No, don't give up philosophy if it's something that brings you satisfaction and joy. I struggle with schizophrenia, depression, and ADD. Something to do with dopamine I suppose; but, that doesn't make me give up on doing something I enjoy doing.

Don't let labels of negative thoughts or overgeneralizations based on labels or negative thoughts prevent you from doing philosophy.

I have piss poor concentration and struggle to sit in one spot at a time. Although I'm not sure if you want to talk about this; but, there are medications that can help you with ADD. Just beware of stimulant medication for ADD, as it can be a slippery slope if you get distracted by the hedonic qualities of stimulant medications. I'm going to try Strattera, which is a good medication for my needs.

Best of luck to you, and hope to see you post.

Perhaps another way to look at it is that your concentration problem can be fixed. The problem of sustained attention is not yours alone, and is actually rather common these days. If you're willing to try, the first thing to note is that concentration is a habit: it must be developed, worked on, and sustained, it will not just happen overnight. The way to develop that habit is is small steps: set yourself goals and begin by reading in small doses, 5-10 minutes straight say, or even 10 pages or something. Increase this gradually. One way to do this is with multiple bookmarks. If you're reading physical books, place a bookmark as a goal and try to reach it (again, it only has to be 10 pages away from where you are currently are or something).

And all the other usual caveats apply. Read away from your phone or computer. Listening to music might help, or distract, depending on your own constitution. Music without lyrics is best, I find. I really reckon you can do it. It's just like going to the gym or going for a run. It's really hard to start, but after a while, if you keep doing it, it's alot easier.

I have pretty good Sitzfleisch (the ability to sit still and read for quite a long time, for instance) but I haven't read much philosophy. I came to it too late, and have a lot of other interests to pursue. So I philosophize with the fairly small base of information about philosophy.

Work with what you have got.

StreetlightX made a good suggestion. I'll add to it with this: Concentration is improved when you "work with the text" by underlining what look like important statements, writing questions about what you don't understand in the margins, and by taking notes (not too many, just a few).

If you are reading books that you own, feel free to write in them. If you are using digital texts, then use highlights, and keep your notes and comments in a simple text document that you can keep handy.

If you have a book from the library, copy a few pages at a time, and underline those, add comments, etc.

But the main thing is to "get into" the text as you read it.

I don't know how old you are: some people (like, young college students) seem to be able to concentrate just fine with lots of noise in the background. It might even help them concentrate. Now in my 70s, I pretty much have to have it quiet to concentrate on anything. Totally uninteresting, lackluster music is OK for me, as long as there's nothing interesting about it. Otherwise, off with it.

StreetlightX is right, though, concentration is a learnable skill, usually, and so is focussed attention. I am sure there is stuff that you can get right into if it interests you a lot. Let's face it, some philosophy is pretty boring and dense, even opaque. Stick with interesting philosophy.

Another approach, it's worth doing, there' nothing wrong with it, is "Philosophy for Idiots" type books. Or study guides, or condensations. These can be helpful.

@StreetlightX has some good advice, but my own experience is that unless I am forced to read a book, I cannot maintain concentration unless I also maintain my passionate interest in it. So if you're not studying philosophy in an academic setting, don't beat yourself up about the fact that Aristotle sends you to sleep, and instead read the books that interest you and excite you. (Note that this doesn't simply mean read the easy ones.)

I have a hard time contributing to a discussion if I haven't read the material on the subject. — Purple Pond

This is called good judgement, not mental illness.

I start reading and immediately get distracted. It's like the filters in my brain never developed. (I think it has to do with mental illness (schizophrenia). — Purple Pond

I think it has more to do with the nature of philosophy. Because one is dealing with root ideas, one paragraph can require one to rethink one's whole life in order to understand the implications fully.

I have a thought disorder.
Therefore my thoughts are unreliable.
Therefore I'm unworthy to post, and all my thoughts are a distraction from more worthy thoughts of proper philosophers.

I don't think you can rely on this kind of argument.

Suppose that the above is the thought that constantly undermines and disorders my thinking. This is the thought that interrupts every thought before it has finished; the thought that wants to control and put right my thinking is the one that prevents my thoughts becoming ordered. Thought is ordering, let it get on with the job, and stop interrupting.

The demand for order is disorderly. (And don't trust the cops either.)

Yes, give it up. Give up all your hopes and dreams. Moreover, purple is a terrible colour and ponds suck.

(What? The answers got boring with everyone saying the same thing).

No response... Guess Purple Pond got distracted...

He should be thrown off a cliff as punishment.

No response... Guess Purple Pond got distracted... — CasKev

I guess I'm obligated to respond now.

Good answers everyone. I have not been diagnosed with ADHD so i don't think stimulant medications will help. Negative thinking won't help me do philosophy as Posty McPostface points out. StreetlightX's idea that concentration can be improved is correct to a certain extant. I can certainly try to improve my concentration through practice, though my concentration will always be far from perfect. I will certainty try it out. BitterCrank provides two good thoughts. Namely use what you have, and annotate to improve concentration. Reading books that interest me is also a good idea jamalrob. Unenligthtend says that the thought that I have a thought disorder is also distracting. I agree. Sapientia throws some Humor into the mix (or at least I hope its humor). Very funny Sapientia.

Don't be offended by Sapientia wanting to throw you off a cliff. He has thrown many of his would-be children off of cliffs...

There are so many different styles of philosophy. Some depend on endlessly close reading of texts. Others see themselves as close allies of the sciences and mathematics. There are literary, artistic, political, educational, poetic, religious and therapeutic philosophies. You'd be surprised how many philosophers don't read widely in philosophy. John Searle, for instance, doesnt like to read most philosophy texts, preferring literature.
Maybe you have an easier time reading books in fields other than philosophy. Or maybe your concentration is better when you engage in back and forth argument with others, or use as your inspiration for philosophical ideas listening to music or looking at art, or being involved in a meditative disciplines, yoga or story telling. You could even embrace your poor concentration and easy distractibility as a sort of strength, or at least a quality unique to you from which you can draw out your own personal philosophy I'm a great believer in embracing your own style, including its pluses and minuses rather than pathologizing them by buying into the current DSM labels(especially in an era where 30% of all students are on ADHD medication)..

— Purple Pond

Find material to read that is entertaining and makes you laugh. For example, in one issue of "Philosophy Now" there was a hilarious article about how a professor of philosophy found a contradiction in the official baseball rule book. "Philosophy Now" has a lot of content that is lighthearted, not too serious, etc. Raymond Tallis writes a column in every issue and has an entertaining writing style.

The For Beginners Books series of books read like comic books, and the illustrations are often funny.

I don't know if finding reading material that is more entertaining will solve your problem with concentrating. However, it will be a lot less intimidating and overwhelming than papers, books, etc. written by academia and barely read by many people outside of academia.

Have you tried YouTube? YouTube is full of debates, lectures, etc. on almost every topic you can think of. Maybe videos are something that would allow you to absorb ideas more effectively than reading.

There's also audiobooks.

Don't give up philosophy. You don't work for philosophy. Approach it the other way around. Make philosophy work for you.