I am under the impression that we all experience ADD differently, the variance being attributale to many factors I would assume, specifically innate intelligence as well as environment and other personal factors. So, in a brief list, I thought it would be neat to see how each person's personal experience differs by simply listing strengths and weaknesses. It may also serve to aid in developing a coping strategy.


+ I can learn more information from reading a book than most
- I can't learn much at all by listening

+ I have a deep conceptual understanding of material
- I have trouble recalling details out of their conceptual context

+ I can pick up a musical instrument I have never played, and be playing a complex song within a couple hours
- I don't really understand the details of what I'm doing (ie, what a chord on a guitar actually is)

+ I am good at considering all possibilities of making a decision
- It takes me forever to actually make a decision

+ I am good at solving problems
- I may not do it as quickly as others

+I can think of novel ways of doing things, or generate new ideas
- I usually don't share my thoughts unless with close friends

+ I can develop a better understanding of somethign than most other people
- Assuming I actually get off my butt and study it

+ I hate monotony and repitition
- I hate monotony and repitition

+ I find humor in many different things
- Sometimes people don't find the same things funny

+ Many people think I'm a good listener
- Because I'm not paying attention and just smiling in acknowledgement

+ Most people think I'm extremely gifted
- I get lectured for not trying hard enough

+ I am good at many different things
- I never did any of them long enough to master them

+ I can legally take amphetamines as a med student :D
- I realize who the nefarious people are when they ask for one

+ I have the potential to be really GREAT at what I do
- I often don't meet this potential
- People who are not as bright can perform better

+ I'm usually well rested
- Because I never feel like doing anything

+ I can get lost for hours studying something I enjoy
- I can get lost for hours studying something I enjoy, but not what I should be studying.

+ I ask questions and demand answers
- I get sidetracked finding these answers

Probably a bunch more I can't think of right now

Interesting idea Hooah. Here are my responses. Seems like we have a lot in common, no?

-umami
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

+ I, too, can learn a lot by reading texts, visualizing the material, and subvocalizing.
- Despite an IQ well above average, I have an audio-visual learning disability that makes traditional didactic learning near impossible.

+ Big picture concepts and relating details to those concepts is easier for me than many of my friends and classmates
- Unless I find a detail personally meaningful or interesting, it has a half-life of an eye blink (a hundredth of a second?)

+ I play bassoon, oboe, clarinet, piano, & classical guitar, paint, cook, enjoy learning languages (German, Spanish, Chinese...), run, & play tennis for fun.
- I'm prone to boredom and am destined to be a jack of all trades, master of none. who knows how many unfinished projects I'm accumulating...

+ I compulsively research options before I make a decision
- Opportunities often pass me by in the time it takes for me to make up my mind...

+ I'm hell-bent on finishing my MD
- My personal life is chaotic at best: late bill payments, lost friendships, lots of misunderstandings, forgetting things like friends' birthdays

+ I'm perceptive when it comes to my friends
- Subtle hints of affection & interest fly by me unnoticed; I've been told by 6 female friends that they liked me for the longest time and due to my lack of reciprocated interest, they gave up and pursued other dating opportunities.

+ I'm candid, oftentimes blunt & appreciate when other people are equally as transparent.
- People rarely are and often judge me negatively for it.

+ Problem solving is fun and whether its making sense of immunology & hypersensitivity diseases or helping a friend solve a personal problem, I love it.

+ I'm creative and extremely flexible in my thinking
- My personal views are too easily molded by those I'm around

+ I adapt to change extremely quickly and easily
- In retrospect, I have fought with friends over minutiae for the sake of creating excitement

+ I'm highly enthusiastic and have lots of energy when doing things I find exciting
- The concept of "delayed gratification" as a motivator is bollocks. If it's not appealing right now, you can't get me to do it.

+ It's incredibly easy for me to meet new people and strike up a conversation with anyone; people invite me to parties & bars all the time
- I'm lonely & have a tough time making/keeping friends.

+ I take adderall as a med student (obtained from my preceptor-ship director who is also my psychiatrists) and with it can function quasi-normally compared with my peers
- I have told no one (aside from family) in the last 6+ years I have ADHD and am taking meds for it.
- My parents disapprove for "giving up" and resorting to medication for ADHD
- My family views psychiatric illness as a character flaw; I know I'm flawed (as we all are) but it's not due to ADHD

+ My past failings have given me great humility
- My lack of confidence is perceived by others often

+ I'm rarely well-rested
- because I can't slow down & relax long enough to fall asleep.

+ I can hyperfocus
- but often fail to recognize when I'm doing it. I can lose up to 4 or 6 hours doing something fascinating, which rarely seems to be the task at hand I need to complete.




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I usually learn better from texts, teachers rarely why say HOW it works vs. WHY it works. If the texts has alot of graph or useless info, I learn better from lectures.

+Which leads to I have deep conceptual understanding of subjects.

-I play the trumpet, but don't understand chords.

+ I can consider solutions, and make a decision, and stick to it. Although that maybe my military training.

+ I am good at solving problems, it's like computuer fast speeds, but it has to be problems I've faced before.

-I can think of losts of theories that only a true friend would understand.

+/- I can be great, but in real life I just can't seem to master it

-Seriously, who lives with repition?

+ Witty humor of understanding failors once again who would not see this?

- If I need directions I stop ask someone listen to the first two and nod at the rest, stop, ask, nod... also my husband wonders why I can not hear my kids ask for "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, ... " for 5 minutes

+I've been tested for gifted 3x's, don't you get tiried of IQ test after 20minutes?, also been told that I must not care, b/c something is below my usual level of work.

-I don't know how old you are, but it takes years to master something, and always hit the wall for actually mastering somethng

-I'm not diagnosed yet, but I wonder if my son's ADD meds will work on me
+ I still don't take them

-I hate those stupid organized people
+ I always move if I'm not to a nonorganized person

+ I am usually well rested
- I still feel tiried in a disorganized class

+ I can get lost of hours studying something I enjoy
-I can never get something started unless I know I'm doing it right

+I ask questions and demand answers- this is when tech school is great, everyone does too!!!
-If a teacher doesn't prove themselve, I don't listen to them ever, this when good textbooks rule!

-If I take Nyquil for a cold, hang it up, I can't even complete a sentence.

I like this thread. I can see myself in a lot of what's been said but never had these words to say it.

I can learn more information from reading a book than most too bad I can't remember it once I've put the book away
I can't learn much at all by listening because I dont listen

I am NOT good at considering all possibilities of making a decision
It takes me forever to actually make a decision

I am good at solving problems
I usually do it quicker than others

I like to do things the same way over and over and over.... even when they dont work. Might work this time :eyebrow:
I always share my thoughts with people because i'm impulusive

I am always confused and it annoys everyone around me

I hate monotony and repitition
I like monotony and repition, less for me to remember!

I find humor in many different things
Sometimes people don't find the same things funny

Many people think I AM NOT a good listener
Because I'm too busy thinking of what I want to say and need to say it before I forget. Which means I WILL be interrupting them

Some people think I'm extremely gifted
I get lectured for not trying hard enough

I am good at many different things
I never did any of them long enough to master them

I have the potential to be really GREAT at what I do
I often don't meet this potential
People who are not as bright can perform better

I'm never usually well rested
EVen though I never feel like doing anything

I can get lost for hours studying something I enjoy
I can get lost for hours studying something I enjoy, but not what I should be studying.

I ask questions and demand answers
I get sidetracked finding these answers


There are mine. I took out the plusses and minuses... I was feeling a bit like a failure with so many negatives. :-)

+I've always known I'm a great idea person
-I suck at implementing said ideas
(However, I'm upfront with this and am great at brainstorming with others)

+I can talk the paint off a wall. My mom calls me the comsumate BS artist.
-I can talk the paint off a wall.

+I can come up with witty reparte on the fly.
-Often it's rather risque and inappropriate.

(copied from Dory...you're a mindreader, aren't you?)
+I am good at many different things
-I never did any of them long enough to master them

+I have the potential to be really GREAT at what I do
-I often don't meet this potential
(end Dory)

+I can think of quick solutions to problems
-But don't confuse me by adding a topic. I need to focus on one action item at a time

+I can be a cleaning whirlwind
-But I get distracted by something else that needs cleaning so everything can seem half-baked.

+I'm a hands-on learner. Give me a device and away I go. Great for work purposes
-Don't ask me how to replicate it though unless I have device in hand. Trying to explain it without the device is fruitless.

+ I can learn more information from reading a book than most
+ I can learn from listening if it's in debate/conversation form
- I can't learn much at all by listening if it's in lecture form

+ I have a deep conceptual understanding of material
- I have trouble recalling details out of the conceptual context

+ I can pick up a musical instrument I have never played, and be playing a complex song within a couple hours

+ I am good at considering all possibilities of making a decision
- It takes me forever to actually make a decision

+ I am good at solving problems
- I may not do it as quickly as others

+I can think of novel ways of doing things, or generate new ideas
- I usually don't share my thoughts unless with close friends

+ I can develop a better understanding of somethign than most other people
- Assuming I actually get off my butt and study it

+ I hate monotony and repitition, I like new experiences and changing things up a bit
- I hate monotony and repitition, it bores me and I lose interest

+ I find humor in many different things
- Sometimes people don't find the same things funny and look at me like I'm strange

+ I'm a good listener during conversation
- Sometimes people don't think I'm listening because I'm doing others at the same time they are talking to me

+ Most people think I'm extremely gifted
- I get lectured for not doing more with my gifts and talents

+ I am good at many different things
- I never did any of them long enough to master them

+ I have the potential to be really GREAT at what I do
- I often don't meet this potential

+ I'm a good worker and work hard to achieve goals
- I sometimes don't meet all the requirements because I don't like certain jobs/tasks

+ I'm energetic toward fun or interesting things or things I'm passionate toward
- I'm rarely well rested and feel tired often

+ I can get lost for hours studying/researching something I enjoy
- I can get lost for hours studying/researching something I enjoy, but not what I should be studying

+ I ask questions and demand answers
- I get agitated when someone won't provide answers or gives me the run around

+ People with lower intelligence levels find it easy to talk to me, ask me for advice or guidance and trust my intelligence, views, ideas
- People with higher intelligence levels are often intimidated by my intelligence and feel threatened by me

+ In college, if I'm actually doing something I focus
- In college, if I'm just sitting there listening to someone discuss theories or orientations then I'm day dreaming

I'm sure there are so many more things that I could list but damnit I'm bored with this already.

re: #1

>"Better at learning from Reading than Listening"

ADHD causes Auditory Memory problems. In that sense, it works a bit like an Auditory Processing disorder.

Some ADD/ADHDers also have problems with 'competing sounds'. For example, if my friend has her Car Radio on and a DJ is talking, I can't listen to that, AND hear/recall the details my friend is saying as she talks.

> You mention something that sounds like slow processing when you write about being 'slower at solving problems than others'. Slow processing (our "modem" if you will) can be slower in ADHD.

In my Testing, I had this listening test called the PASAT.

It stands for Paced Auditory Serial Addition test.


http://www.brainmetric.com/

I did poorly on it. I bet you would not do well on this also.

http://www.medscape.com/content/2004/00/48/00/480066/480066_tab.html

whoa this makes perfect sence and i can relate to it also but im conffused right now trying to fallow along

marytza- LOL, your sig picture is my avatar...ha ha ha. Great one.

I can see myself in A LOT of what has already been posted. Wow, funny how that works out.

Quick question for everyone who wrote "I can learn more information from a book than most"... perhaps I'm being too analytical here, but what do you guys mean by this statement? Is it that you can learn & remember more information from a book than our non-ADHD compadres can in one read-through or is it that you synthesize the material in unique ways, vociferously making connections and generating schema that other people have a tougher time doing?

I nearly always have to read technical/scientific texts 2 or 3 times before I know what's going on. On the first pass, I create a scaffold of the general ideas. On the second pass, all the minutiae and details are put into place. The third pass is all about relating the new info to what I already know in related areas...

Although this process makes me a "slow learner" of new material, once it's up there, I feel like I own it & can apply it readily without relying on contextual cues & hints.

Any thoughts?

I'd say reading a scientific text only 2 or 3 times before getting it qualifies as learning from a book faster than most people. Going through 1 page of a math textbook took an hour. Going through 1 page of an economics textbook took 5 minutes

Quick question for everyone who wrote "I can learn more information from a book than most"... perhaps I'm being too analytical here, but what do you guys mean by this statement? Is it that you can learn & remember more information from a book than our non-ADHD compadres can in one read-through or is it that you synthesize the material in unique ways, vociferously making connections and generating schema that other people have a tougher time doing?

I nearly always have to read technical/scientific texts 2 or 3 times before I know what's going on. On the first pass, I create a scaffold of the general ideas. On the second pass, all the minutiae and details are put into place. The third pass is all about relating the new info to what I already know in related areas...

Although this process makes me a "slow learner" of new material, once it's up there, I feel like I own it & can apply it readily without relying on contextual cues & hints.

Any thoughts?To me it seems to be both. Keep in mind, my reading/comprehension skills may not be normal for someone with ADD.

Typically, what I did in college is just read the textbook chapters one time. I would *think* that I didn't know anything at all, but on an exam I realized I knew more than I thought I did. So, I can learn and retain quite a bit with a quick read-through. I read fast, so I can get through -- I don't know -- a whole 20-25 page chapter in 30 minutes? I've never really kept track but I usually finish before everyone else. On the last exam, I was able to go through 6 chapters of our physio textbook in about 2.5 - 3 hours

I learned in med school that I could still keep doing it, but with such an enormous volume I would only retain about 50%-60% of the material, as opposed to the 80%-90% in undergrad. So, technically I can retain more from reading than other people can with a quick pass. Before the adderall, I would always end up cramming 2-3 days before an exam regardless of my attempts. Since I did not have the time to carefully examine the material and concepts, I would just simply read books once. Sometimes take a few notes but not usually. Some exams I would pass (barely) this way, some exams I would fail. However, even when I failed an exam doing this, I still managed to stay above 60%. That's a crappy grade and I hated doing it, but I was somehwat impressed with how I did given the circumstances. The tests I failed, I usually failed because I did not make it to someone's material so had no idea what I was doing.

The problem with learning that way, for me, is that I did not know what I knew. The answers were almost always "intuitive" and I just used my intuition and gut to answer questions on material I just read one time. As a result, I always finished an exam having absolutely no idea how I performed. I could have easily made an 80% (which I have done) as much as a 62% (which I have done).

However, the key issue was that I ALWAYS tried to work harder and more often, but my body/brain seemed to have other ideas. It was a constant struggle with myself to get up and do it, which was most exhausting. Thus, I was always tired and it made me put off studying even more because I knew I'd feel like crap after a couple hours.

Now that I have been taking adderall, as well as under the pressure to perform, I am taking probably a lot more time than I should. It takes me about 2.5 - 3 hours to go through 17-20 pages of material. I don't *need* that much time, but I stop after every section or concept and ACTIVELY ENGAGE the material in my own way, seeing how it relates to other concepts I previously encountered. This allows me to do three things 1) gain an intimiate understanding of the concept/system (2) review previous material to reinforce it (3) build associations to aid in memory.

Some days I find that if I try to go through too much at once, if I stop to try and think back I may or may not be able to recall it from memory. Before I probably operated more on RECOGNITION and was able to do well having just gone through anything one time. Now I am working towards RECALL, meaning I don't need a prompt to get going.

I'm trying to take it slower so I can ensure I learn the most the first-time through. Some people simply read the text, take a few notes, then re-read it, re-read their notes, make flashcards, etc. I don't have time or patience for all that, so I try to learn as much on the first-pass as possible, and I intend to review the same material by considering how it all relates and what factors can manipulate each component of the system. This seems to be what I do when trying to solve a problem, so I might as well learn this way.

The reward for conceptual learning is not as quick as rote memorization, but in the end I think it will be more of a benefit because I won't have to go look stuff up. For the people who go through the renal phys chapter and just remember, as the book stupidly has to obviously point out, that "patients with hyperaldosteronism are at a greatly increased risk of hypokalemia", when faced with a similar situation in the wards or on the boards, will probably be clueless. By learning what aldosterone actually does and how it's regulated, I don't have to remember that little detail because I can logically reason it out based on the concepts and mechanisms I know.

Once I sat down and started just thinking about stuff with a friend, I realized that I KNOW stuff instead just REMEMBERING stuff. It makes me appreciate the material much more. It also highlighted, at least for me, the major difference between normal people and those with either ADD or who learn/think this way. To the objective viewer, we APPEAR to think more slowly. This is not the case. We may think as fast or much faster than the normal person (depending upon individual variations of course) but we also have a greatly increased VOLUME of information to sort/filter through.

I really like what I realized this afternoon that I think will be helpful. When I saw a question that asked What aldosterone does to the serum K levels, I couldn't just spit it out. I had to go back and think about the entire system and what all aldosterone does to it. It's like sorting through a giant, chaotic brainstorming map. I eventually got the answer and understood WHY the answer was right. The next question asked about what labs results one would find in a patient with primary hyperaldosteronism. Of course, I had do what I just did all over again :D But the point is that I did not have to memorize it, I could logically obtain the answer through conceptual knowledge and understanding.

That was a really long post ... maybe I should drop my dose back down to 30mg

We shall see if it pays off ....

wow, that was a long post... i agree that conceptual understanding and rationalizing through questions is the way to go. medication certainly helps to focus my thoughts long enough to accomplish this.

Unfortunately, there's still a ton of information that requires rote memorization at some level. Medication may help marginally with going through countless iterations of drug names, mechanisms of action, or different microbes but it doesn't make the task any less tiresome.

Too bad Patience doesn't come in extended release and immediate release dosing options, huh? :rolleyes: