to do the cleaning. I would start on it, but instead of getting what was required done and calling it a night, I would keep going until it was done to my satisfaction. This could mean that I would be there hours after my shift had technically ended. And I would continue until I was happy with it, and I would be driven no matter how tired. I did this for awhile until my boss told me not to kill myself during closing and to follow a check list we made up with criteria as to the level of done (you can clean a kitchen until the end of time, its all subjective).

As for your sis, it would be good to find out why she feels that she can't focus during conversations. As for her perfectionist cleaning, if she is compelled to have a clean house. That things need to be done in a certain order or that she won't be able to get through her day. That she will always prioritize the cleaning of her house above everything else, it might be an indication of a compulsive issue, like OCD.

Often, things become a disorder or qualify for diagnosis when it starts impacting or impairs an individuals ability to function in life. Unable to interact with others, unable to goto work or hold a job for any length of time, etc. It interferes with completing required tasks for a length of time.

I am an organized neat freak. I've loosened up over the years but still, I like things organized, neat and tidy. My brain totally shuts down if things are messy. I can't think or focus on anything else until the room is in order. I don't know if this is related to my ADD or not. Perhaps it is, and I must get rid of all the clutter to allow my mind to work properly. :rolleyes:

Could she be a Stepford wife? (j/k)

For those of you who can do this, how do you keep it up? How do you manage to clean and then make sure it stays clean? Mine is like a roller coaster: a slow climb to mess followed by an intense cleaning day. I'd love to be able to keep at least some level of neat.

Tinkerbell, if your SIL would travel to Memphis, I will let her be OC on my house anytime she wants.
In fact, my wife would be glad for someone else to show her how to clean.
I gave up almost 5 years ago (anniversary is April 13th).
BTW, the original Stepford Wives is better.
Those hairstyles, and those clothes.
I can't believe I wore clothes like that.
Well, not like the wives.
Boy, I would really have issues now if that were the case. LOL

I am not diagnosed, but fit the bill for innattentive. I also have OCD. I think that is why I keep a pretty tight ship. My work desk is pretty tight too. The OCD part keeps systems in place to keep from getting/being disorganized or messy. If I had not had my mother's gentle training, I'd still be a mess though, as she helped me though heaps of "stuff" in my bedroom, twice during my childhood. That did it. It will NEVER happen again. LOL. I'm like Alicat, in that things need to be in order for my brain to function. Maybe the outside world has to have this order, because it lacks in my brain? I even need to clean and tidy the kitchen before making a meal. Yeah, it's that bad. Then, I clean as I go along. Narry a dish is dirty by mealtime! (OCD????) Maybe your relative is like that, or, she uses it as an outlet for the hyperacitve energy?

send her to my house.

It's the one under all the stuuuuuuuuuffffffffffff.

The stuff is not there because of hoarding or sentiment. It's inertia. And overwhelm.

I look longingly at the matchbooks sometimes.... could solve allllll my problems...... oh, all right, I'll be good.

For those of you who can do this, how do you keep it up? How do you manage to clean and then make sure it stays clean? Mine is like a roller coaster: a slow climb to mess followed by an intense cleaning day. I'd love to be able to keep at least some level of neat. The only thing I really know to say is that we probably have a habit of putting things back as soon as we are finished using them. That way, things don't pile up and make a big, overwhelming mess. It is easier to pick up and put away as you go along than it is to clean up a big mess all at once. I know--easier said than done--but it really is the truth.

I even need to clean and tidy the kitchen before making a meal. Yeah, it's that bad. Whew! I thought I was the only one who did this! :) I can top that though: I can't stand messy, unmade beds. If I've been sick in bed all day, I've been known to make the bed up at bedtime, only to pull back the covers and climb into bed again seconds later. I just can't stomach the thought of falling asleep in a messy bed! :rolleyes: I think that OCD habits are fairly common in people with ADD.

double posted--sorry.

I try to follow the OHIO rule: Only Handle It Once. IN other words, don't just set it down, just to put it away later, then you handle it twice. Just put it where it goes if it has to leave your hands! I've learned to use the trash bins REALLY well, too. What I once had fear and hate for, I now love dearly......

OCD is the perfect tag-a-long to ADHD, isn't it??? :D

Ha ha ha - you guys crack me up! Yeah, I'd love for her to come clean my house, too. Just bring a bulldozer and flamethrower and go to town!:D

I forgot to mention that she hasnt actually been diagnosed with anything at all, just thrown the comment out a couple of times. I think she said the distraction during conversations started after she had kids, but its not something she's dealt with all her life. I'm not "out of the closet" about my adhd with my family, so I haven't discussed it with her. I do see OCD as being a real possibility, though. Good idea. I could really see that.

I am not a clean freak for say but i do like my house clean. I find myself doing all my cleaning at like 1 am when everyone else is ready too be sleeping,lol.I can clean a mean house when noone is in my way and i have a loud radio,lol.I may be from room too room but i do get it done,sometime,lol.

The world, or at least my house, car, desk would be a cleaner, orderly place if I was afflicted with such an obsessiveness. Is it a compulsive cleanliness? I just plain get overwhelmed at the chore at hand in cleaning. In my mind if one place is spotless then the same time and dedication has to go into anything and everything. I go on strike.