<p>I was just wondering what your view whether you have ADHD or not is. Also, what do most college students without ADHD think of it. I have meet some people who don't believe in it which is always a little frusterating because I try really hard to get a 4.0 and have to spend 30 plus hours at the library. I respect there opinion but I always feel like they will think less of me or something. My days are basically wake up, go to class, eat, class, library, eat, library and then sleep for 5 or 6 hours, wake up and do it again. I get a break on saturday sometimes but doing this every week can just get grating on your nerves. I am just really curious what the average college student thinks of ADHD. I don't like to tell people unless I am really close to them because I am worried about what they will think.</p>
<p>Lots of college students without ADHD lead exactly the life you have just described. Next time you are in the library, take note of who is there with you. Those people are there for a reason. Maybe they have ADHD and it is the only place where they can concentrate well. Maybe they want a 4.0 so they can go to a specific grad school. Maybe they commute to school and it is easier for them to do their homework in the library than to try to do it after they get home at night. Between those kids, and the kids who are in the library all the time because working there is how they pay for school, you should be able to come up with enough friends who share your schedule so that you don’t have to worry about what anyone else might think.</p>
<p>That’s not what I meant but thanks though. It isn’t the schedule thing. It’s just that some of the people I know don’t think it is real, think it is a joke or that people use it as an excuse. I just wanted to know if most college students share these opinions, or recognize it as a legit condition. I am afraid to tell people because I worry they will think I am lazy and using it as an excuse which is why I explained the amount of time I work, to emphasis that I do put a lot of time in and don’t use it as an excuse to get extra time and medications.</p>
<p>Most college students don’t know enough about learning disabilities, or about life in general, to understand what having an LD means. Heck, lots of grown-ups don’t either! Unfortunately that means that you are left in the position of helping to educate them - if you choose to do so. Is there anyone in the LD services office at your college who can help you find the best way to communicate this information when you need to?</p>
<p>Only about 5% of the adult population has ADHD so most are unfamiliar with it. Honestly, if I hadn’t seen it in my own family with my own eyes, I am not sure I would believe it either. Your school probably has an ADHD support group. Maybe attend a meeting and see how others in your situation handle the non-believers.</p>
<p>I think many individuals eventually grow out of ADHD and many continue to have it but have found ways to curve their learning styles and concentration to the point in which it no longer effects their lives. I think ADHD is more prominent in children and adolescences due to their brains being underdeveloped. I read somewhere that studies are showing that brains characterized by ADHD are not shown to function different then brains without ADHD but to develop slower, which is why many cases simply clear up by the time the child reacts maturation. </p>
<p>My brother has severe ADHD to the point that he literally gets up in the middle of class and walks around. He also has a hard time studying and being organized. I myself was suspected of having ADD when I was in middle school but have sense outgrown my inability to concentrate since I’ve gotten into college. I may still have slight ADD because I find it near impossible to concentrate when there is noise.</p>
<p>I don’t know how someone would completely rule out the idea of ADHD being a diagnosed learning disability. There far too much empirical evidence to support this condition. I’ve never personally met someone that has ruled off this diagnosis but then again I was a psychology major for two years and it’s pretty much unheard of to display a particular learning disability.</p>
<p>Sometimes it’s better not to tell people about your condition even if they acknowledge and cater towards your disability. I rarely tell people that I was diagnosed with bi-polar because it’s not something that is relevant and shouldn’t define me as an individual. People should like you regardless, learning disability or not.</p>
<p>Actually, recent studies have shown that not nearly as many people outgrow their ADHD as previously thought. What DOES happen is that many adults with ADHD find careers that play to their strengths so the impact of ADHD is minimized.</p>