Anxiety and Adult ADD

[QuietRose]

So in an effort to get myself going back to college by next semester, I've been seeing a doctor and speaking with a counselor to help me deal with my anxiety. I've actually come pretty far since i started last year, but now my doctor wants me to meet with a psychiatrist about Adult ADD. I honestly was confused about that, since my only experience with these kinds of disorders is a younger cousin with ADHD. I actually researched this quite a bit, and now I'm curious.
ADD is similar to ADHD in the sense that it is a condition that makes it hard for someone to concentrate on a task, or one zones out without realizing it. I always thought my trouble with paying attention was a result of my anxiety.
I read a list of symptoms and found that someone is only diagnosed if they show six of the nine or so signs of ADD. So if it turns out I don't have ADD, are there any techniques I can use to help me focus more on what I need to than my own anxiety and what the people around me are doing and thinking? I know these things can't be completely "cured", but I was hoping there was someone here who shares this kind of problem who can give me a bit of advice.

[gypsylee]

I think "ADD" is pretty common in our society because there's SO much stimulation. I've thought I had it but if you see what REAL ADHD kids are like, I'm nothing like that. I just have anxiety and get overwhelmed by the amount of stuff there is to concentrate on. True ADHD is treated by stuff like Ritalin because a part of the brain is actually underactive (the part that controls impulses). In a "normal" person Ritalin will have the opposite effect and speed you up.

If you have trouble concentrating (like when I'm super anxious I can't even watch a movie) it's important to reduce the anount of stimulation around you. Don't have the TV and Facebook going at the same time for example.

I haven't articulated what I'm trying to say here very well lol, but I hope it makes some sense.

Cheers,
Gypsy x

[QuietRose]

No, that's actually really helpful. I wasn't sure if the inattentiveness could just be related to my anxiety. It wasn't until I started getting treated that I began to realize how much can be the result of anxiety, and how many other problems anxiety itself can produce.

[gypsylee]

It sure can be a product of anxiety. I find myself doing ten things at once sometimes because I've been really stressed out over the last year or so (life circumstances). Now things have settled down but I still operate at that same speed even though I don't need to. I forget stuff because I'm doing too many things at once and it worries me but it's because of the pressure I've been under.

Also, as I say, our whole culture is kind of ADHD eg. online you might have ten different things happening at once and you're switching from one to the other. Plus you have TV with fifty different channels lol. It's no wonder we have short attention spans!