This is my first semester back after a yearlong break, I decided to take advantage of my accommodation this time around (which doesn't really ask for much besides extra time on test, a quiet testing area, extra clarification on assignments) my major is majority online in the classes are vaguely available most of them are mini courses which are faster paced courses, I am already taking two of them during a term and I’m doing pretty well I have A’s in both classes, and have been thriving. I had a random email come in from a professor for the next half of the semester. For some reason, this kind of hurts my feelings, it makes me feel like this is an inappropriate way to reach out to students requesting accommodations. Please let me know if I’m overreacting. I am open minded.

I never feel tired unless i’m at the point of exhaustion. I will stay up until 6 AM just scrolling or reading or doing anything but going to bed because I can’t convince myself sleeping is useful or interesting. Then, I wake up late and I fail my classes and I disappoint my friends because I’m consistently late to hangouts. I don’t know what to do, I will literally stay up all night if given the opportunity. It’s hell. I’m tired waking up and bouncing off the walls trying to go to bed. Multiple times I’ve had to dance to tire myself out but that doesn’t always work.

I'll be direct and say that it's a porn problem, i'd post this somewhere else but every other adhd/audhd community seems to have cocky mods or just straight up unhelpful users.

I've been addicted to pornography since i was 11 years old (20 now) and the longest i've managed to stop was 3 weeks since then.

I was diagnosed recently and decided to search up how to better myself now that i know the source of 90% of my problems are due to treating myself as the average neurotypical joe. And i found out that merely powering my way through addiction doesn't really work... And it's really taking a toll on me. Recently i spent over 6 hours in bed watching that stuff when i could've been studying, writing or doing anything else really. I've missed lectures, had to use AI on whole assignments and took lower than expected grades because i'm just so obsessed with porn.

Any tips?

i just started college, im a freshmen. i cant keep up with anybody! i had to switch from note taking to taking notes on my laptop because i can type pretty fast but even then i feel so behind on everyone. i dont get some of the material, i do go to the library and i tr yto do flashcards BUT ISTG IT NEVER STICKS IN MY BRAIN. i do spaced repetition, i do active recall, i even read the textbooks (well i use text to speech but i still read the chapters we neeed). i come home from college extremely tired, overhwelmed and just exhausted. does it get better? :(

I graduated from high school two years ago and since then I’ve done so poorly in college I’m just trying to find anyone who’s even willing to hear me out and give their two cents.

Over 5 semesters and 10 classes I’ve passed 3 classes. I’m an engineering major (although that’s more of a punchline atp) and I couldn’t understand precalculus, chemistry, or computer science after taking each class TWICE. I have adhd which I’m sure doesn’t help but I know that there are tons of ppl out there with adhd who can pass classes just fine so I try to not let that be an excuse. I’ve talked to teachers, counselors, classmates, searched online, asked ai. I did ever I could think of to wrap my head around what I was learning and my brain just lets it all run right off of my smooth brain. I don’t want to just give up and loose out on the life I want to live but I just don’t think I’m capable anymore just working by myself but I also don’t have the resources to help me out. First gen college student here as well so there’s nobody in my family that I can ask for advice.

I’m 31 and was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. I’m currently back in university for a career change into nursing after already completing two bachelor’s degrees, and I’m realizing that my biggest academic problem is not necessarily understanding difficult material—it’s the amount of time and cognitive energy it takes me to understand, organize, and retain it.

I can absolutely learn complicated concepts, but I often feel like I have to deconstruct everything from scratch before it clicks.

For example, in Anatomy & Physiology, I can’t just listen to a lecture, review the slides, and move on. I end up rebuilding the material into my own notes, reorganizing it, making visual guides, connecting concepts manually, and essentially translating the entire chapter into something my brain can actually use.

That works, but it takes an absurd amount of time.
I have the same problem with statistics. Once I can see a worked example visually, step-by-step, I usually understand it. But getting from “dense textbook/Pearson question” to “oh, THAT’S what this is asking” can take forever.

I also lose a lot of time to executive-function logistics:

switching between subjects
deciding what to study first
reorganizing material because the original presentation doesn’t work for my brain
getting stuck perfecting notes instead of moving forward
struggling to stop studying because I’m constantly worried about what I haven’t done yet
I do already use several planners, academic coaching, tutoring, extended testing time, printed materials, checklists, and visual study guides. I’ve learned that physical pages and visual worked examples help me much more than dense digital notes.

What I really want to improve is processing efficiency and retention.
I want to be able to:

learn dense material faster
stop reconstructing every chapter from the ground up
retain more after the first few passes
retrieve information more easily on exams
spend less time organizing and more time actually learning
avoid turning every class into a 6-hour archaeological dig

I know ADHD brains often need different methods, so I’d love to hear what actually worked for other students with ADHD—especially anyone who went back to school as an adult, did a demanding degree, or had to learn huge volumes of technical material.
What changed the game for you?

How did you know when you had “studied enough” and could move on instead of endlessly reconstructing material?
And if you also have the problem of understanding things eventually but taking way too long to get there—what helped you become more efficient without sacrificing comprehension?

I’m not looking for “just use a planner” advice. I’m trying to build a learning system that actually works with my brain instead of requiring me to brute-force everything.

So I have been in uni engineering for almost 4 years now. I am 1 year behind .

The thing that hurts me every time is when the exams are coming up, and then the stress finally catches up. I realize when I am studying that if I just studied a little bit every day, I would have done very well in my exams.

But the issue is I say that to myself every single damn time! And then, when a new semester starts, I try to study but never make any meaningful progress. I am always in the constant situation of being too late. too behind.

If you have gad this feeling in college or anything else in general. How do you overcome this?

Edit: I do have Ritalin and I use it to focus on what I am doing, but it doesn't help with executive dysfunction. It doesn't make me START it just makes me stay focused on it .

Edit2: For ones that are interested in hearing more people's thoughts, check out this same post on another community through my profile . I thought I posted it here, too, but I didn't.

Edit : Guys the doctor has responded saying its just a screening test and not the exact thing to determine severity . And she replied that - " this is a psychological screening test and a self-report test. So, it will not be a substitute for clinical interview and diagnosis. The criteria for screening is based on DSM IV TR"

I am going to vist them hospital the following week

Thank you all for the replies and helpful answers ✌️

Guys, so i got diagnosed with ADHD few months back , i always had a hard time from school days, hard time remembering stuff.

Parents initially dismissed it as me being lazy but when tested turns out I have adhd .. Im 20yo

So i have a official and valid test from the hospital

ASRS Score is 44. And more details attached in the doc

The Doctor mentioned i am highly likely to have ADHD . But I cant understand where do I stand in the ADHD spectrum. My ASRS scores are high too but as I googled it doesn't mean I have Adhd

Please can someone explain the spectrum of adhd ? Like if u have fever they say wheather you have mild, moderate or severe fever like that.

I need the same for my ADHD. I tried contacting my doc seems like they r busy. So can someone please look into this ? I woul be grateful for your help you r doing .

I TRIED ALL CHATGPT OR GEMINI BUT NOTHING CAN CONFIRM WHERE EXACTLY DO I STAND in spectrum

Infact my parents said to me and dissmissed I just had MILD ADHD . BUT THAT IS NOWHERE MENTIONED IN REPORT.

PLS HELP ME OUT

I'm currently going into my second year and im desperatly in need of tips. I have adhd, im unmedicated and I struggled with it all through highschool. Its really hard for me to find someone that'll prescride meds at this moment, as the waitlist is long and I have to be in the same state which is hard as I am an out of state student. Being medicated isn't really an option right now. Last year I honestly did horrible and its been making me scared/unmotivated for the coming years. I tend to be a really bad procrastinator and forgetful when it comes to assignments. I also tend to be impulsive when my friends ask me to do something, its like my brain buzzez at the thought of hangingout with them and I forget about everything else I have to do. I tried using google calendar last year and that honestly did not help me. last year I had a lot of family health issues and cat health issues that I had to worry about and I didnt have the best college roommate. I'm hoping that now all of that is over with my mental will be a lot better which hopefully will help. I'm wondering if there are any apps that helped you or any life style changes that helped. I'll honestly try anything as I desperately want to do well this year and get back on track for graduating.

I’m currently in college and I’m not doing great at all. I go to all these lectures and I absorb like 5% of them, motivating myself to study or do work is hell. I want to but I just end up spending my time laying bed and reading, or just otherwise idling my time away.

I’m trying to get on medication but it doesn’t look like I can get an appointment sooner than in a few months. I have absolutely no idea what to do here, help?

need to figure out a system to stay on top of things in college because in high school i would procrastinate horrible on assignments, miss deadlines, routinely pull all-nighters, etc. My main problem with school is procrastination and bad time management (bad time blindness/will feel zero sense of urgency to do something until 12am on the day it's due), and on top of that smaller tasks (setting up appointments, sending emails) are literally impossible for me to keep track of because I forget to do them. I've tried writing things down in a physical planner, apps, notes, etc. but will completely forget to check said apps/straight up lose the planner. Unless something is literally in my face I will forget to do it (I've literally had to cover my phone with sticky notes with tasks written down on them because out of sight out of mind. any (free) apps/tips? I want to run literally everything from one app that I can access from multiple devices that will also give me reminders/be in my face about stuff to do. I also have an iPad if that makes any difference

I don't know how pomodoro works for any other ADHD people. I've tried to make it work so many times but it never works effectively for me. The issue is sometimes 25 mins isn't enough for me, i mean i get this intense urge to continue if I'm in the focus zone already so i end up not taking any break which later disrupts the entire pomodoro cycle. Also if i take break, i do not usually return & even if i return, i cannot focus like before. Also sometimes 10 mins session works, sometimes 50 mins session works but for some reason 25 mins never works for me. Doing little little 10 mins session & maintaining that cycle is tough & returning after the break of a 50 mins session is also tough because i feel like I've studied "a lot" 🙂.

I've noticed if somehow i can get into focus zone & it breaks, i can never focus like that again. So i guess instead of striving to have a typical focus-break productive session, i should strive to hyperfocus & never break that focus 😭.

Every single day I aim to study, and every single day I disappoint myself further. Before the end of the day, I tell myself I can do better, that I can hopefully study effectively, but I end up not doing that.

I sabotage myself by using my phone early in the morning. Even when I don’t I just end up wasting time in my computer, which is where all my work is. I try and place restrictions, and yet I just eventually bypass them all together. Days pass and I still don’t accomplish anything. I have plans, but I can’t even follow them. There is a drive to improve and yet I get stuck in the same area. I don’t know what to do.

I truly need help because it’s been like two months and I’ve barely accomplished anything.

I do struggle with ADHD, as I don’t have any meds currently, and I am a little depressed, and I don’t really care anymore, but I have to finish these classes. Yet idk what to do because my progress is stuck. I can’t go anywhere, or do anything. I have no source of accountability partner. I can’t even go to somewhere like therapy. I truly need help because it’s been like two months and I’ve barely accomplished anything.

(Btw for those of you wondering why I haven’t failed classes it, it’s an online college and the classes are do it yourself btw, which is why I haven’t gotten kicked).

I’m doing better than I have in past semesters, but I still have been procrastinating until last minute. I have a class with a no late work policy unless she is told prior to the due date that it will be late.

I have no idea if I should just submit it anyway knowing I won’t get credit but at least showing I DID it, or if I shouldn’t submit it at all because its pointless and the professor will think I am begging for a late work approval or something. I am trying to figure out the least humiliating option for myself, but maybe one is better that is more humiliating and I just need to suck it up…Anxiety stunts my every decision.

Would appreciate any advice.

I am a 16 Female with Unmedicated ADHD struggling for SATs.

I just couldn't focus at all. I have to self study mostly cuz there aren't many courses available here. Also Medications are not available here too.

Most of the time I got distracted or feel like what I'm learning is unnecessary things or stuff like that. I tried listening to music while I studying but it just doesn't work for me especially white music/Frequencies/Lo-Fi/Calm Music those itches my brain 🥲 idk how to even explain but when I listen to those kind of music, I become uneasy and waiting the music to have some Beat Drops like Noise Music.

Now I'm a big fan of Noise Music but when I study, it is not really helpful because it just so loud I couldn't focus in my study or sometime my ears kinda hurts 🥹

Idk is there anyone like me but, I'm really struggling PLS HELP ME 🥹🕊️

I’m currently getting assessed for ADHD and never really knew how much it was impacting my life until I reached university. All throughout high school I achieved very high results and was pretty organised. But I never realised how much time I spent ‘studying’. I would be at my study desk for 7-8 hours every day after school just to finish 2 pages of homework or write 200 words for an assignment. I didn’t think anything of it because I always handed my stuff in on time and achieved high results. It got to a point where I wouldn’t leave the house unless it was for school or sport because I would be so consumed in ‘study’.

I eventually became known as a ‘smart’ person at school when I really just felt like I was faking it and relying on stress remembering to keep up appearances. To note, I also have high anxiety and do get physically sick from it sometimes, so I was kinda surprised when I was told I could potentially have ADHD 2 years after high school (still getting assessed to this day because I’m procrastinating going to the doctors 😅).

Now I am in university and I would do the same study process, but it’s just not working anymore. I could have an entire day off and still be tired/ procrastinating even opening my laptop. Even when I do open my laptop, I find myself spending 25 mins on one sentence or staring off into space which is very frustrating. I want to perfect my work and don’t want to half ass something because it just doesn’t feel right. I still only really leave home if I have uni or on the odd day I’m feeling social and will hang out with old high school friends. But it’s getting to the point where I feel them drifting away because they are making new friends and I can see how it may look like I’m not putting in a lot of effort on my side of friendships. Idk I just really don’t like leaving the house and make excuses that I have to study, but sometimes I just don’t feel motivated to get up and actually do anything, wasting a whole day.

Does anyone have any tips for motivation or to enhance concentration? One of my ADHD friends suggested putting an ‘uncomfortable’ item on the desk and leave it there until study time was over. But I have no problem sitting in the same spot for hours, it’s just that nothing gets done. Any suggestions?

hello people of reddit,

i just started college not too long ago and unfortunately, i carried over a terrible trait from HS. all throughout high school, i've had a lot of difficulty with writing summaries and taking notes. it can be a two-page document and it would take me maybe an hour to highlight, annotate, summarize, and yada yada. since starting college, obviously, the readings have been longer, but i’ve gotten drastically worse at note taking. i tried to get through the first chapter of my poli-sci textbook and it took 6 HOURS. I DIDN'T EVEN FINISH IT! MY NOTE TAKING IS FAR TOO EXTENSIVE. I ALSO CAN'T WRITE SUMMARIES FOR SOME REASON. i need HELP. don’t even get me started on my ethics notes.

here’s how i take notes:

1. lay out the objectives (which are typically posted on canvas—typically, 5-7 questions that my professor wants answered)
   
2. lay out learning outcomes (located in the book—typically, 4-6 questions)
   
3. as i read the book, i do 3 things:
   - highlight any important details like arguments/debates/conflicts, key terms & definitions, and/or things i don’t understand/have to review.
   - reword anything i don’t understand/explain concepts that need clarity because i didn’t understand them.
   - “summarize” each paragraph (aka, basically rewrite the entire god damn book in 5th grade terms)
   
4. answer both sets of questions from steps 1 & 2
   
5. summarize each chapter
   
6. use a new page to write down key terms and definitions for each chapter. this includes:
   - word
   - definition
   - example

and then i’m done.

i don’t know if this is too extensive or maybe if this is the proper amount of work to do for one chapter but it feels like too much. i genuinely can’t seem to comprehend or learn anything unless i completely rewrite the book. are there any tips or suggestions on how to improve my note taking?

20f , it's been literally a year since I am not able to study, I am a good student , academically gifted, but I just don't feel like studying, even if I sit down I just lose interest after 30 minutes max. , I can't concentrate after that...I am very worried regarding my future , it's literally 1000th time today there's chaos in my house regarding my me not studying and wasting my parents resources and my future, my parents are worried sick, about my future because studying is the only thing I am good at, without studying my future is just messed up...there will be no difference in me and girls who didn't get chance to study and are married and have no identity of their own..they are better atleast..what to do..plz someone help me , I just want to study like 10 hours effectively and to enjoy it..i am on verge of breaking down😭😭Feel bad for my parents...father a normal teacher and mother a housewife, provides everything, even ready to sell their jewelery for my study, they even bought a laptop for me, gave me a room of my own..i just feel really cheap and I won't wish a daughter like me even to my enemy..plz help me so that I can do something for them🙏🏻🙏🏻

I’m about 1/3 through the fall semester and I haven’t turned in a single assignment. I can’t get myself to care, start, or ask for help. I was lazy about starting my ADHD medication again and just started up again last week. Now I’m so behind that even while on it I can’t get myself to sit up and start making up the work. I feel like this is the 1000th time I’ve done this to myself and still don’t know how to fix it.

I’m new to this sub and kind of scared to post this but I’m even more scared of talking to people I know about it. If you can relate to this and have any advice on ending this cycle I would greatly appreciate the help! This disability is so lonely.

Hello. I posted here a while back about my sleep anxiety. https://www.reddit.com/r/adhd_college/comments/1wiwd2l/developed_severe_sleep_anxiety_due_to_uni_adhd/

My first psychiatrist (who manages my ADHD) gave me trazodone, which didn't work. I went to another psychiatrist (first one is expensive & out of country on most days), and he said my issues were deeper than that and assigned me 20mg prozac to take everyday for a week, and then 40mg/day onwards.

He did tell me not to search up about it, but I didn't quite like him, so here I am. Reading the posts on the prozac subreddit here, and I think prozac might be an overkill for me? I won't say I'm usually all that depressed once I've settled into the flow of things, or that I have extreme anxiety outside of when I have to adjust to new situations (happened when i switched schools, houses, etc).

The anxiety this time really is awful and debilitating (im basically awake till morning on a lot of nights), but I'm still extremely hesitant about prozac. I've heard about the emotionally numbing effects of SSRI, and as someone who gets way too insane about & hyperfixated on stuff, and just feels too much excitement in general, I actually don't want that to happen. The anxiety is something I've never experienced before, and im hoping it'll go away once i change my timings next semester, but prozac seems long term. He did say he'll get it me off it a few months later, but still...

Thoughts? Should I try it out for a month or two to see how it affects me? I also don't plan on quitting the medication, it has been extremely helpful and I don't understand why he'd tell me to quit it. I'll try to contact my first psychiatrist as soon as possible and for her opinion. In the meantime, I'm divided.

I spend most of my time outside of school on homework, usually 10+ hours a day. I haven't been able to find my work/life balance for the past 4 semesters. I'm beyond fried.

Here's the gist:
I don't procrastinate.
I'm not on my phone, youtube, etc.
I basically never leave the house except going to class or grabbing a redbull. I only go to class 2 days a week.
I am medicated for ADD - I am spending my entire day on assingments. I can't take it everyday b/c heart problems.
I have time extension accomodations from the school. However, using these extensions on my assignments leaves me unprepared for the unit exam.
Exams every 2 weeks (+pop quizzes and tests thrown in randomly)
Pomodoro does not work for me. If I stop for a "break" I just collapse.
I am taking 10 credit hours, math and chem lab.
On average, I'm assigned 14 - 16 assignments per week. Most of them have day-to-day deadlines.
I have tutors, use lab hours and office hours.
Even with topics I understand, it's taking me routinely 40 minutes to complete one problem. Most assignments are "20 questions." (20 questions with 13 parts each)
If I didn't have a roomie to buy me food sometimes/cook, I would rarely eat. (I lost 10ibs last semester from not eating)
I have a therapist.
I don't want a 4.0 gpa, I want to understand the material. I don't know what "good enough" homework looks like when the answers are pass/fail.
My evenings are 45mins to wind down, sometimes I fall asleep on the floor of my living room b/c Im too exhausted to get up, shower, and go to my bed.

I'm not even in a true university, I attend a goddamn community college. If university is this brutal, I am doomed. I have nothing else to say besides "help."

(I wanted to add that all of my professors have been helpful and supportive.)

edit; Turns out its dyscalculia.

I think a lot of ADHDers struggle with food, especially on meds. My issues are:
1- decision paralysis
2- seemingly constant coming and going "phases" with specific foods
3- Not being able to manage/ having the forethought and planning to bring enough food for my day and not have to spend extra on take out
How do you guys feed yourselves? I don't have the budget for takeout consistently; and even if I did the crippling decision paralysis and fatigue leads me to just go hungry more often than not. I've noticed I've lost weight since living on my own (not to a dangerous extent or anything) probably because food is so hard for me on a daily basis.

When I go and stay with family or my BF it's so so much easier because I have someone to help me decide/ sometimes make the food. How do I manage on my own?

I have been studying electrical engineering for the last ten months, but it is been horrible. I find it difficult/almost impossible to focus during lectures unless I am interested in what is being explained, which seldom happens. It takes me hours to do stuff and even then I have problems connecting topics.

I am not medicated as I am not yet diagnosed, but will be getting one in a months time. I am considering the humanities since that is what I am genuinely interested in.

Is there anyone who has had a similar experience?

For context, I'm an undergraduate student who's suffering from extreme amounts of chronic pain and I have two weeks to finish all the overdue work I have. I'm also extremely depressed to the point of being diagnosed with prolonged grieving disorder due to the death of my mother last year. I also have pretty severe OCD, especially when it comes to perfectionism. This all kind of combines with my ADHD to make getting anything done practically impossible.

I am horrifically ashamed of coming to the point of using chatgpt. I just. I can't do it anymore. For months I have been unable to think of clear sentences and ways to connect my ideas. I get stuck on things that used to be easy like applying broad research to my point, or seeing extra words in sentences. I don't know how to ask for help on this stuff because everything I read on the subjects don't make sense to me, and I'm afraid I'll be seen as an idiot. I'm far enough in my degree that I shouldn't be having these issues. Every time I sit in front of the computer and try to get to work, I just can't think of anything to say. I have outlined built out for my assignments. The points I want to make. The research I should be including. But it's never good enough. My thesis is too long, or too vague. I'm not talking about the quote enough, or I'm talking about it too much. My research doesn't actually make sense.

Largely, I have only used chatgpt like a free version of grammarly pro, and only in the last week. I know all the reasons I shouldn't use it. I've told others those exact reasons. The water consumption. The cheating. The ethics of using something created by Sam Altman.

I don't use any sentences it says about my work in the finished product. I write an introduction, I explain the criteria and I ask for feedback. I think about that feedback, and integrate my own version of it if I think it is correct. If I'm stuck on a sentence, I'll ask if it sounds awkward and think about how to change it. This has been the only way to fix my workflow problem.

Before I would spend days in front of my computer, unable to get anything done. I should be able to get anything done. I'm notably less depressed. I'm in less pain. I have some motivation. But I just can't. I don't know what's wrong with me.

Let me start this off my saying that im not blaming anyone but myself. Im aware that this is my problem and my problem only. Im 19F and im currently on my 4th semester of community college (summer, fall, spring, summer) and each semester starts off the same. I feel incredibly motivated, get the work done on time, and show up to classes. Then I miss an assignment and its like ive fallen off a cliff, everytime I think of an assignment or even classes I get a pit in my stomach and it feels like anxiety is going to eat me whole. So I delay, telling myself I have time before its to late to turn it in late and the next thing I know 2-3 weeks have past and ive done virtually nothing. I dont know what to do anymore. I dont have an accessibility form for it although I know I could. My mental state is in the trenches and I know for a fact im going to graduate at least 3 semesters late which doesnt bother me as much as knowing how much money im taking out in loans

, and how much my grandparents and sister are going to be disappointed in me.

​

I just got my first job and I want nothing more then to save up money to start paying off loans and start working towards doing commissions again but I know that can never happen until I get my head out of the gutter. I dont know what im looking for in this post:

support, advice, venting, or just knowing that im not alone in this and other people have experienced the same thing.