Do most women have ADD?

[I.Dup.]

I am pretty sure I have ADD, although maybe this is just common for every woman? I do have some friends who don't seem like this at all, though. I asked about this on a large family board I am on and someone chimed in "well we are all like that" so I thought I'd ask here for a broader range of opinions. :001_smile:

 

I will go to do a task, say taking out the trash, and on the way I will be distracted by 20 other things. 15 minutes later I will notice the trash can and remember that I was supposed to be taking out the trash.

 

I cannot sit for a movie. I would much rather watch something with short clips. My dh just put the connection together that one reason I like watching funny clips on Youtube or a show like America's Funniest Videos is because it moves at a faster pace.

 

I spend way too much time online and I think it is for this reason. Being online is like a rest for my brain, I can move as fast as my brain requires. Trying to do a task in my actual life takes a lot more brainpower and is usually very frustrating (you should have seen me yesterday with all of my school planning supplies, it was a chaotic mess, lol)

 

These are just a few examples. They may not sound like a very big deal, but they have caused a lot of tension in our marriage, especially me getting distracted so easily. My dd is like this also, and my mom is even more severe than I am. She simply cannot sit down for any length of time at all and doing the most simple task can get extremely complicated and difficult for her (she is not online at all and I think she makes up for that by being even more flighty in actual life because her brain never gets a "rest" :lol: ) Although none of us has ever gone in for a diagnosis.

 

So is every woman like this?

[Ellie]

I don't think so. :)

[snickelfritz]

No.

 

I just think most women are busy. I do get distracted. But, occasional distraction is different from an inability to focus. I have a bigger problem of getting so engrossed in an activity that I tune out everything.

 

ETA: And maybe the "instant gratification"/"quick activity" is more of a result of the way our culture works? Everything is fast/instant/easy.

[PrincessMommy]

I am pretty sure I have ADD, although maybe this is just common for every woman? I do have some friends who don't seem like this at all, though. I asked about this on a large family board I am on and someone chimed in "well we are all like that" so I thought I'd ask here for a broader range of opinions. :001_smile:

 

I will go to do a task, say taking out the trash, and on the way I will be distracted by 20 other things. 15 minutes later I will notice the trash can and remember that I was supposed to be taking out the trash.

 

I cannot sit for a movie. I would much rather watch something with short clips. My dh just put the connection together that one reason I like watching funny clips on Youtube or a show like America's Funniest Videos is because it moves at a faster pace.

 

I spend way too much time online and I think it is for this reason. Being online is like a rest for my brain, I can move as fast as my brain requires. Trying to do a task in my actual life takes a lot more brainpower and is usually very frustrating (you should have seen me yesterday with all of my school planning supplies, it was a chaotic mess, lol)

 

These are just a few examples. They may not sound like a very big deal, but they have caused a lot of tension in our marriage, especially me getting distracted so easily. My dd is like this also, and my mom is even more severe than I am. She simply cannot sit down for any length of time at all and doing the most simple task can get extremely complicated and difficult for her (she is not online at all and I think she makes up for that by being even more flighty in actual life because her brain never gets a "rest" :lol: ) Although none of us has ever gone in for a diagnosis.

 

So is every woman like this?

 

Your thread title made me LOL... I've often wondered this about myself too. I'm very easily distracted and cannot stay on one task for very long. I don't know if it really means I'm ADD (although I have 2 dds who are), but it makes me wonder.

 

I partly wonder if it's lifestyle changes of being a mom. We're constantly distracted and have our minds on several things at once. Also, there is talk that the internet does make us a bit ADD (the book "The Shallows: What th eInternet is doing to our Brains" talks about this). So I don't know if it's a learned behavior or not.

[*********]

I will go to do a task, say taking out the trash, and on the way I will be distracted by 20 other things. 15 minutes later I will notice the trash can and remember that I was supposed to be taking out the trash.

 

I do this. And I assume it's fairly normal.

 

However, I also do things like(and yes, I've actually done all of these):

 

Forget to lock the front door when I leave (when we *always* lock up)

Leave my wallet in the car/at the store

Leave my phone in the car/at the store

Leave a stove burner on

Leave the coffee pot on

Leave the minivan door open overnight

Leave the keys hanging out of the lock in the front door

Lose my credit card

 

So, yeah, I guess I'm a bit ADD. Good thing my dh is OCD, we balance each other out nicely. :D

[I.Dup.]

ETA: And maybe the "instant gratification"/"quick activity" is more of a result of the way our culture works? Everything is fast/instant/easy.

 

Also, there is talk that the internet does make us a bit ADD (the book "The Shallows: What th eInternet is doing to our Brains" talks about this). So I don't know if it's a learned behavior or not.

 

I'm not sure. I look at my mom who was raised completely out of this culture (she was born in the 40's) and she is much worse than I am.

[momtoamiracle]

no.

 

 

I multitask and I may forget one of the tasks moementarily, but I have no trouble sitting still. I do like to work while I"m watching tv, either ironing or folding clothes, I don't like stuff to pile up and waste time doing nothing, unless I'm feeling bad.

 

 

My favorite thing is to curl up with a good book for hours. Can't stay more focused than that! LOL!

[I.Dup.]

I don't like stuff to pile up and waste time doing nothing, unless I'm feeling bad.

 

What do you consider as wasting time doing nothing? I see that as part of my issue too, unless you count being online as wasting time. :lol: I don't like to watch many shows, I can't stand science fiction, I don't really read fiction books, I consider all of that (to me) wasting time and it doesn't keep my attention. Dh could spend all day at a movie marathon and then come home and play video games. I'm not like that at all.

[Crimson Wife]

No. I would say that most women I know IRL tend to be pretty darn organized and if anything, a bit anal/OCD. Maybe that's because most of them are/were successful professionals who are graduates of elite colleges. I feel like the odd woman out because I am a bit ADHD (though not enough to need medication).

[elegantlion]

No. I have ADD individuals in my family (male), I am nothing like them. I do the task thing, but most of the time it's that I get distracted by a living creature (my dog and cat are needy!).

 

I've very anal about projects, and do multi-task. Right now I have physics planning spread over one desk and I'm looking up stuff on the computer (for physics) on my other desk. I dropped in here to check on a few things, but have 5 tabs for physics stuff open on my computer.

[jacqui in mo]

If You Give a Mom a Muffin

By Beth Brubaker

 

If you give a mom a muffin,

she'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.

She'll pour herself some.

Her three year-old will come and spill the coffee.

Mom will wipe it up.

Wiping the floor, she will find dirty socks.

She'll remember she has to do laundry.

When she puts the laundry into the washer,

she'll trip over shoes and bump into the freezer.

Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan supper.

She will get out a pound of hamburger.

She'll look for her cookbook

(How to Make 101 Things With a Pound of Hamburger.)

The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.

She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.

She will look for her checkbook.

The checkbook is in her purse,

which is being dumped out by her two year-old.

Then she'll smell something funny.

She'll change the two year-old.

While she is changing the two year-old, the phone will ring.

Her five year-old will answer and hang up.

She'll remember she was supposed to phone a friend

to come over for coffee.

Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.

She will pour herself some more.

And chances are,

if she has a cup a coffee,

her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

 

Author's blog:http://footprintsinthemudblog.blogspot.com/search?q=muffin

[I.Dup.]

If You Give a Mom a Muffin

By Beth Brubaker

 

If you give a mom a muffin,

she'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.

She'll pour herself some.

Her three year-old will come and spill the coffee.

Mom will wipe it up.

Wiping the floor, she will find dirty socks.

She'll remember she has to do laundry.

When she puts the laundry into the washer,

she'll trip over shoes and bump into the freezer.

Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan supper.

She will get out a pound of hamburger.

She'll look for her cookbook

(How to Make 101 Things With a Pound of Hamburger.)

The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.

She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.

She will look for her checkbook.

The checkbook is in her purse,

which is being dumped out by her two year-old.

Then she'll smell something funny.

She'll change the two year-old.

While she is changing the two year-old, the phone will ring.

Her five year-old will answer and hang up.

She'll remember she was supposed to phone a friend

to come over for coffee.

Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.

She will pour herself some more.

And chances are,

if she has a cup a coffee,

her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

 

Author's blog:http://footprintsinthemudblog.blogspot.com/search?q=muffin

 

Yes, this is so me. This is what I do all day long.

 

Thankfully I am very quick at my tasks so I am still able to keep a clean house and get things done that I need to but I think that is ONLY because I am quick at things so I can get things done before I lose focus, for the most part. If I wasn't, I think I would be a total slob because I wouldn't be able to finish anything.

[Karen in CO]

Have you read any of the recent research about internet use and attention span? It might be something to consider. Here is an article to get you started.

[jewellsmommy]

Yes, this is so me. This is what I do all day long.

 

Thankfully I am very quick at my tasks so I am still able to keep a clean house and get things done that I need to but I think that is ONLY because I am quick at things so I can get things done before I lose focus, for the most part. If I wasn't, I think I would be a total slob because I wouldn't be able to finish anything.

 

 

I think that part is normal momdom because we are so busy and try to prioritize ourselves to death. I will go to clean something and think "while I'm doing this, the washing machine could be running and then ready for the dryer by the time I clean this." So I will stop what I am doing and make a load. Then it starts...:lol:

 

The other things you describe are possibly ADHD. No, I don't think all or even most women are ADD. I have seen ADD. I definitely don't fit.

[WeeBeaks]

I don't show any signs of ADD. I've got 2 in my family officially diagnosed. Their main issue is not actually "distraction" as in multitasking, even if you forget why you came to the refrigerator. ;) It is so incredibly much larger than that.

 

Women in studies are better at multitasking, and when you add multiple children it might explain what you are seeing. However, if you were alone in the house (yes, hard to believe, but bear with me), would you be able to finish your task? Most would say yes. A true ADD probably wouldn't despite lack of external interruptions.

[Mrs Mungo]

My favorite thing is to curl up with a good book for hours. Can't stay more focused than that! LOL!

 

People with ADD can hyperfocus on a task like that for a long time. ADD is not what you seem to think it is.

 

That said, in general? No, I do not think most women have ADD. In fact, there have been cases where moms take their kid's Ritalin because it makes them hyper and able to get more done. If you have ADD, then it would not make you hyper, it would clear the fog of business from your brain.

[The Governess]

Have you ever taken the Meyer-Briggs personality test? This may just be a function of your personality. My type is INTJ and I find that because of the IN part of my personality I can become so focused on my thoughts and my "inner world" that I lose track of what's happening in the outside world. For example, My husband will come home from work and all the kitchen cabinets will be wide open because I unloaded the dishwasher, forgot to close them, and then never noticed they were still open. I do stuff like this all the time because I get so wrapped up inside my own brain, especially if I have a lot of stuff on my mind.

[PrairieSong]

I can get distracted at times, and often have multiple things going on, but I have no trouble sitting still for a really good movie, book, or conversation.

 

So no, I don't think most women have ADD. You might if you find it impossible to focus on things, to the point of it hindering your daily life, keeping you from doing what you need or want to do.

[Dory]

If You Give a Mom a Muffin

By Beth Brubaker

 

If you give a mom a muffin,

she'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.

She'll pour herself some.

Her three year-old will come and spill the coffee.

Mom will wipe it up.

Wiping the floor, she will find dirty socks.

She'll remember she has to do laundry.

When she puts the laundry into the washer,

she'll trip over shoes and bump into the freezer.

Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan supper.

She will get out a pound of hamburger.

She'll look for her cookbook

(How to Make 101 Things With a Pound of Hamburger.)

The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.

She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.

She will look for her checkbook.

The checkbook is in her purse,

which is being dumped out by her two year-old.

Then she'll smell something funny.

She'll change the two year-old.

While she is changing the two year-old, the phone will ring.

Her five year-old will answer and hang up.

She'll remember she was supposed to phone a friend

to come over for coffee.

Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.

She will pour herself some more.

And chances are,

if she has a cup a coffee,

her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

 

Author's blog:http://footprintsinthemudblog.blogspot.com/search?q=muffin

 

May I borrow this poem? I love it. It's like a tamed down version of me. Normally I'm even more sporadic than this, but this works. :D

[I.Dup.]

Have you read any of the recent research about internet use and attention span? It might be something to consider. Here is an article to get you started.

 

Yes, I'm sure the internet isn't helping anyone in this area. But like I said, my mom is even more severe than I am and she didn't grow up in this culture and isn't online at all, so I'm not sure if this is a correlation/causation thing or what.

 

I don't show any signs of ADD. I've got 2 in my family officially diagnosed. Their main issue is not actually "distraction" as in multitasking, even if you forget why you came to the refrigerator. ;) It is so incredibly much larger than that.

 

Can you give me examples?

 

Have you ever taken the Meyer-Briggs personality test? This may just be a function of your personality.

 

Yes, but I cannot remember what I am.

[I.Dup.]

People with ADD can hyperfocus on a task like that for a long time. ADD is not what you seem to think it is.

 

That said, in general? No, I do not think most women have ADD. In fact, there have been cases where moms take their kid's Ritalin because it makes them hyper and able to get more done. If you have ADD, then it would not make you hyper, it would clear the fog of business from your brain.

 

Yes, I can read for long periods of time as long as the book is interesting to me (most are as long as I read in the genres I enjoy).

 

Does what I described sound like ADD to you? My mom did try Ritalin once and said it did help her on focusing. I'm not sure why she stopped taking it, I will have to ask her.

[WeeBeaks]

Can you give me examples?

 

 

Here is a starting place to read about adult ADD:

http://helpguide.org/mental/adhd_add_adult_symptoms.htm

 

You are generally looking for a generalized effect across multiple environments (say home, work and church). It also typically isn't just forgetfulness or other things but rather someone will have trouble with the forgetting, but also organization in general, relationship skills in certain areas, impulsivity in many areas.

[joannqn]

People with ADD can hyperfocus on a task like that for a long time. ADD is not what you seem to think it is.

 

:iagree:

 

 

I have not been diagnosed. My friends, women without ADD and one with a son who has ADD, think I have it. It is obvious to them. Fortunately, they like me anyway.

 

It is very difficult for me to finish things, even things I enjoy.

[Parrothead]

No I don't think most women have ADD. I do think most women have very complex lives. Those with ADD may have their symptoms exacerbated due to the level of complexity in their lives.

 

On a personal level I do have a hard time with something mind numbing such as watching TV or meditating. But I can read for hours and hours or sit still and put together 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles. At the other end I can multitask and keep 6 balls in the air without doing to much damage.

[I.Dup.]

Here is a starting place to read about adult ADD:

http://helpguide.org/mental/adhd_add_adult_symptoms.htm

 

 

 

I have everything mentioned on this link. And yet I still wonder, isn't this just a woman thing, trying to multi-task and being unable to keep up with it all? Maybe I'm in denial? :tongue_smilie:

[justamouse]

No I don't think most women have ADD. I do think most women have very complex lives. Those with ADD may have their symptoms exacerbated due to the level of complexity in their lives.

 

On a personal level I do have a hard time with something mind numbing such as watching TV or meditating. But I can read for hours and hours or sit still and put together 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles. At the other end I can multitask and keep 6 balls in the air without doing to much damage.

 

:iagree:

[Danestress]

With a specific diagnostic criteria. In order to be diagnosed as an adult, you typically need indicators that the diagnotic factors were present before age 7, so if you are concerned, it is especially helpful if you can find school or medical records discussing relevant factors from you early childhood.

[Alphabetika]

No.

 

I just think most women are busy. I do get distracted. But, occasional distraction is different from an inability to focus. I have a bigger problem of getting so engrossed in an activity that I tune out everything.

 

ETA: And maybe the "instant gratification"/"quick activity" is more of a result of the way our culture works? Everything is fast/instant/easy.

 

:iagree:Especially with the last part. This is a really interesting book about the internet and our brains. I'm not saying it applies to the OP, but I think it's good reading for anyone, especially those of us with kids who have been raised in the internet age, which is, I think, all of us:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Shallows-What-Internet-Doing-Brains/dp/0393339750/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341510667&sr=1-1&keywords=the+shallows

 

ETA: Just saw that someone else mentioned this book already.

[Alphabetika]

Have you ever taken the Meyer-Briggs personality test? This may just be a function of your personality. My type is INTJ and I find that because of the IN part of my personality I can become so focused on my thoughts and my "inner world" that I lose track of what's happening in the outside world. For example, My husband will come home from work and all the kitchen cabinets will be wide open because I unloaded the dishwasher, forgot to close them, and then never noticed they were still open. I do stuff like this all the time because I get so wrapped up inside my own brain, especially if I have a lot of stuff on my mind.

 

:iagree:I am INFP but this completely describes me. I am especially non-attuned to visual things like the cabinet doors described above, and I'm even this way with clutter. After a very short while, I just don't see it anymore. My life is, and always has been, a constant struggle to get out of my own head.

[Shellydon]

No, that doesn't describe me at all.

[Amy Jo]

I think I'm OCD. I tend to hyper focus on one thing. Wouldn't be so bad if I put the stuff from thing 1 away before grabbing items for thing 2. :tongue_smilie:

[Laura Corin]

I can concentrate on one thing for a long time. If it doesn't engage my brain, then I listen to intelligent talk radio so that my brain is engaged on that while I work. I can weed a flower bed for three hours straight if the radio is on. INTJ here.

 

Laura

[Rhonda in TX]

So is every woman like this?

 

No. I have been diagnosed with ADD, so I know what a struggle it is. I know plenty of women who are not ADD and I am so jealous. Sigh...

[TranquilMind]

I am pretty sure I have ADD, although maybe this is just common for every woman? I do have some friends who don't seem like this at all, though. I asked about this on a large family board I am on and someone chimed in "well we are all like that" so I thought I'd ask here for a broader range of opinions. :001_smile:

 

I will go to do a task, say taking out the trash, and on the way I will be distracted by 20 other things. 15 minutes later I will notice the trash can and remember that I was supposed to be taking out the trash.

 

I cannot sit for a movie. I would much rather watch something with short clips. My dh just put the connection together that one reason I like watching funny clips on Youtube or a show like America's Funniest Videos is because it moves at a faster pace.

 

I spend way too much time online and I think it is for this reason. Being online is like a rest for my brain, I can move as fast as my brain requires. Trying to do a task in my actual life takes a lot more brainpower and is usually very frustrating (you should have seen me yesterday with all of my school planning supplies, it was a chaotic mess, lol)

 

These are just a few examples. They may not sound like a very big deal, but they have caused a lot of tension in our marriage, especially me getting distracted so easily. My dd is like this also, and my mom is even more severe than I am. She simply cannot sit down for any length of time at all and doing the most simple task can get extremely complicated and difficult for her (she is not online at all and I think she makes up for that by being even more flighty in actual life because her brain never gets a "rest" :lol: ) Although none of us has ever gone in for a diagnosis.

 

So is every woman like this?

No, every woman isn't like this. But then normal women are sometimes like this! We are always multitasking, and some of us (ahem, me) don't do this well. I'd totally leave the trash and attend to the 900 other things I see that need to be done, but I'd get back to the trash.

 

I can focus online or on movies or anything interesting for a very long time, though.

 

Everything isn't a condition with a label. Some things just ...are.

[elegantlion]

I have everything mentioned on this link. And yet I still wonder, isn't this just a woman thing, trying to multi-task and being unable to keep up with it all? Maybe I'm in denial? :tongue_smilie:

 

to the bold no, it's not. I read the list and I'm even stressed a lot and have been dealing with anxiety, but very few items on that list describe me.

 

Do you know anyone that is actually diagnosed? It could be that you have it and it ISN'T diagnosed. A few of the people I know who are weren't diagnosed until their 40s and have very successful careers, so they operated well for years without dealing with it.

 

The people who are in my life and diagnosed have had many of these symptoms for years. Some take medication, some don't and instead have created coping skills that work for them.

 

If you think you have it, consider reading more on it, and seeing what course of action will work for you. But I wouldn't blame it on being a woman.

[joannqn]

Here is a starting place to read about adult ADD:

http://helpguide.org/mental/adhd_add_adult_symptoms.htm

 

:iagree:

 

That link describes me very well. Having no insurance to pay for the testing my doctor wants before he'll prescribe means I'm trying to manage it on my own. I've gotten a decent handle on some things, and my family has adapted to some of the issues it causes.