The onset of these symptoms often become apparent later in child-hood or early adolescence. The brighter the individual, the later symptoms seem to become a problem. The symptoms must be present for at least six months and not be related to a depressive episode or the onset of marijuana usage. Using marijuana can often make a person seem as though they have ADD without hyperactivity. It is important to screen for pot usage in teen-agers or adults.
The severity of the disorder is rated as mild, moderate or severe. Even though these children have many of the same symptoms of the people with AD/HD, they are not hyperactive and may appear hypoactive. Additional symptoms for this subtype include: excessive daydreaming, frequent complaints of being bored, appearing apathetic or unmotivated, appearing frequently sluggish or slow moving or appearing spacey or internally preoccupied -- the classic "couch potato."
Most people with this form of ADD are never diagnosed. They do not exhibit enough symptoms that "grate" on the environment to cause others to seek help for them. Yet, they often experience severe disability from the disorder. Instead of help, they get labeled as willful, uninterested, or defiant.
Interesting ... I was always able to get by on intelligence, then 7th grade math was bad, 8th grade math was worse, and high school exposed me to the fact that I actually had to work to do well. I was somewhat hyper as a kid, I have lots of energy now. That last part about being lableed as uninterested, is very true. A lot of times, I just can't motivate myself to do work when there's a more enjoyable alternative available.
I also found it interesting that I may have basal ganglia problems that cause occasional anxiety and panic attacks