2nd year Comp Sci student that just now figured out I have ADD

> Also, look into innerchild / regression therapy. There's usually an underlying reason why our behaviours lead to procrastination. Good luck.

I guess I've sort-of known this, though it's nice to hear someone else confirm it... I know that my procrastination and perfectionism are quite interrelated, as whenever I try and work on a project, my mind manages to find zillions of problems with it, I don't get any real stimulation out it, and I return to distracting habits that give more immediate pleasure (damn you HN!).

Perfectionism, in turn, has its roots in childhood stress (at least it does for me). Not getting enough positive feedback for so many years, not believing in myself, etc. It seems so simple in retrospect, but I didn't realize how much emotional stress I had built up my whole life until maybe a year or so ago. Incidentally, I noticed this when I was reading about the causes of RSI, which turned out to be caused by psychosomatic effects (TMS, again, at least for me). So these stresses, left unresolved, can turn into real physical pain.

The human brain is fucking weird.

You might be right, but it's possible considering all of the modern distractions and passive entertainment we have that it really is a matter of mental conditioning (or something like that).

I'm in an extremely similar situation to you. Here's my advice: if you're looking to get put on a medication (don't feel bad about feeling like you need it), start getting help now. I'm saying this because getting treatment for ADD is a LONG process. Once you're locked into the medical system, you're good, but it can be a hell of a time getting there.

1) If you're away from home and don't have a primary care doctor, get one. Like, right now. Depending on where you live, wait times for accepting new patients can vary between 1-3 months. They'll typically set up an introductory physical. Once you're there, explain to them that you think you have ADHD and want to discuss treatment options.

From there, the meeting can go one of two ways. The way you want it to go is for the doc/NP to start you on a trial medication.

On the other hand (and this happened to me), you may find that your primary care physician is either 1) entirely against ADHD medications and/or 2) won't prescribe them, instead requiring you to go to a psychiatrist. If this is the case, then you must start the 1-3 month waiting period all over again trying to get in with a psychiatrist. A shortcut here might just be to go directly to the psychiatrist, but depending on your insurance, that may not be possible.

Tips:

Don't bother getting help through your university. They get too many kids coming through there looking for easy Adderall and Vicodin, to the point where they treat everyone like drug addicts. Getting that kind of treatment from others can be really off-putting and make you feel bad about having ADHD. That's the last thing you need.

If you can't get meds through your primary care, make sure you see a psychiatrist, not a psychologist. If you call a mental health center that has a mix of psychiatrists, psychologists, and counsellors, make sure you know you're getting set up with a psychiatrist. You can still get diagnosed with ADHD by a psychologist, but they don't prescribe medication, so you'll have to wait another 1-3 months to meet with someone who can after you get diagnosed.

Just like some others here, I feel like I could have written this post myself. I was diagnosed w/ ADD at five and have only recently sought treatment (at age 34). I resisted the idea of taking meds for years but now I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to address the issue. My entire life, I've been limited to intellectual disciplines that I could assimilate w/in 48 hours or just BS my way through (liberal arts). If I had been able to read more than two pages w/o losing focus, things may have been different. Now I'm receiving treatment and for the first time in my life, I think that I might be able correct the problem (or at least mitigate it). For me, that means accepting that I can't do it without help.

My advice is to talk to more than one mental health professional. Try to keep an open mind about the different methods and combinations of methods used to treat ADD. Whatever you decide, do not wait to address the issue.

>Am I kidding myself thinking I can somehow get past this without medication? Is there any other REAL path forward?

Maybe. But this is something that you really need to talk to a therapist or doctor about.