I am a very bright and intelligent person and I was among the top of my graduating high school class. But when I went to college, everything started to go down hill for me. I started out the year very good but everything would fall apart. I have problems with studying and finishing my homework. Soon the work load would back up and become too over bearing that I would stop going to class. I know that I want to do good in college and make my parents proud but some how I can't get myself to do the homework. I started to realize that I have been having this problem the last two years of high school and it was only affected three classes but I still was able to get a decent grad in those classes. I tried to telling my brother back then that I felt like there was something wrong with me but he didn't believe me and started using what I told him against me. He would tell me that I have depressing in a sarcastic was when he would lecture me about not doing so well in those classes in high school. After getting an academic suspension from my first college, I moved to Texas with my parents hoping that it would do me some good. I told them about how I have been having troubles and they sent me to a psychiatrist. I told him what is wrong with me and I though I have ADD/ADHD. He gave me medicine for the disorder and I tired taking it for a while but it didn't feel like it was helping me even after upping the dosage. Soon I stopped taking the medicine after that. I haven't had a chance to talk to anybody else about what is wrong with me ever since. My brother and parents think I'm too lazy and want to sleep in all the time and that's why I'm doing poorly. But I feel it's something more than that. I don't want to fail at everything that I do but I can't seem to control it. I want to get a job but I have this fear about talking to other people and especially the professors in college about my troubles. I think I have had this fear for a long time and I can't seem to conquer that. If anybody has any ideas, pleas feel free to tell me.
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Answers
Whew! You're going through a lot. College is very stressful, and if you are also dealing with ADD it could have not only made it worse, but your ADD worse too.
Not a good idea to try to go it alone without medication, but you can if you apply yourself. That's part of the problem you have because of the ADD though. Proper diet and therapy to help you counter and compensate would be a must imo. But it is worth the effort for trying medication, even though it takes time to get it balanced for you personally. Going off medication is a real issue for ADD patients as that is part of the problem with ADD! :(
You can and should discuss this with the counselor at the college. There are disability accommodations available for you, such as a note taker and more time for testing, both of which you might benefit from...
Best wishes
drjean
A lot of people also have trouble because college requires a lot more study skills and organization than high school. Most colleges have workshops or short courses in study skills and time management. Please do look into these. It could be that depression and/or ADD is causing your adjustment problems; but it could also be that you are having the time-management problems that often develop in college, and feeling discouraged and depressed as a result (not as a cause). Medication for ADD helps a lot of people, but time-management skills are equally important, whether or not the medicine works or is appropriate for you. Don't underestimate how hard it is for most people to figure out how to handle the college workload! That's why they offer all those workshops on study habits. Please do get more support on this -- don't try to go it alone!
Hi there :)
I do think you should get back on the medication, for one. That probably is affecting you somewhat.
I would discuss things with the school counselor, as well as with an outside therapist, if you had to.
It probably is (your issue) due to a lot of new people, new ideas, new things going on at the colleges, compared to high school where you knew everyone and you were already established there.
Best,
Clyde