Do I have a problem?

[elleon82]

I used to be a great straight A student. When I was about a junior in high school my grades starting dropping and I couldn’t focus on any school work. Nothing new in my life or any problems were occurring. The concentration levels just weren’t there anymore. I was an athlete, ate well and overall very healthy and health conscious. After that year my parents divorced and my mother and I moved back in with my grandmother. I switched schools and finished my senior year. I would relate the concentration to the divorce but I noticed the problems long before the split. (It was a long time coming. This was not to my surprise and was for the better) I am now in my second year of college and as I am typing this I am supposed to be studying but I can not. I will read flash cards, watch YouTube videos, print worksheets, even tried to come up with some silly songs to remember or understand but nothing works. Anyone I have ever talked to about this says it is because of the divorce or that I am not trying hard enough. I want to give up it is so frustrating. No one believes me when I say I think I have a deeper problem. I have been seeing a shrink who put me on anxiety meds if all kinds for the past year but that doesn’t help either. Is it ADHD or ADD? Please help!

[DanZee]

I think at this point you might just have a case of a short attention span. Maybe the stuff you were studying was boring. Outside of learning reading and writing and math, there's little else you'll use in real life. You should do something you like to do and see if your concentration is fine when doing that.

 

Failing that, you can see a doctor to prescribe you some Ritalin. That's the drug of choice for college kids. Or you can try some herbal remedies like Gotu Kola, Gingko Biloba, Ginseng and others. You can also try energy drinks, coffee or colas to sharpen your concentration.

 

Hopefully, you'll find out what works to get you through college.

[lostandhurt]

This happened to my son. He was a great student and then in 7th grade things changed. He still did well in school but things started to slip and it took more effort on my part to keep him focused on what IS IMPORTANT in his life. Fast forward to 10th grade and I was inspecting homework, talking to teachers and basically making him do the work.

 

My son is not lazy and has worked hard all his life due to his physical disability but somehow he decided that the assignments and work were not that important and he could skate and make it up later. I don't know if you thought that way of if you have even thought about it. I know my son didn't make a conscious choice to do this, it happened over time until he was in trouble in school and with ME!

 

What I found is that in school and in homes many people do not teach the kids how to be good students. It doesn't matter in grade school because you usually have the same teacher and there is very little freedom to skate without being called on it right away but as you move up in grades teachers do not follow up as much and it is up to the student to make sure they get everything done on time and turned in. Turns out this is not all that uncommon. I have a friend with 4 boys, 3 do great and one is a carbon copy of my son and possibly you. That tells me it wasn't the parent or the home life but the child.

 

My son was not broken and neither are you. My son had to learn had to be a good student and manage his life which included school work and take responsibility for his actions or lack of action. Here is a link to something that helped us both

This program has helped tons of students and student athletes turn their grades and lives around. It was originally designed to help football players that couldn't seem to stay focused and keep their grades up but now it is for every student. Google Academic Game Plan and do some reading about it and watch some videos and see if there is any help in it for you.

 

There are a lot of changes in a child's life as they mature and take on a bigger role in their own lives and sometimes learning to be self motivated and organized takes help. After all did anyone ever teach you those things? Some people are naturals and others are not. I am sure you know people in your life you can point to and pick which ones are and which are not.

 

Trust me you are not broken and you can teach yourself to be motivated and prioritize the things that are the most important in your life right now.

 

Lost