Thank you for asking such an interesting question.
This is a commonly encountered scenario as many individuals do present at my clinic complaining of difficulty in focusing and attending to tasks at school or at the workplace.
Common causes include the following:
- attention deficit disorder
- anxiety disorder
- depressive disorder
- head injuries
- autistic spectrum disorder
- and learning disabilities
For attention deficit disorder, the condition starts in childhood. Many individuals are intelligent and hence they may still do alright in primary school but when it comes to secondary school, it is harder for them to catch up with the rest of the class if they cannot focus when the teachers are explaining or talking.
Many of these individuals can focus on things that they enjoy doing e.g., computer games or videos, but when it comes to mundane, boring tasks, they will find it hard to focus.
The key problem that they have is shifting attention; they will just focus on something that they enjoy very much but will not be able to stop (hyperfocus). If the individual also has hyperactivity e.g., restlessness, constant need to move, fidgety, then the diagnosis is quite easy to make. Whereas for individuals with attention deficit but not so much of hyperactivity, then it may be harder to diagnose if the clinician does not think of the diagnosis or ask the right questions.
The best person to seek treatment from would be a psychiatrist.
