ADD and social anxiety need advice

sharona97, BSN, RN · May 10, 2008

I am wanting to become a nurse but I have issues with social anxiety and ADD. I am so worried I won't be able to do the job due to my lack of focus, organization and social anxiety. Can anyone give me hope or should I consider a different career?
Thank you

wannabeeverything:

Hi! Are U under the care of a provider,? On Meds,? Talked to a therapist or school disabolity counselor?.

Sometimes the hassle of searching for the answer eventually pays off.

I wish you luck. :up:

All4Seasons · May 17, 2008

Hi!

Hurray for you in your desire to be a nurse!! :yeah: It will be easier to study for any career,not just nursing,if you have all possible supports in place. If you haven't already done so,I'd get an official diagnosis - which will entail lots of testing,but it is necessary to be eligible for any funding that universities have to assist students having ADHD/ADD (officially recognized by many universities as a disability); as well,schools now have policies that allow you to write exams in small,quiet rooms, have anonymous note-takers available,etc - none of this was in place when I was in school.

You may want to consider medication (if you're not already taking something to assist your focus). There are,of course,those who would dissuade you from medication,but I'm not one of them. Meds used for ADHD/ADD are,literally,some of the most thoroughly studied in all of psychiatry, and could dramatically assist your focus and organization.I love the analogy that medication for ADD is like someone with nearsightedness putting on a pair of glasses. The assistance of a therapist could help enormously as well - giving you practical,useful suggestions for organizing your home and life to benefit your study habits,etc.

It has been my personal experience that if your love is nursing, your very interest will be a great stimulus, and will carry you far in helping you overcome these issues.

Please feel free to PM me if I can be of any help to you.:)

jen

HM2VikingRN, RN · May 17, 2008

I have struggled with everything you have laid out. The builtin structures of nursing school will help you through the bumps on the road. I also found that the interesting things in school helped me achieve hyperfocus. Please PM if you want some other school survival skills....(Jens post provides excellent ideas...)

If I could get through nursing school anybody can.......

wannabeeverything · May 21, 2008

Thank you all so much for the advice. It's nice to know im not alone. I wrote down everything that I had been experiencing and went to a councelor. He said everything I was telling him sounded like ADHD infasis on inattention and anxiety to go with it. I knew I had anxiety but couldn't put a name on the ADD (I just always knew something was wrong). Anyway he said he wanted to experiment with different meds to find out which one works best to determine my diagnosis. My dr. put me on Celexa, so far it's working pretty well. I just enrolled today for my prereqs and Im so excited and scared. I haven't done well in school in the past, things dont sink in and my mind wanders, you all understand how that is, but I feel like I'm going in the right direction. :yeah:

HM2VikingRN, RN · May 21, 2008

Best of luck.

Feel free to PM for help...

okie rn · May 22, 2008

I also have ADD and anxiety. Don't worry you are not alone. I do traveling nursing and was amazed at how many nurses have ADD.

While I was going to school I was worried too and I started researching and found out that Florence Nightingale was believed to have ADD in adolescents and Bipolar as an adult so I guess if the Founder of modern nursing had these illness and is the most famous nurse in history, we'll probably do ok. :nurse:

okie rn

yellow finch, BSN, RN · May 28, 2008

Worry not. I have anxiety, ADD, and OCD. Medications help my anxiety (yay for Cymbalta and Xanax!) and I utilize the other two to my benefit. ADD allows me to hyperfocus on patient care as well as multi-task. OCD keeps me organized and assures everything gets done by the end of my shift. It's not always fun, but I move fast and am commended on my work by the supervisor.

Whatever you do, use your unique personality to work in your favor and never, ever use it as an excuse. I had a preceptor who took meds for ADHD yet every day she found something to blame her "mistakes" on or for her inattention to the needs of her patients or me for that matter.

You have something lots of other people could probably benefit from! You'll see it at work. You'll be done with your work long before anyone else and it'll be done well.

allmytimestudying · Jun 15, 2008

do they say anything about using xanax at work

All4Seasons · Jun 21, 2008

do they say anything about using xanax at work

Why would it be anyone's concern what medications you are on? It's definitely not a good idea to share personal information like that with coworkers. It's no one's business as well.

Information is power...

allmytimestudying · Jun 21, 2008

they drug test for benzos where i work that is why i havent been using xanx

All4Seasons · Jun 22, 2008

Wow. That never even occurred to me. I have never worked in a facility that did employee drug testing - either pre-employment or random screening. I did a little research and it seems to be common in some safety-sensitive jobs here - the military,truckers who need to cross the border between Canada and the US,the oil patch. I've never heard of it being done in a Canadian hospital.

Is it not okay to be on a prescription medication if you have a letter from your MD saying " Miss X is on Z for Y diagnosed condition "?

Seems discriminatory to not hire or to fire someone because of a medical condition, lumping IT with,say,recreational use of cannabis or alcohol. Very interesting subject. I hope you've been able to find another medication which helps you that the drug testers aren't interested in. :)