Interview 7: ADHD/ADD
Are you restless? Do you find it difficult to sit still? Could you give an example where it has interfered with your life.
Yeah. exams/long lectures,where I need to be in one place for a long time gets difficult because I start to get antsy and restless and that lowers my ability to concentrate and focus.
Do you find yourself avoiding or reluctant to participate in tasks that require sustained mental effort?
Depends on the kind of effort, but I try to participate in most tasks wherever possible
Do you find yourself making “careless mistakes” when completing tasks. Often when I have to write for long durations i’ll make mistakes in spellings or punctuation/ i’ll forget smaller elements within tasks when trying to finish the task as a whole.
Do you find it difficult to wait for your turn? When do you feel like this?
I get impatient waiting for my turn especially when I feel like what I have to contribute, increase the quality of the dialogue/make it more interesting or if i’ve been told I have to wait a certain amount of time and am made to wait longer. I get irritated and impatient- if i’m told 40 mins i’m glad to wait 40 but if i’m told 20 and end up having to wait 40 that ticks me off
Do you find that you have difficulty managing time? Could you please give us an example where this has impacted you to a great extent
I’ve had issues with time management with regards to assignments/exam prep and it adds to last minute stress and anxiety. Tasks that require planning in advance and managing sub tasks within certain time limits are troublesome
How do you perceive yourself and achievements?
Pretty well given that i know i try my best and put in all my effort into doing things
Do you find that any of your answers to these questions, have previously impacted your relationships with other people? Could you please give us an example?
Time management and being impatient made group projects etc in school tough so there were a few issues there but nothing too major. Relationships with teachers were pretty strained till they were told I had ADHD and understood better how to work with me.
How would you feel if a psychologist told you, you suffered from ADD/ADHD? Would you feel this would impact other people’s perception of you?
I wouldn’t feel much different i don’t think it’s a big deal it’s just a little hiccup. others tend to see me as lazy or not hardworking and often think ADHD is an “excuse”.
If you knew someone who suffered from ADD/ADHD, how would you help them?
Tell them to see a therapist and come up with ways to work on time management & concentration. Everyone’s different so i’d tell them to pinpoint the areas they feel they need to work on and work with them to come up with ways to increase efficiency and confidence