So the TV shows that you mentioned in the OP where watched on a computer? Ok then, for me that’s an unnatural environment to watch TV with, so I can’t really comment… forget everything I wrote 
When I watch TV & movies, it's usually on an TV, but sometimes a monitor.
When I surf the web, it's either on a TV or on a monitor, but with a desktop or laptop instead of a smart phone or tablet.
Sorry for the confusion.
You are not alone Raccoon, believe me :sunglasses:
My son is ADHD (notice the “H”). He’s a teen now, but when he was younger he was evaluated by several doctors, who all used slightly different test methods to evaluate him, and they all came to the same independent conclusions. He has been on Concerta / Ritalin in smaller than “typical” dosages for several years, and is on an academic program at the public highschool that has been specifically tailored for his disorder.
You should also ask your doctor then, what are the actual signs of ADD… IE what are specific traits and indicators for the disorder? If you are really concerned.
I suffer from ADOS: Attention Deficit Oooh, Shiny!
ADHD is quite over-diagnosed in children because our school system (when I say “our” I mean most of the western world, and possibly a bit of eastern as well) expects the attention span kids had before the internet was in their hands readily available, and the school was more of a content monopoly. Hell, it expects the attention span of pre-tv children
Even for us who left school a while ago, the sheer amount of new content we have at our fingertips, regardless of quality of said content, overloads us all. The jolt os adrenaline or whatever pops up in our brains when there is that one new post ranting about something you never heard of, over the course of the last few years, has us addicted by now. If it’s something you care about, like a new HKJ battery review, the jolt is even bigger. Hard to concentrate on most of anything else
This is normal. I leave phone and tablet in another room when I am watching an important movie or tv show. Otherwise the temptation to ‘check something real quick’ is too strong and before I know it I have missed 5 minutes of plot.
By important I mean something I want to become engrossed in and follow it closely. If I am just watching the news or channel surfing then I normally am browsing a tablet simultaneously.
It is worrisome that you ‘hoped a medication would fix the problem’. I never heard anybody hope they could get on medication. I avoid that garbage as much as possible. Maybe you are a hypochondriac.
its brain damage caused by shining to many bright flashlights in your eyes & ears.
Is the problem that you find yourself doing other things, or like me, you always did other things while watching TV and following the story but lately find that you have no idea what happened on the TV while you were doing other things? Back in school days I could read a textbook while watching TV listening to the radio. No more, though.
When I listen to the news or talk shows while I play video games, I can almost always follow what's going on.
When I try to focus my entire attention on video with a plot, I can follow the plot if it's not too complicated.
When I was in school, I could read a textbook with music or the TV on, but I would only be able to learn from the book; I couldn't also keep up with the TV at the same time.
Did you really think that would be taken as a threat in these parts?
+1
Consider that TV shows and commercials are designed to exploit our orienting response.
Why Television Doesn’t Go Viral
“For sixty plus years, television has been getting better and better at keeping us from changing the channel, no matter what. The production techniques developed for television – quick cuts, multi-camera shoots, odd camera angles, dolly shots, crane shots, news crawls at the bottom of the screen, and the like, do that beautifully. Over the years, television has perfected a style that taps into the primitive, instinctive parts of our brains to hold our attention continuously, whether or not the content itself is compelling.
These techniques exploit a primal human reaction known as the “orienting response”: the automatic reaction that’s triggered whenever we see a sudden movement or hear a sudden noise. The orienting response is what forces us to turn our attention towards the sudden sound or movement. It’s a crucial reflex to have for survival in the wild, and television exploits it in a way that work great for TV, but not at all for viral video.
Television has learned to keep us watching by triggering our orienting response as often as several times per second, for hours at a time, and as a result, once we start watching, the powerful primitive part of our brain where the orienting response resides will urge us to keep watching virtually forever.
Ever wondered why it’s often so hard to reach for the remote to turn off the TV? It’s television’s constant triggering and re-triggering of your orienting response.”
Maybe I just don’t have a primitive brain, but those things listed just get me dizzy. And irritated.
Frankly, with what’s currently on teevee nowadays, I’d rather watch reruns of “Mannix” or “Maverick” instead. Now that’s good watchin’!
I don’t think is ADD, we have only so much time before we have to go back to sleep and we like to get the most of our awake time…
Could it be that the content you're watching has been so dumbed-down in the interest of appealing to the lowest common denominator that there's not enough challenge to keep your mind fully engaged?
If it was a program of, say, a technical discussion of the intimate workings of LED's, with enough understandable technical presentation and visual examples to challenge your understanding and offer new information, such that you have an "Ah-ha!" moment, would your mind still drift? I suspect not.
If your intellect becomes bored, your mind may subconsciously be attempting to fill the gap left by unsatisfactory content without you even being aware.
:+1:
It seems to happen no matter what I'm watching.
Lately I've been watching Dexter, and I find it interesting and nicely done, but I still get distracted.
Maybe you really are a raccoon, deluded into believing you’re human by watching too much TV.
I, being much advanced past your young age, find it very hard to concentrate on plot or dialogue with the incessant ‘music’ playing just over my decreased hearing’s ability to discern and discriminate each. The low bass backbeat on some programs and ‘news’ outlets is annoying enough to send me to my computer (speakers off), let alone having 3 or 4 commentators all speaking at once.