As a prospective Nursing Student I am curious if there is anybody out there with Adult ADD (Adult Attention Deficit Disorder). I was diagnosed with ADD as a child and have also been treated for this (and depression) as an adult. I was also diagnosed with severe migraines at age 6 and continue to suffer from them 30+ years later. As a child I was very much withdrawn from my classmates and often became innattentive or lost in my own world. This was attributed to ADD despite the fact I was performing 2-3 grade levels above my peers.
Grades 1-12 were not very difficult for me despite many lapses, however once I reached college I soon became overwhelmed with the workload and working so many hours. I would do very well one semester, and then reach a point the next semester where I had so much going on that I would literally break down and not be able to stay focused on anything. Needless to say my grades and life suffered because of this.
I eventually left college and took a rather unchallenging position for 10 years. It had little pressure and I was rarely overwhelmed, at least at work. My doctor even suggested ADD was partially responsible for me "settling" for such a position. However in my private life I still often had difficulty prioritizing and remaining organized. I have taken medication off and on for this and to be honest don't know if it has helped or not.
Now my question to you: Any other sufferers? How did it impact your schooling? How has it affected your career? Would this even exclude me from getting into an ADN program? I went through a 3 year period of my life where I worked full-time and spent my remaining time caring for a terminally ill Mother and despite the difficulties, physically and emotionally, I handled the situation very well. As tragic as this situation was it did give me confidence that I can handle an intense workload and pressure situations. Maybe maturity has dulled it's affect?
