I think I have ADHD

[premedrocks]

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I am a sophomore in college. this semester was not a very good one for me. I seem to have trouble focusing which takes away from studying and as a result i do bad on tests. I am starting to believe that i have ADHD. If i got clinically diagnosed, got treatment, and then my grades suddenly imporved drasticlly, would dental schools understand why I was not doing so well at first or would they not care and just reject me?

 

[Bruinlove]

So, you suddenly found out that you have ADHD in your 2nd year at college? How would you explain the OK performance during the 1st year?

Don't look for an excuse. Just study hard and show improvement.

 

[losdientes]

Sounds like you're just getting bored. ADHD is something that would have likely been diagnosed as a child or a pre-adolscent, not as a sophomore in college. Inability to focus (which, nearly every college student suffers from at one point or another) is not the only symptom, there are MANY others in addition to that.

Not to mention, there is no true test to prove one has ADHD. Many people can manipulate a Psychiatrist into thinking they suffer from most of the symptoms. As you can see from the above post, people may speculate this late diagnosis and think it's just an excuse/cop out and question your integrity.

 

[DrReo]

You don't have ADHD, you lack self discipline.

 

[Stephie3]

dude..just study and really improve your grades. no one cares if you did bad your first year in college as long as there is an upward trend in grades. actually they like that if you did bad in the beginning but then improved.

i would really advise AGAINST getting diagnosed with ADHD and making an issue out of it. I don't think the schools want to see somebody diagnosed with it and it wouldn't be something i would bring up in interviews.

i could NEVER concentrate in my classes, so I always just studied hard outside of class. i found that i can really concentrate when i am not around people. i am just too easily distracted to focus in class around so many others.

so just figure out what way you learn best and do that. i never mentioned that i struggle to concentrate in class in my interviews, because it doesn't matter as long as you show that you can learn. just figure out what way makes you learn best.

no offense, but i think adcoms would frown upon "ADHD" on your app

 

[ou_jay]

Go to a psychiatrists and find out. ADHD diagnosis during adulthood is uncommon but not impossible.

Also, he may or may not really have ADHD, but psychological disease are true pathologies. Telling someone with a psychological disease to just get over it is like telling a diabetic to just have lower blood sugar. A person with ADHD can no more "just study hard" than a person with depression can just be happy than a person with an amputated leg can just walk.

BTW it only a matter of time until this thread is closed.

 

[Ranelar]

*obligatory ADHD is over-diagnosed opinion*

It's fairly clear when a child has ADHD (the hyperactivity part is a good indication...)

Like ou_jay said, it's a true pathology. Example: some kids are just bonkers and you know something is "different" about them. They jump from activity to activity, they are super hyperactive, and they are basically little jerks. Not their fault, it's a sickness. However, I don't believe in the whole "I can't concentrate, I must have ADHD" thing. It doesn't exist in my humble opinion.

 

[BuffaloFL]

I would suggest you consult your doctor.

To those who are ignorant, you are not psychiatrists or psychologists, nor am I. However, having witnessed its effects and studying this disease I want to note that hyperactivity is not the sole indicator of ADHD, and may not present itself at all. Granted for a true diagnosis, the symptoms have to be present as a child, but there are many examples of ADHD first being diagnosed as an adult. Even after being diagnosed, it is a tough thing to deal with. It may even be more frustrating than what you are dealing with now (hard to imagine, huh).

Just my thought, if a school rejects you because you identified and sought treatment for a medical condition, do you really want to go to that school? I thought our goal as (future) dentists was to help people. Are we going to tell patients that we cannot treat them because they have a cavity or abcess and we only treat already perfect mouths? For a profession so closely linked to medicine, this seems like an awfully conflicting approach. I'm guessing that most of the people responding here are chasing the 6 figure income and not motivated by the desire to help people...any wonder we have such a huge unserved population in our country...Best of luck.

 

[Ranelar]

Hyperactivity is not the sole indicator of ADHD in some people's opinions. That's why I used the words "believe" and "opinion" in my statements.

 

[ziptree]

Ritalin.

 

[Spin]

I am a sophomore in college. this semester was not a very good one for me. I seem to have trouble focusing which takes away from studying and as a result i do bad on tests. I am starting to believe that i have ADHD. If i got clinically diagnosed, got treatment, and then my grades suddenly imporved drasticlly, would dental schools understand why I was not doing so well at first or would they not care and just reject me?

I think that if you think you have ADHD, you should talk to a psychologist/psychiatrist about it and see what they think. Afterwards, if they agree that you have ADHD, then you'll get treatment and probably do better in school.

The upward trend will speak for itself. Saying that you have ADHD is like pointing out a flaw. (Some people will see it for what it is, but most people will see it as a flaw.) So really, it would be better to say that you got your act together or something with less of a stigma associated with it. I mean, even if you got your act together because you got treatment for ADHD, the specifics aren't really any of their business, so it's better to just leave out things that could hurt their impression of you (like an ADHD diagnoses).

 

[Aceofspades]

OP, it looks like you are bordering on seeking medical advice on SDN. If you believe you have ADHD you should seek a diagnosis/opinion from a mental health professional. If it turns out you have it, then ask a mental health professional how you should proceed. If you don't have it then go about with your every day life and just try to improve your study skills and focus.

As to how dental schools will look at that? Who knows. There are many dental schools with many faculty. I don't think anyone here could say for sure the opinion of every dental school faculty in the nation. Will using it as an "excuse" help? Maybe, but if you improve over these next 2 years and do well on the DAT I don't think you will even need an excuse.

 

[supraman]

I recently was diagnosed with ADHD, you def should go to your doctor. I never knew what ADHD/ADD was all about really, I was naive about it. I thought people with ADD had some serious problem where they really feel like they are strapped in so bad they can't do something at all. You'll find that you have a high IQ, but your attention span sucks. Once I went on adderall, I turned into a machine, getting everything I wanted to get done and feeling great. I WISH i had it in college, I would have done great. I thought everyone was like me, overly bored, but I knew something was wrong. Get it done ASAP

 

[M1medhr]

ADHD does not inherently mean you are hyperactive, there are actually 3 subtypes. I have inattentive ADHD, meaning I lack the impulsiveness and hyperactivity, but I have a ridiculously short attention span, I'm very easily distracted, I'm forgetful, disorganized and procrastinate to an extent that it severely affects my social, academic, and home life. I'm also constantly fatigued. Yes, some people experience these things from time to time, that doesn't mean that everyone has ADHD. Sometimes my blood sugar is kinda high, doesn't mean I have diabetes.

ADHD is also not exclusively found in children, there exists something known as Adult ADHD. You don't need a diagnosis from childhood to go see a doc, I waited to see one until med school. School is a series of steps, I learned to deal with ADHD during high school and most of undergrad, but I couldn't adjust for med school. The people on here saying stuff about laziness are just being downright offensive. You need to evaluate yourself, and then have a doctor evaluate you, and maybe you can get some help. Your psychiatrist has been to medical school and has completed a residency wherein their sole goal was to evaluate human behavior. If you think that any undergrad can just waltz in to a psychiatrists office and spill some bull and somehow trick the doctor is being foolish. Does it happen sometimes? sure. Does that mean anyone can walk out with a diagnosis? hell no.

Go see your doc.

 

[doc3232]

No one likes to study. We all look for distractions while we study.

This should sound familiar OP: I get about 50-70% efficiency when I study meaning, half of the time I am looking around not getting work done. It's 100% normal.