<p>I’m a freshmen, and so far college is going great. But, its so hard for me to concentrate on my readings and in class. For example, I take a British Literature class and I can do the readings, but I can’t concentrate. My mind wonders off, I think too much, so many thoughts are in my mind. I brain is way too busy, same thing when I class. I sit there and listen for the first ten minutes, next thing you know, I’m daydreaming and my mind is lost in thought. I read about “study pills” here, and a friend of mine who is in the same hall as me takes them too. But, I don’t want to take them and they don’t work for me. Its gotten so bad, that I’m having mood swings.</p>
<p>See a doctor… maybe you have ADD? I take medicine for my ADD (time release) and it helps me concentrate better in school. I find that when I don’t take it I have a much harder time focusing in class. It’s time release, too, so I take it at about 7 and it lasts me until about 2 or so.</p>
<p>Go see a doctor, see what they say.</p>
<p>maybe you should see a psychiatrist? you could actually have ADD or something like that. and it’d be better to talk to a doctor who can tell you if you need medication (or just therapy) instead of the dorm druggie who thinks he can make the same judgment calls as an M.D. because he’s trippin’ on ritalin 24/7</p>
<p>Is this any different from your experience in hs?</p>
<p>It started in HS. In middle school, I could read hours on end, and stay focus in class. But since HS, I’ve been depressed, I couldn’t concentrate, and had mood swings. But everything has been getting worse since I came to college.</p>
<p>Depression can cause trouble concentrating. Like everyone else I say go see someone and see what they say!</p>
<p>okay. </p>
<p>If medications haven’t worked for you, then you might want to try changing your diet if there’s obvious room for improvement. like by just eating better foods, no refined carbs/sugars, etc.</p>
<p>It’s a very straightforward thing to try if you’re not super addicted to those things.</p>
<p>i shudder at the thought ^</p>
<p>You could possibly have a thyroid disorder. I had concentration problems for several years, and after trying several methods of psychological treatment, I eventually found out that I had hyperthyroidism. Even though it may be likely that you have ADD, I’d definitely make an appointment with a doctor, who can refer you to an endocrinologist after a preliminary observation. It takes quite a bit of time to make a diagnosis since you will have to go through some blood tests first. I’ve been taking thryoid medication for two years now, and it has worked very well.</p>
<p>Seek out a professional. No one here can give you the adequate assistance you need.</p>
<p>Is it a highly unusual thing for a college student to be unable to concentrate, or are we just jumping to conclusions here that the OP may have ADD and needs to seek professional help? I’m not asking this in a snarky manner, because I have the same problem, and have had the same problem throughout high school (although I was completely fine and very studious in elementary school).
I can’t tell if it’s a problem limited to myself and a select few others (such as the OP), or if it’s simply a teenage thing that we have a lot of trouble concentrating in lectures, on readings, etc. Some of my professors record their lectures and sometimes I need to watch the same recorded lecture twice in order for the information to sink into my brain.</p>
<p>i’ve never really had trouble concentrating in my courses unless I’m really stressed out</p>
<p>Random, but RioBravo, we have the exact same number of posts (677)! Well, until I posted this. Haha.</p>