# ADHD-PI (predominantly inattentive)



## Roscoe (Apr 21, 2009)

I believe i found the root of my problem. I fit all of these symptoms, except the holding down a job part.

Often making careless mistakes when having to work on uninteresting or difficult projects
Often having difficulty keeping attention during work, or holding down a job for a significant amount of time
Often having difficulty concentrating on conversations
Having trouble finishing projects that have already been started
Often having difficulty organizing for the completion of tasks
Avoiding or delaying in starting projects that require a lot of thought
Often misplacing or having difficulty finding things at home or at work
Disorganized personal items (sometimes old and useless to the individual) causing excessive "clutter" (in the home, car, etc.)
Often distracted by activity or noise
Often having problems remembering appointments or obligations, or inconveniently changing plans on a regular basis


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

I have been diagnosed with inattentive ADD. I've taken all the common stimulants including Adderall XR. Had to stop them due to the appetite suppression, taste altering effects, and it made me miserably depressed near the end(not talking about the crash). Right now I'm not on anything for ADD. My friend really noticed I have it as I just lose focus constantly jumping from one topic to the next unrelated topic while talking with her. I got no concentration to read books, or long posts for that matter. The words just blur and I end up re reading them many times over to get through them. 20 pages of a book takes me about 1h 35mins.


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## aphex (Sep 30, 2009)

Dr House said:


> I got no concentration to read books, or long posts for that matter. The words just blur and I end up re reading them many times over to get through them. 20 pages of a book takes me about 1h 35mins.


Omg same here, its so annoying isn't it. i just posted a thread along a similar topic and now i've just read this. a month ago i remember it took me a ****ing hour to read two pages of a Bill Bryson book. TWO PAGES! its not even suposed to be difficult to read and i couldn't remember virtualy any of it. is that add? i dont know what i got. i'm trying to build up enough confidence to go see a doctor


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## Humbaba3000BC (May 26, 2010)

I have both ADD and social anxiety. I noticed in your list of ADD symptoms -- "Avoiding or delaying in starting projects that require a lot of thought." No wonder I procrastinate, both my shyness and my ADD contributed to my procrastination, especially if the project involves approaching other people.


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## droopy (Sep 1, 2010)

Humbaba3000BC said:


> I have both ADD and social anxiety. I noticed in your list of ADD symptoms -- "Avoiding or delaying in starting projects that require a lot of thought." No wonder I procrastinate, both my shyness and my ADD contributed to my procrastination, especially if the project involves approaching other people.


I have ADD, social anxiety and Fibromyalgia :doh


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## VanDamMan (Nov 2, 2009)

I have ADD-PI as well. Many people mistake for being lazy or dumb. 


Dexedrine helps.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

droopy said:


> I have ADD, social anxiety and Fibromyalgia :doh


same here :hs


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## factmonger (Aug 4, 2010)

Recently was diagnosed with ADHD (Predominantly inattentive), but have had mixed reactions with the meds. I am (well..was) on Concerta for a bit and have had difficulty finding a dose that works. I have stopped taking it out of frustration.


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## Duke of Prunes (Jul 20, 2009)

I'm fairly certain I have ADD, I've fit all of the diagnostic criteria since childhood to the point that they've interfered with school. I don't know why I was never diagnosed before, but I guess they put it down to an incorrect diagnosis for ASD and "school phobia", or something.

I procrastinate about everything (it's not laziness, it's a combination of worry, lack of motivation and tendency to get distracted before I even begin); I can't start or finish any projects, even personal ones; I get very out-of-control, rapid thoughts; I lose interest very easily, even with things I normally find enjoyable like certain music, certain TV shows, certain people and certain hobbies; and I also have trouble organising things (I don't mean things like my physical possessions, which are usually kept tidy, but I can't organise events, holidays, appointments or even my own thoughts).

Stimulants have a positive effect on me; they increase my mood, confidence, sociability, motivation, concentration and make me feel more "in-phase" with the world. I definitely think ADD and SA are both linked to the same problem in my case, and I think it definitely has something to do with dopamine, either that or an excess of dopamine just masks my problems. Just need to get a professional diagnosis so they'll actually prescribe me some speed!


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## inattentiveadhder (Aug 17, 2011)

Recently diagnosed with predom inattentive ADHD.

Have any of u found any tricks/solutions to keep urself on track?


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## UKPhobe (Oct 22, 2008)

Yep, I've struggled with ADHD pretty much all my life. A pain in the *** to live with, particularly when combined with SA.


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## NaturalLogOfZero (Sep 29, 2010)

I've noticed that meds allow me to focus on things like meetings or lectures but have little to no impact on my ability to focus on work. 

I no longer have the urge to sleep as soon as someone talks about something but I still can't sit down and work for longer than 15 minutes.


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## Kon (Oct 21, 2010)

I thought I might have this but the criteria seem so subjective that it's unclear what "attention deficit" means. I hardly pay attention to social stuff, mortagages, bills, money, relatives, small talk, etc. because I'm not interested in such trivialties but I'm much more focused on things that interest me (compared to others) to the point of being obsessive about it. So would that be considered attention deficit or hyper-focus (at least with respect to academic stuff)? To me, it seems, like both characteristics are true.


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## tranquildream (Nov 17, 2010)

Kon said:


> I thought I might have this but the criteria seem so subjective that it's unclear what "attention deficit" means. I hardly pay attention to social stuff, mortagages, bills, money, relatives, small talk, etc. because I'm not interested in such trivialties but I'm much more focused on things that interest me (compared to others) to the point of being obsessive about it. So would that be considered attention deficit or hyper-focus (at least with respect to academic stuff)? To me, it seems, like both characteristics are true.


Yeah, "hyper-focusing" is also part of ADHD:


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## tranquildream (Nov 17, 2010)




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## PuRex (Mar 19, 2011)

Pretty much everybody fits into some categories of having ADD. To be diagnosed with it you would need to fit into almost all the categories and it would have to be a very strong fit.

http://www.ldpride.net/addsub-types.htm

http://ezinearticles.com/?ADHD-Without-Hyperactivity&id=217560

After reading those and doing some more research and looking back over my entire life I am confident enough to say I am 100% sure I have inattentive ADD. It is directly the cause of my anxiety and depression.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

PuRex said:


> Pretty much everybody fits into some categories of having ADD. To be diagnosed with it you would need to fit into almost all the categories and it would have to be a very strong fit.
> 
> http://www.ldpride.net/addsub-types.htm
> 
> ...


When using the DSM-IV-TR, to attain a diagnoses of ADHD, there are several excluding criterion, including a predetermined age of which the illness must have been present before (ie. for reasons relating to dissociative disorders being a better explaination for suspected symptoms), as well as several exclusions in the diagnostic criterion, where if you would fit under these diagnoses, then you would have those diagnoses, and NOT ADHD.


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## kathrynshmathryn (Sep 30, 2011)

I've got ADHD-PI as well as SAD and depression. Have had it from elementary school days, and it seems to have followed me into adulthood.


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## meganmila (Jul 25, 2011)

Dr House said:


> I have been diagnosed with inattentive ADD. I've taken all the common stimulants including Adderall XR. Had to stop them due to the appetite suppression, taste altering effects, and it made me miserably depressed near the end(not talking about the crash). Right now I'm not on anything for ADD. My friend really noticed I have it as I just lose focus constantly jumping from one topic to the next unrelated topic while talking with her. I got no concentration to read books, or long posts for that matter. The words just blur and I end up re reading them many times over to get through them. 20 pages of a book takes me about 1h 35mins.


Sounds like me. It would take me forever to read something cause I won't get it like nothing makes sense. Like I have to read something over and over to make it go through my head. Also when I want to do something I do it right then and there, I'm impatient about stuff. My mind races..jumping from one topic from a nother. Daydreaming during movies.


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## anonymous soul (Sep 8, 2011)

meganmila said:


> Like I have to read something over and over to make it go through my head..... Daydreaming during movies.


I do these things too. hate it when im reading a book...then i realize that somehow ive been daydreaming WHILE reading the last few paragraphs then I have to read them over.....

takes me forever to read a book. and missing parts of movies or losing the story a little happens too.

but the other side to this is that I feel like I absorb the story more than "normal" people. especially with books, part of the reason why it takes me forever to read is that I like read slowly and really experience the story (like I'm watching a movie in my head as I read) anyone else do that?


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## meganmila (Jul 25, 2011)

anonymous soul said:


> I do these things too. hate it when im reading a book...then i realize that somehow ive been daydreaming WHILE reading the last few paragraphs then I have to read them over.....
> 
> takes me forever to read a book. and missing parts of movies or losing the story a little happens too.
> 
> but the other side to this is that I feel like I absorb the story more than "normal" people. especially with books,* part of the reason why it takes me forever to read is that I like read slowly and really experience the story (like I'm watching a movie in my head as I read) anyone else do that?*


Yes I do that! I try to read it over and over to really picture what it would look like..like you said a movie basicallly. It takes me about 10 minutes for me to get absorb with something. At first I'm so distracted I have to force myself to get into it.

I also pick actors/actresses to play the characters in books. Like a movie really...I pick ones that I like and what describes the character in the book.


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## anonymous soul (Sep 8, 2011)

meganmila said:


> Yes I do that! I try to read it over and over to really picture what it would look like..like you said a movie basicallly. It takes me about 10 minutes for me to get absorb with something. At first I'm so distracted I have to force myself to get into it.
> 
> I also pick actors/actresses to play the characters in books. Like a movie really...I pick ones that I like and what describes the character in the book.


hey I feel a little less weird now 

I spend alot of time visualizing settings from books, like you said, I will read a descriptive portion over and over until I feel like I know what it looks like.

sometimes, while I am still "getting into" a book, I will even get frustrated because more descriptive information comes along and my setting has to be changed a little... i.e. - "oh ****, there is a second floor, now I need to make accommodations.." hahaha


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## YesandNo (Aug 29, 2011)

I was diagnosed with adhd when I was really young and took rettilin/addrall most of my life. I hated taking my meds they made me feel like a robot. I remember when I was in middle school sometimes I wouldn't take my medicine (the kids in my class didn't need to why should I?) and I would just sit in class watching all the kids doing their work and I would try so hard to focus but just couldn't. I would get so mad at myself for not being normal. My mother and sister made it hard on me, often calling me retarded, my mother would even threaten to put me in special ed.This has a lot to do with my anxiety. My BIGGEST fear is the thought of someone thinking I am stupid. Or even worse_ knowing _im stupid.


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## YesandNo (Aug 29, 2011)

anonymous soul said:


> hey I feel a little less weird now
> 
> I spend alot of time visualizing settings from books, like you said, I will read a descriptive portion over and over until I feel like I know what it looks like.
> 
> sometimes, while I am still "getting into" a book, I will even get frustrated because more descriptive information comes along and my setting has to be changed a little... i.e. - "oh ****, there is a second floor, now I need to make accommodations.." hahaha


:lol I do the exact same thing! I prefer books that are in a first person narrative, because it reads more like a script to me. I also get pretty obsessed with tv shows/movies too, I like to make myself part of the storyline. Well, not myself more like a unrealistic version of myself. I am pretty detail oriented about every thing to, even down to what "I'm" wearing.







Is that totally insane or what?


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## kathrynshmathryn (Sep 30, 2011)

I totally have to re-read stuff too. And YesandNo, I can relate. I have a lot of issues with self-worth, judgement and insecurities because the adhd causes anxiety for me.


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## dhull (Oct 6, 2011)

I've had a lot of success with dexamphetamine. Can stay on task a lot longer without frustration. Actually finish projects with reasonable success. 5Mg 5 times a day


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## Ivan AG (Sep 29, 2010)

Wow, this sounds like me.

I think this describes me perfectly. My mind usually isn't on the task at hand but floating somewhere else.


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## YesandNo (Aug 29, 2011)

dhull said:


> I've had a lot of success with dexamphetamine. Can stay on task a lot longer without frustration. Actually finish projects with reasonable success. 5Mg 5 times a day


5 times a day? Wow.


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## nmalready (Sep 24, 2011)

*difficulty concentrating on conversations*

When someones talking I start thinking that I need to be paying close attention knowing that I almost always lose focus and my mind starts wandering. A minute later I realize the person is done talking and I have no idea what they said! Lol. I just can't win.


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## jw71 (Oct 28, 2011)

*Over the counter to ease ADHD*

I found that if I take a Claritan-D with Pseudoephedrine my social anxiety decreases and my focus increases. I occasionally stutter and I find I have more fluency with the Claritan. Is it possible I have some type of ADHD.


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## Xande (Jul 18, 2011)

YesandNo said:


> I was diagnosed with adhd when I was really young and took rettilin/addrall most of my life. I hated taking my meds they made me feel like a robot. I remember when I was in middle school sometimes I wouldn't take my medicine (the kids in my class didn't need to why should I?) and I would just sit in class watching all the kids doing their work and I would try so hard to focus but just couldn't. I would get so mad at myself for not being normal. My mother and sister made it hard on me, often calling me retarded, my mother would even threaten to put me in special ed.This has a lot to do with my anxiety. My BIGGEST fear is the thought of someone thinking I am stupid. Or even worse_ knowing _im stupid.


Yeah I was just recently diagnosed with ADD. Never knew I had it growing up cause I didn't really know about it, but yeah I couldn't focus on school work for anything and would daydream the whole day even when I would try to pay attention.

I also fear someone thinking I'm dumb, nothing to due with my family, but just in school, sometimes I would get made fun of for having bad grades by other kids or even some so called friends.

In regards to everyone talking about reading, yeah haha I can't really read an entire book, I've read one book (besides the school books I half-*** read) in the past 5 years or so. I started a few though lol, just lose interest pretty fast.

I only tend to read sports articles.


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## Christina123 (May 26, 2011)

I wonder if I have add/adhd in some form.

-Troble focusing on small tasks. When reading a newspaper article online I often fall into my own mind.
-Can never get started on anything. Keeps procrastinating starting on dinner.
-Procrastinates.
-Watching a TV show for 50 minutes is too much for my concentration.
-Can never formulate my thought bc they feel like they are moving at such a super high speed.
-Trouble relaxing.
-My mind constantly races.

However, I'm 21 and if I have ADHD, it should have been picked up on by now.


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## Icebat (Oct 16, 2011)

I'm hyperkinetic. I probably have ADHD, but the "less annoying" form meaning that I'm capable of focussing and keeping my mind on a task, but I have an abundance of energy that I have a lot of trouble exhausting.
And I'm very chaotic.
I've never actually been diagnosed with it but my parents thought it would be better to make me exhaust my energy by making me practice more sports rather than putting me on meds. Meds are more effective for people with the inattentive variant.

I've heard that the ADHD form where you have trouble focussing can be extremely annoying though.
On the bright side, ADHD seems to mainly affect people who are very creative. Saying people with ADHD or ADD are lazy or dumb is a completely ignorant claim.


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## Skertusmaximus (Feb 22, 2011)

ah im humbled reading this, so much to relate to, i think ive found a vital piece in the puzzle that im desperately trying to solve. Hopefully I can convince my Psychiatrist that this is at the root of my problems and hopefully start getting medical help or otherwise.
If i can find any fluency in my verbal communication i would be so happy, i envy people that are able to articulate themselves with ease, just watching people talk so effortlessly like its nothing makes me so jealous. For me talking is so difficult, its like my thoughts are cut off by a blockage before i say anything. I'm pretty sure its why i have shyed away from most social interaction, its probably at the root of my social anxiety.
thanks for your posts guys, without you guys i would've never found out about this.


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## jonny neurotic (Jan 20, 2011)

Yep. Inattentive(seriously inattentive), social anxiety and fibromyalgia. I think these thise come together quite often. Part of the same syndrome. IBS, rheumetoids arthritis, hypoglycemia and type 2 diabetes too I think. I'd be interested to see the stats on that. A poll perhaps...


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## MissMay1977 (Oct 25, 2008)

ADHD has made it difficult to be accurate in my work. I can only afford generic Adderall but I know Adderall XR would help more.


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## billphilbertson (Aug 11, 2011)

I agree that ADHD/ADD can make your SA worse, due to inattentiveness during interactions which can obviously lead to bungled conversations. 

I was reading a book called "overcoming performance anxiety" by Rod & Eversly? Farnbach. It touches on ADHD and SAD it says that when the two come together that SAD is usually the primary condition and as such needs to be treated first. 

It also said that the SA needs to be treated before any performance anxiety. SA really is a subset of performance anxiety. The book is all about disputing your irrational beliefs. It advocates that ridding yourself of excessive performance anxiety caused by irrational beliefs is the key to cutting performance anxiety down to size. The event activates your irrational beliefs which causes the anxiety, which is a good thing compared to the common belief that the event causes the anxiety, is obviously the case because you can change your beliefs. 

I have diagnosed SA and almost certainly undiagnosed ADD and at times I've had OCD problems. OCD's another one that can be a distraction during interactions, if you have rituals you need to go through to avert a threat whilst trying to converse, it's like "trying to analyse the game and analyse half the alphabet and try to get a name out of it, it's just ludicrous" (Bill Lawry on commentating on Pakistani matches).


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## Wobbelwap (Jan 16, 2012)

*Same here*

I can totally relate to everything above. I used to avoid reading books. Partly because my mind wandered of, but also because I found them to intrusive. The story would get stuck in my mind for weeks, disrupting my 'regular' daydreaming. Books are just too intense.

I find it impossible to take part in a conversation with multiple people. First I thought that was just due to my SA, but now I've learned that the ADHD-PI makes me think deeper about a response than a normal person would do. As a result, I'm always too late. I have to try very hard just to keep up with what the others are saying, when I try to make up a response, I'll loose my attention and my mind wanders off.

I could work with colleagues a lot better when everyone would use forums like this one. Thing is, we have the stuff to do that (SharePoint), but nobody uses it. They all prefer face to face conversations. Still, I'm relatively happy. I've been taken Concerta (27mg) since about a year and I find I can focus more on projects at work. Before that I was just a waste of space.


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## Liana27 (Sep 16, 2011)

Is forgetfulness a symptom? Because Im always forgetting things. My long term memory is good but my short term memory is crap. I have conversations with ppl and forget what is said and forget my appointments and daydream a lot. My dr is finally taking me serious and I have appointment to discuss symptoms with him on Wednesday and he gas referred me for thyroid, glucose and liver function tests and said he will refer me to psychiatrist. I've been diagnosed already with depression, GAD and SA and I have OCD tendencies and I'm taking citalopram which isn't really doing a lot for me and I've tried loads of anti-depressants that also do nothing for me except make me tired. It might help me to understand why I've made so many screwed up decisions in my life also.


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## Liana27 (Sep 16, 2011)

I'm also the same when it comes to books, I have to re-read things several times sometimes because my mind wanders. Same with films and then I don't know what's going on. I drift off when having convos with people too. I have to try to force myself to concentrate. Other people probably think I'm not interested in what they have to say.


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## Christina123 (May 26, 2011)

wrongnumber said:


> No. It's often underdiagnosed in quiet females.


The funniest thing...
I wrote that post three months ago, and guess what?
My new psychologist wants me to be evaluated for AdHd....:b


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## Kon (Oct 21, 2010)

tranquildream said:


> Yeah, "hyper-focusing" is also part of ADHD:


In that video the speaker says that:



> Hyper-focusing goes with autism...perseveration goes with ADHD


I don't understand what he means here.


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