Triggering: Focus and obsessing issues.

[BECCALICIOUS!]

I've been having trouble for the past year focusing in school for both my senior year of HS and now my first year of college. Part of it lately has to do with emotional trauma (rape).

But I'm having a LOT of trouble focusing, especially on my studies and things that I have to get done as a new member in my sorority. It's not even necessarily choosing to go out and party or hang with friends instead. I like... I'm caught up in my depression and my head, that's part of it. But even when I'm not I just CAN'T focus. And it's bad. I have bad marks in most of my classes and may be failing one, even. I haven't done homework or studying in ... I don't even know when. This could put me in bad standing within my sorority (which results in a HUGE lack of privileges) and put me behind on graduation track.

I'm also having problems with obsessive issues that I suspect COULD be developing OCD (which is very common among rape victims). I shower twice daily and scrub to the point where I've left red marks on my skin. I pick at my hands and skin a lot. I have thoughts I can't get out of my head pertaining to the rape and my self-image. I'm also obsessively organizing a lot, to the point it interferes with my daily life.

I don't want to diagnose myself and I am seeing both a counselor and psychiatrist on campus, and I'm involved with a DBT group off-campus for crime victims. How should I bring these issues up to them? Pertaining to the lack of focus, what would discern just depression or being "lost in my own head" or a lack of study skills from ADD or ADHD? Are there any skills or pieces of advice you guys have that may help me focus better?

Thank you guys. <3

[Thirteen]

Well, many people have a hard time focussing when depressed, so that could easily be it. Although, I know before you mentioned having Bipolar Disorder, which has been misdiagnosed between ADHD (if a doctor didn't observe someone closely enough, really). So either one is possible.

I'd suggest talking to the psychiatrist about this, because your whole diagnosis could be completely wrong, or you could just be going through a hard time. We can't tell you, though.