I have recently been investigating the option that I have ADD. Specifically, ADHD-I (inattentive). However, I wanted to consult individuals familiar with this specific line of disorders or possibly someone with a medical background, as I'm sure everyone knows its all too easy to self diagnose yourself with 40 different ailments.

For starters, I have always mildly suspected I have had some sort of attention problem, but never addressed it. I have a very long history of getting by school by doing well on tests, but rarely if ever completing homework assignments. This is mainly because (and this is the biggest problem I am facing, and probably the only reason I'm searching for a diagnosis) I have a ridiculously horrible procrastination problem. I find it near impossible to do work which I don't find mentally stimulating. I would go as far as to call it debilitating, and extremely detrimental to my academic studies. When I get an assignment (which I am interested in), at first, I am usually very enthusiastic and eager to complete it. I develop many ideas of how I would tackle the problem, and actually get excited at the prospect of working on it. However, the enthusiasm does little to help me start. Over time, I will put it off, and the task will become daunting. It will get to the point where I will wait until the night before and calculate the number of hours (almost always underestimating and paying for it) I need to complete an assignment and waiting no earlier to start. It is only under extreme urgency that I am able to complete assignments. It is not unusual for me to finally start a project, stop in the middle with the intent to immediately continue (I "need" a break, check email, shower, etc.), and end up failing to finish. Daydreaming in class is a natural occurance, and will happen regularly if I am not engaged in a stimulating discussion. If I asbolutely must take notes, I must work to not let my mind wander, and even then, I will catch myself drifting.

Over time, I feel this repeated process has taken its tole. I am often very anxious throughout the time I procrastinate. I experience very harsh, self-depricating feelings, such as "what the hell is wrong with me?", "why can't I just get this done?", "this problem is going to leave me going nowhere in life", etc. It has gotten so severe, that I was diagnosed with chronic depression last winter, however, I am starting to wonder if this is merely the symptom of a different underlying disorder. Medication (lexapro) did not seem to do too much, so I have stopped taking it. The procrastination is spawned from an inability to motivate myself to get started. I have tried to sit down many times, but I always find myself distracted, and unable to drive myself to continue past the very preliminary stages of progress. At times, I literally feel like a part of my is missing, as I can not comprehend why it is that I do this to myself, and why others who have much less of a drive to persist have no problem.

I suffer from a decently severe case (undiagnosed, this is suspect from experience) of social anxiety, as I feel I never know how to "break the ice" in order to meet new people. I am fine once I am comfortable with someone, and tend to have an abrasively friendly personality. Social situations in which I will be introduced to people I have never met make me extremely anxious. I feel like no matter how hard I try, making small talk is a task, and all I want to do is avoid the situation all together. In terms of feelings, I am an extremely introverted person and usually refuse to openly talk about problems I have, despite their intensity. I often find myself feeling extremely overwhelmed, as things will pile up. My solution is usually to ignore them, or passively deal with them. I have problems addressing the real issues. This can include the very most mundane issues such as emailing a professor or calling a friend.

One of the more noticeable qualities of which I find myself being the butt of jokes is my tendency towards forgetfulness. I lose everything. Keys, money, wallets, shoes, notebooks, cell phones, pens, etc. I am notoriously known for taking forever to get ready because about 80% of the time, I need to look around the house to find multiple things I have misplaced (I will lay them down without thinking, and there have been times in which the places I have left things make me understand what it must be like to suffer from alzheimer's). Lately, I have made a note to pay particular attention to where I put items in order to solve this problem. Mixed results.

I am constantly late to appointments, class, and other dates because I wait for the last minute to do just about everything.

I am hesitant to diangose myself, as I wouldn't describe myself as a sluggish person. I enjoy being in familiar social situations, I am reasonably fit, and I have a social life (however, I must be prodded by friends, or else I would rot). I wouldn't describe myself as "sluggish" or "drowsy". I also wouldn't say that I don't pay close attention when people are talking to me. However, I am very prone to asking questions that have already been answered. I will forget that they have been answered and will only remember once reminded. I wish I could accurately portray how often I'll "forget" plans I'd had with my girlfriend (I'll ask if she wants to do something on thursday, and she will remind me we have a party/dinner/movie to attend which we had planned together on monday or tuesday), or my tendency to (re)ask questions which were answered anywhere from hours to minutes before hand. I am very apt to paying attention in a social setting. I also have no problem sitting down and focusing if I am engaged in something I find interesting or stimulating. Words could not do justice the amount of time I have and could spend browsing reddit.

I apologise for making this post so long, but I despise online diagnostic quizzes, and wanted to give the whole story. If you made it this far, thanks for taking interest. I am in desperate need of an educated opinion. Would you say I am a candidate for diagnosis? Are there things I tend to do which would be indicative of something else? I would love to elaborate on anything (if thats even possible at this point) if need be. For reference, I looked up the symptoms ahead of time, and am listing the ones I felt I could relate to. I also did my best to include the ones I felt didn't apply to me. Please send some help this way, I am at the end of my rope.