ADHD is characterized by persistent short attention span, distractibility, disorganization, procrastination and problems with forethought, judgment and impulse control. Often, but not always, a psychological evaluation is highly useful in determining the presence of ADD/ADHD and pinpointing its origin.
Do you recognize yourself in many of these statements?
___ I have trouble getting started doing things
___I have trouble completing things
___I dislike tasks that require a long series of steps.
___I don’t do tasks efficiently (a good job in a short period of time).
___It is hard for me to do two or three tasks in a row.
___I don’t always do what needs to be done.
___I am easily distracted by things I hear or see even when I am trying to concentrate.
___I get distracted by my own thoughts.
___I have trouble doing tasks that require keeping my attention on them for a long period of time
___I often switch from doing one thing to another even when I don’t have to.
___I have trouble keeping my attention on one task.
___I don’t pay attention when I should, make careless mistakes.
___I have trouble listening while others speak to me.
___I get so deeply into one thing that I forget others.
___I lose or misplace things.
___I forget appointments.
___I am often late for appointments.
___I have trouble making plans long in advance.
___I rarely get to trains at least 10 minutes early.
___I get disorganized
___I have trouble organizing tasks.
___My personal work area is messy.
___I don’t prioritize or plan my day.
___I can’t work well without structure or direction.
___I waste a lot of time doing nothing.
___I need to keep walking, moving around.
___I have trouble sitting still, I fidget.
___I am easily frustrated.
___I get impatient easily.
___I interrupt when other people are talking.
___I focus and concentrate better if I am somewhat anxious.
___I often try to do more than one task at a time.
___I tend to make things more complicated than they need to be.
___I have trouble getting to sleep because my mind is going.
A great website for more information about ADD/ADHD is the Amen Clinics website.
Dallas Counseling for ADD/ADHD