I am a 19 year old who has had a long list of odd symptoms for as long as I can remember. I have never really thought about ADD/ADHD however as I didn't realize some of the issues were associated with the disorder.
I would like to get peoples thoughts as to whether or not this list of symptoms seems to fit the bill for ADHD, or if perhaps it is something else. I clearly plan to see a doctor soon but would still like to gather as much information and ideas as possible.
My earliest memories of these symptoms come from my elementary-middle school years.
I was (and still am) a very bright student, especially in the fields of math and science (currently studying Aerospace Engineering at a prestigious university). In my earlier years (easier work load) I never had many problems but as time went by I would find any shortcut possible to get the job done without much effort. Procrastination might as well be my middle name. I was always able to get by without studying much at all; I made it look easy.I was in the GATE program for gifted students.
I am not sure exactly what sparked the attention but I also had some negative attention in elementary school. I recall a women pulled me out of class several times and took me to a room full of toys. I can't recall my thoughts on the issue at the time, but in hindsight there was obviously more to it than a simple break from class to chat with someone. I also recall my mother had a book in my late elementary school time about raising a "spirited" kid.
I have a much better memory of my symptoms after this time period. Throughout middle/high school (and even today, although I now live out of the house) my relationship with my parents has been a roller coaster. I talked back often, would get worked up easily over nothing and often times blow a small argument into a massive fight involving screaming, cussing and running away. Often times I felt bad afterwards, but still couldn't control my impulses. I have overreacted similarly with other people such as friends, however its MUCH rarer and never even close to the same level.
Another issue that I have had is overwhelming tiredness during the day. Regardless of whether I get (my earliest memory of this problem is early highschool, I can't seem to recall it happening before but its possible, it still persists today in my college classes) 3 hours of sleep or 9 hours of sleep, if I have a full block of classes (9-2, or even 9-12) I can usually make it through the first and last class however somewhere in-between I either need to skip, or sleep. I often find myself going to my 11am class somewhat motivated to pay attention, and then finding myself either resting my head, or playing with my phone. Similarly in 11th grade of HS, I often slept during my honors history lectures and then transferred to the regular class, which had many of my good friends in it, and noticed I no longer felt as tired. In HS I would push myself to stay awake because class attendance had much more importance on your overall grade, and the smaller classes meant the teacher was more likely to notice and call you out for not attending. Now that college has arrived this issue has created a serious struggle just to go to certain classes because of where they fit into the day. If my plans for the day are something that interests me, I have no such problem.
I have noticed I am extremely impulsive, often making sudden decisions (drug use for example, or a decision to stay up late to do something) even when its really not a great time (exam/paper around the corner).
I tend to have insomnia. If I force myself to go to bed its often not too much of a problem. The issue is deciding to go to bed. Even as a type this right now, I realize I was EXHAUSTED around 11am but decided to lay on the coach to eat, and watch a movie/surf the web instead. Occasionally when I do get into bed, I have trouble sleeping due to a feeling of my brain working on overdrive. This is especially prevalent before big days, such as a motorcycle race (my pastime/obsession), although I feel its fairly common to have trouble sleeping when nervous or anxious for something.
I have another issue that somewhat relates to my insomnia. I find I need to be around people, especially those close to me. At school I'll often go out of my way to be with friends. Late at night I'll feel a desire to stay up way later than I should be just because a friend is a studying or hanging out and I'd rather be with them then in bed.
One of the more recent issues that has really become a problem is losing things. I often forget where I leave things such as keys, credit cards etc... I also often end up finding them in odd places, without explanation for why I had put them there. Most times when this happens I get quite angry, especially if its something important, and will often times impulsively react, sometimes by throwing something or slamming something.
I am quite tired and thats about all I can think of, but if anybody takes the time to read the novel I just spit out, let me know your thoughts.
If you want to gather more info, two sites aimed at the adult ADD sufferer that you might want to check out are totallyadd.com and http://jeffsaddmind.com/for-first-time-visitors. While they are aimed at ADD adults, that's pretty much where most adults are at.
If you are going to see a doctor I would go to a psychiatrist. But whatever doctor you go to, make sure that they are experienced in dealing with AD/HD.
As for your last post, kind of sounds like a form of anxiety attack to me. Given that you have taken the time to post this, I would imagine that this whole matter is beginning to weigh you down.
By the way, it is not uncommon for very intelligent ADHD people to get through high school just due to innate intellligence, and then have problems in college simply because the course content is difficult enough that you either have to listen in class or study at night. There are techniques to help with this, but since you never had to use them before, its kind of a new world for you. Also I would think that your college counselor might be able to help you with this. This is not uncommon. It would not hurt to ask your counselor if they have any resources to help you. Hope this helps. If you have any more specific questions, please post. Best wishes.