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Adult ADD

Posted: Apr 22, 2016

I was recently diagnosed with adult onset of ADD. I've been doing a lot of research and found that this is quite common, it's not just for kids anymore. As an MT, it is important for us to concentrate on what we are doing and be able to multitask; i.e. listening, interpreting, typing, correcting, etc. I have started to find this extremely difficult for several months now to the point where when I'm listening to some of these monotone, obnoxious dictators that my mind begins to wonder which is why I might make tiny, insignificant errors and the occasional major error (I notice these when I go back over my reports). I am also easily distracted (like when you are typing/editing that moronic dictator who has decided to call on his/her car phone with kids, radio, traffic noise). Are there any other MTs who suffer from this and if so how do you handle it? Are you on meds? Is there a trick that I might be missing? I keep my office silent when my kids are not home, I do my best to work when I'm home alone, no TV, no radio, and I turn the phones off/silent, but these are no longer effective.

Thanks for input!

;

I think I've had it all my life, but of course - back then no one knew what - S/M

[ In Reply To ..]
ADD/ADHD was. They just said I was "spirited", a "tomboy", or an "underachiever" in school, and I "didn't apply myself."

It seems to be worse the older I get. I remember things by writing notes to myself. I have a little placard I put up each Wednesday night to remind myself that Thursday night is garbage-night.

I do better working in short bursts. Some people have good luck setting a kitchen timer or alarm clock for like an hour... during which they have to try to stay focused and work. Then they can get up and do something else for a bit before going back to work again.

Switching to speech-rec editing made staying awake at work VERY difficult for me. I had to resort to a ton of caffeine in order to work. I also tried to take a 30-minute nap in my car during my lunch break when I worked inhouse, and it helped somewhat.

If what's keeping me distracted is constantly thinking of things I need to do: Shopping list, housework, social engagements, car repairs, or creative ideas, I keep a paper and pen handy. Whenever an idea pops into my head, I find if I write it down, I can then ignore it more easily, because if I want to remember it I can always refer back to my paper. This is especially true when planning for a trip! I keep a list of what I need to do or bring in my pocket, add to it whenever the idea pops up, and then forget about it. Once I leave, if it wasn't on the list, then either I didn't really need it, or I can buy or borrow it once I get there.

The list thing sometimes help with trying to sleep, too. All these ideas pop into my head! I write them down, then forget about them.

While working, sometimes I could mute the other thoughts floating around in my head by stopping for a moment and focusing on something. It could be a paper clip on my desk, or a single letter character in the middle of my typed page, or anything. But I'd make myself think only of that, and nothing else. It seemed to calm things down a bit.

Proof-reading is by far the most difficult thing to do with ADD! I find it nearly impossible to proof-read a long document. What works best for me is to stop and proof one paragraph at a time, as I complete each one.

Sometimes I'm antsy because I've been at my desk for too long. Getting up for just a few minutes and doing something physical: A quick power-walk around the block, taking the garbage out, digging up dirt for a new flower bed, or even a set of sit-ups or jumping-jacks makes a big difference.

Most of all, however, I try not to beat myself up about it. It's just me, and whenever my mind wanders, I just laugh at myself and redirect myself back to work. I think it gets worse as we get older because there's more stuff crammed into our brains to distract us than there was when we were young.

It made me a great MT. - Me

[ In Reply To ..]
I have had ADD my entire life. Early on I mastered hyperfocusing, which is a compensatory technique. That in turn enabled me to be an excellent MT (and performing any other task that requires attention to detail).

Have you tried supplementing with amino acids? I take HCF (Happy, Calm, Focused) and it really does help. So does fish oil or some other good source of omega-3 fatty acids.

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