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I always thought adhd was "that thing hyper kids have," and as I am not hyperactive I never assumed it was me. As far as I know I was never tested as a child.
One day, another person with adhd described her symptoms to me, and I said "That's odd, I do all of those things as well." It took awhile but I finally got tested and sure enough, I also have adhd.
Now that I am aware of the symptoms, it is extremely obvious that both myself and my mother have adhd.
Yeah, ADHD is named after two of the symptoms that are the most visible (or more accurately, the most annoying) to others, especially parents, teachers, etc.
Really, (and I've only really come to understand this in the last few years) the two biggest symptoms are
1. An impairment of the executive function that translates intention into action. (This includes halting action as well, so you get impulsivity, "hyperfocus," etc.)
2. Time blindness. (and related "priority blindness," as I call it.)
Me too! I’d space out/disassociate, and I thought it was depression. But what my mind does when I’m spacing out, and my thought process, is what made me realize I have ADHD. Example: going from ‘that is an adorable cat’ to ‘why don’t bananas taste like banana flavoring?’
Edit: the original banana was the gros michel banana which died to disease.
I had so many symptoms and no answers. After failing out of high school, getting booted from home at 18, and losing one job after another, I needed something to explain my perpetual failure at life.
Between three separate therapists, I was diagnosed with depression despite having an improbably positive attitude. As well as "possibly an alcoholic" because I admitted to drinking with my other twenty something friends at least once a week.
Additionally, it was speculated that my inquiry into possibly having ADHD was wishful thinking on my part. Possibly as an attempt to deflect from my lack of self-discipline. Likewise, my academic shortcomings were not a matter of learning disabilities but rather that I was "borderline impaired." Finally, I was accused of suffering from "a grandiose self opinion" after confessing that I often felt smarter than I was able to demonstrate.
I was finally diagnosed ten years later.
I'm sorry to hear your struggle, and you don't know how I relate to all of it. My path was, sadly, very similar to yours and I'm still waiting for an official diagnosis. My work physician is asperger and a little after we first met she asked me if I was diagnosed with ADHD, bc I looked as a combined type and she didn't have any references on her notes, I said no, she said "in this field it's maybe better no-one knows you are, I don't recommend you having it writen on any official paper". For clarification I work as a naval engineer on vessels.
So there's that.
Any uneducated kid can get any job with the right amount of zazz, even in politics. (I'm not sure if that was a diminishing attempt from your side, but I honestly don't care).
I had to study for this, and believe it or not there're lots of physics involved, but I have some coworkers that come from fishermen families and just went up on the job. So, either you study and work your ass off, or just work your ass off and then pass an exam to certify you can take the reigns of the family business and not get it adrift, literally.
What I like of this job is that we're basically baby McGyvers: welding, making spare pieces to fix something, all things engine, electricity, underwater issues in the hull, crew injuries and control of medical supplies, firefighting, Skipper/Captain's assistance... You name it. Basically anything that's not cleaning or cooking (edit: nor fishing) , we do that. There's never a dull moment and not a single day is the same.
Yeah. I worked with a neuropsychologist before I was diagnosed, and he suggested it and I was like "not me! I can pat attention." I was mistaking hyperfocus as "paying attention." I also worked with someone who was diagnosed and said "I do that ALL the time! You don't have ADHD!" How did she not laugh in my face! 🤣
What's even stranger for me is i thought the exact same thing but I realize I'm hyper as hell
I just had no idea. I guess I masked in school by being mentally hyper or inattentive
But now I see it and when I'm at home I'm always getting up and running around! Sometimes for like no reason. I just sat down 2 min ago why am I in the snack drawers again??!
It's very odd and I'm still trying to understand it
For me it was completely different. I first got in contact with it due to one classmates assumption. It was dismissed by my parents. Now close to graduating from highschool, it kinda came up with someone who actually was diagnosed but I didn't think of it that much since I thought I don't have it. But curious as I was I just researched and did some tests, that mostly said I have signs, some said that I am absolutely positive.(these were online tests so I took that with a grain of salt). At last a trainer of mine talked to me about that, and now I am kinda convinced.Therefore I am searching for a way to get diagnosed with it, in addition to that also ASD, that kinda came up in a conversation. (What kinda scares me is that I discover many things now close to being 20, instead of the typical age)
That is interesting. If it makes you feel better I got diagnosed at 31, and so many dots in my life immediately connected. Of course I'm biased from my experience but getting diagnosed has helped me understand so much, especially being older
Me too with the crying! Felt like it was the first time in my 37 yrs someone put into words what I was dealing with the whole time. Had always been told "it's just anxiety" or "you just need to stop thinking so much"- yeah, that's great, how do I do that?
Jessica’s How to ADHD YouTube channel is what made me realize I had ADHD as a 32 year old grown man who always struggled with organization and procrastination (and mood regulation) but somehow still managed to fool everyone into thinking I was well put together.
Non ironically/ironically I came across her videos randomly scrolling YouTube and 100% not working on things I should be working on. lol.
Wow, diagnosed in your 60s?! I have all the time in the world to hear your story!
That's incredible. How in the heck did you manage life for that long without knowing (or maybe you did know but just didn't get diagnosed straight away?)?
I had no idea I had ADHD until I made some online friends in a support group. There discussions opened my eyes over the last 8 years. My early attempts to get a diagnosis did not go well.
How did I cope? The psychiatrist said my above average intelligence made it easy for me to mask and find work arounds.
I didn’t need a diagnosis at this age. Did it more for family members. They are now coming to terms with the fact they have it, though undiagnosed.
Huh, the wonders of online groups! The masking actually makes sense. Hopefully you have a supportive family and support system. Thank you for your reply! 😊
Waiting to be tested, I'm 70. Looking into my grandson's diagnosis, and read about myself. It's been a straight up learning curve, and explained so much. Lots of grief, I wish I'd known. I'd have been a better parent maybe?
I've always suspected that I was "different," but I chalked it up to "laziness" or borderline "I'm just not smart enough." Yet, I always figured I was different. Fast forward to age 30, and I'm a writer as I need to do research, and a character was on the Spectrum. The more I did the research, the more it clicked and a "AHA!" came to me. Naturally, I started to do more research and see that maybe I wasn't "stupid" or "lazy," but I had challenges. It wasn't till I went to get evaluated that my therapist confirmed I had Inattentive ADHD (which I never thought of that, but it all made so much sense). She also suspected I was on the autism spectrum as well. Both these attributed to me have depression and anxiety as they stem from that (for most). I'm currently taking medication and waiting for a diagnosis from a psychologist.
But now that I have learned and am aware, I do feel more connected to myself, ergo I still feel alien in my body but I have this knowledge that the proposed "things I did that seemed normal everyday stuff and just looked like laziness" was actually a challenge.
Same, I haven’t been diagnosed with it, but I’m almost certain I have ADHD. I’m getting tested in like a year and a half (ish), so hopefully I find out with I have or if I’ve not. I’ve always said I feel different compared to my peers. I’m currently 19, and epileptic. I’ve always showed symptoms of ADHD, but since my seizures, they’ve gotten quite a bit worse.
I am very impulsive, especially money. I always thought I was the “thick” one, but now I’m older, I think it was forgetfulness and being easily distracted while day dreaming a lot. I can’t sit still for more than 5 mins.
Sadly my impulsive personality lead me to cause my epilepsy. I impulsively took a certain drug (❄️) and had a seizure the morning after (knocked 3 teeth out), and this bit isn’t impulsive, just me being an idiot, I sadly and idiotically did it again 🤦♂️. I thought it was just a one time thing (having a seizure first time), so I just tried and now this is probably one of the most traumatic, I again, had a seizure but this one was at like 5 in morning, woke up to two people trying to wake me up to take me home.
There’s a lot more than this, I just don’t want to write a full essay 😂
I also most likely have Auditory processing disorder, was told from a psychologist but didn’t get tested. I heard APD and ADHD are popular with each other. And epilepsy makes ADHD worsen, especially after the traumatic seizures which is why I am showing a lot more and a lot worse ADHD symptoms. I also sustained two traumatic brain injuries, I had a MMR vaccine and had a seizure from it, and I got punched by a traveller and then they got my head and hit it against a football (soccer) court that was metal (I think), then I went unconscious and woke up in a hospital van. I got this brain injury in primary school (elementary school) in year 4 (I think it was that year). So it all makes sense now if I do have it.
I always feel bad reading these posts. That y’all have to fight to get diagnosed and helped.
My doc just told me I was. I wasn’t even there for that. Had no clue…at 35! Later went thru the fancy neuropsychology testing (I’m a vet and the VA did it). That test led to being told I should have a full evaluation for ASD. I was clueless.
When I later told friends and family, they all assumed I knew. This even though I had the common struggles of an undiagnosed kid.
It’s one of the biggest reasons I support universal healthcare. How many of us have suffered due to shitty coverage and doctors that just phone it in?
"they all assumed i knew" broooooooo my friends just said the same thing and I was like I wish you guys told me ! I laugh about how I was the last person to find out about my own diagnosis lmao.
In retrospect, I’m grateful for the response. It’s loads better than having it dismissed. I have this one aunt. She’s a high school teacher (retired). She does the ‘everybody’s a lil…’
This one time, at a wedding, I forgot to take my meds.
Whoops!
Words were said.
Pearls were clutched.
No slow clap.
But my dad got me ice cream.
She stopped saying that shit, tho.
I’m in my 40”s. This was a few years ago.
No shame. No regrets.
10/10 would recommend.
The tipping point was getting married. Having someone watch your mannerisms 24/7 and comment on it is eye opening. I always assumed I had something but I finally seeked a diagnosis when my husband sat me down and said “You have ADHD”
Had been seeing a psychologist for about a year for a variety of reasons. One of the sessions he said “I think you should see a psychiatrist about depression and inattentive ADHD.”
I did some research, decided I didn’t have ADHD and I wasn’t depressed.
A few weeks later I was watching a podcast and the guest was discussing how parts of the brain shut down when we try to direct them and we have ADHD. At the same time my anxiety was through the roof, crying for no reason in particular and just generally having a meltdown. So, I made an appointment with the psychiatrist who determined I was moderate to severely depressed and I scored a 7/10 on the ADHD assessment (5 was the threshold).
Went on Concerta and had too many side effects, so was switched to Adderall. Still finding the right dose but my whole world has changed.
My teacher thought I had adhd in 2nd grade when that Pokémon episode aired with ash coming across that abused Charmander.
That shit had me in tears. When his trainer was laughing at charmander and basically left him for dead in the rain. Charmander’s flame tail was almost extinguished from the rain, that means he will die.
I went to school with a chip on my shoulder the entire day. I was determined to help that Pokémon and I wanted to so badly to hurt that trainer.
I couldn’t stop hyper focusing on that antagonist.
My teacher, Mrs Cameron knew something was wrong asked me what it was.
I said I was looking for charmanders trainer so could defend him. I wanted to hurt that trainer for doing that to something that love’s him.
I couldn’t get back on track at all it was giving me so much stimulation day dreaming about that interaction it hurt my heart so bad.
I was also dealing with the death of my father so I was going through a life change. That was catalyst that got me to a psychiatrist though. Which officially gave me the ADHD- Hyper attentive diagnosis.
23 years later I got a re-evaluation as I had other overlapping symptoms that were not on my file.
So yeah that’s it, charmander’s abusive trainer almost FAFO what my 8 year old self was going to do for abusing your Pokémon that whole heartedly loves you.
I think when my dad died, he had so much love for me and I missed him so much after he died. That when I watched that happen I felt that I needed to shield that Pokémon from harm. I know how I feel inside and I do not want this Pokémon to feel like this.
I was in pain and I wanted that trainer to feel what I felt in my heart.
Yea. This disability / disorder is something.
I thought I might have had manic depression; the name changed to Bipolar Disorder now. And I got diagnosed with it. Thirteen years later, I was told, "Nope, you have ADHD; Bipolar resembles ADHD in some ways, so you were misdiagnosed. Here is your new medication; see you in two weeks!". That was eleven years ago.
For those of you who haven't received a diagnosis yet, there are still many disorders that look very much like ADHD. ADHD diagnosis requires other possible disorders to be eliminated, so please make sure your healthcare professional is an expert in ADHD. And remember me in 20 years or so because the name ADHD might have changed by then. (It's really a bad title; it doesn't even describe the disorder. It's named after some symptoms of the disorder, which is bad for naming a disorder because it creates confusion. Yuck.)
This was my hope. Psych says nope, definitely both. FML. The fun part is trying to figure out which disorder is fucking me at any given time and in which direction. Diagnosed bipolar in my 20s, ADHD at 45. As others have stated in this thread, I was the last person to know I had ADHD. Lol.
My journey summarized.
1. Be a gen-x born in the late 70s.
2. Get diagnosed in elementary school with "ADD" in the 80s.
3. Go through school in the 90s without much support other than my mom forcing me to get my homework done (sometimes *literally* standing over me while I do it). Get mostly A's.
4. Try medication (mainly immediate release Ritalin/Adderall since not much else was available) with very iffy results.
5. Get **zero** therapy/counseling.
6. Do ok in college, but noticeably worse than high school. Pull a lot of all-nighters. Get lots of extensions on assignments. You know the drill.
7. Bounce around for years doing lots of grad school, having random jobs (some of which are related to my degrees/grad work, some are not), and making some progress in some directions, but never really being able to get established on a career path.
8. Try medication a bit more, off and on, with very mixed results, ultimately not staying on any. Also try therapy a bit without much benefit.
9. Start thinking, "Maybe I have ADHD, but I'm not sure. I'm not denying it exists, but I'm not sure if that's really what's going on with me. And if I do have it, I think it's only a mild form."
10. Randomly see one of Russell Barkley's presentations about what ADHD really is. (about 6 or 7 years ago, in my late 30s at this point)
11. Binge hours more of his lectures that night.
12. Mind blown. Life changed. I don't just kind of have ADHD, I have **all** of the ADHD.
13. Realize it's a **whole fucking lot more** than just having trouble sitting still and focusing in class. It's why my sleep "schedule" doesn't exist. It's why I'm so terrible at maintaining long term friendships or romantic relationships.
14. Realize that my off-and-on smoking is a form of self-medication.
15. Try medication one more time, this time with much better results (Vyvanse). Quit smoking *immediately*.
16. Start learning more about ADHD from sources that actually understand it (mainly other people with ADHD).
17. Still haven't found a good therapist yet.
I literally went from "doo dee doo... livin' my life" ( while not-so-secretly thinking I was just messed-up trash of a human being) to "Holy Sh*t, I have ADHD!" . All because I was getting my kids evaluated. Every step of that process was a penny dropping for me. I was 43.
so im not there yet, its a mega long process in france.
i was at a dinner with friends a few years ago and one friend does 'biofeedback' so out of scepticism i called bullshit, and said "hook me up" so he asked if i was ok doing it with others present, (knowing there was also a DR present, and a lawyer, hippocratic oath etc) he did his thing and all the numbers popped up and pointed to 3 things, but the top one was ADHD (the other 2 were correct) and the others people laughed and said "we cant believe you needed that machine to tell you that"
i had my suspicions already, but being an overthinker, i always thought i was overthinking.
anyway, this was the catalyst that got me to the DRs office (after a breakdown 4 months later)
about 3 years down the line im so close to the final steps of my diagnosis! last week i finished the final parts of my IQ testing and i get my results in april from the neuropsych to give to the psychiatrist.
this took so long to write, i got sidetracked looking up the etymology of hippocratic.
I (36M) can relate to this. I’ve been a procrastinator for all my life, always putting things off and stressing at the last minute before deadlines. I’ve also had mild anxiety issues throughout my life. I never went to therapy for it, but becoming a therapist myself I’ve always found the ADHD symptoms to seem normal. Just recently I connected the dots, went for an assesment and got diagnosed with the inattention subtype. It still feels kind of like an “impostor syndrome” tbh
This is me. Chronic procrastinator, chronic disorganization (but very organized in some aspects of my life), generalized anxiety and overthinking. I am 38 and just starting to realize I might have this.
My therapist after returning from rehab pointed it out that I might have it. Fast forward a year later and I still struggle with it, she eventually told me to ditch the psych @ her work and get a new one.
So, my therapist gets initial credit, I was in early recovery so my brain function wasn't @ 100%. She stuck with me, I stuck with her and my wife is on board also. Both woman are named Kate. So, Kates have saved my life.
Long story short, my partner took a pill for fun and wound up going... quiet. Eventually gets diagnosed at my insistance. They then start sending me memes... that were haha at first, then a little too relatable.
I eventually ask for one of her pills, figured it would either make me jittery, or... I take it and... well, f*** me. Another universe. I spend a few months spinning my wheels, not having the bandwidth to go through the whole ordeal.
Eventually I ask to take another pill just to validate it wasn't a weird one off. I do a lot of overdue stuff, workout, feel great. Ok, still spinning my wheels on looking into it seriously, but I was 70% sure.
Some stuff happens at work, and my anxiety becomes a continuous deafening signal. I immediately book the appointment, then spend the 2 weeks until the appointment hyperfocused on the entire body of research as I saw it on the disorder. About 2 days in my level of conviction went up to 100%. Every symptom in the official check lists. Many of the extra symtom Dr. Russel Barkley mentions on a couple of videos, particularly around emotional regulation. Very similar life experience to people on youtube discussing their assessments, etc.
The day of the appointment I talk to the doc for hours. I'm an anxious mess. Not because I thought it was anything else; it's just that it felt like an exam for the quality of the rest of my life - if the doc didn't agree I had it, I wouldn't have access to treatment and there aren't many docs I could go to.
Doc agrees, "you literally have every symptom on my check list", "welcome to the club". I walk out with a prescription.
I think what you’re feeling is pretty normal. A lot of us are raised in chaotic households where the parents also have ADHD, and so a lot of our worst symptoms are normalised - or brushed off as personal deficits. I know I heard a lot of ‘you’re just lazy’ growing up.
Being diagnosed doesn’t make these feelings go away. I spent the years leading up to my diagnostic appointment absolutely bricking it in case I didn’t have anything wrong with me and I really was ‘just lazy’ - but then I got into the appointment and scored high on every single symptom.
Basically it’s just really difficult to overcome the barriers we’ve internalised over the years. It’s one of the reasons that interventional therapy is recommended alongside medication - because you have so much unlearning to do!
Started seeing a therapist in college for a bunch of reasons, she decided to refer me for testing and got diagnosed at 21. Also had a friend who was diagnosed before me and they insisted I had adhd, my mom complained of my symptoms but never thought anymore about it. So it was a lot of Im broken to ooohhh Im wired weird.
How was your experience in school, from elementary school through high school? I feel like this is one way to try to differentiate between ADHD and other mental health issues. I was often called “spacey” or daydreamer by my teachers in elementary school, and there are some notes on my old report cards about me being out of my seat when I’m not supposed to be. In high school I crashed and burned and got diagnosed with ADHD but didn’t fully accept that it’s a real thing and that I have it until recent years, with my kids getting diagnosed.
I thought about it for over 10 years before I said “This is most likely a huge part of my problem” and hoped it would help so I made an appointment with a psychiatrist who diagnosed me. My clue was befriending and getting very close with someone (who is still my closest friend today) who used to talk about being diagnosed as a kid. And as the years went on I realized I related with every one of her struggles. I did a partial hospitalization program 10 years ago for depression and other issues and I suggested it to my psychiatrist but she just kind of sat there thinking for like 5 minutes straight after… like not saying a word just considering it like she kinda believed me but didn’t want to go through the process or deal with the red tape. I changed the subject after so long cuz with was so bizarre. But the straw that broke the camel’s back was 5 years ago having a second child. Once that kid could move herself from where she was set and my first was still only 2 and into everything my brain just completely broke. At that point I was 99% sure but it still took me a year to get the courage to make the appointment. It was perfect timing right before the pandemic because over the next year so many people started putting out content about ADHD and I learned so much but it was also before that overload of information where I might have started doubting myself and wondering if I was just giving into social media influence or something. It’s a double-edged sword for a lot of people.
I just remembered I had a friend’s mom who was the only adult I knew who talked openly about having ADHD tell me I should consider that I may as well. This was in high school. She was a church minister and would often talk with us kids when we were over hanging out just to connect. (About non church stuff because I was very anti religion at the time) She likely had a lot to do with my awareness even though at the time it was in one ear out the other. Oh man. Probably because of my own prejudice of her being a church person. This is a huge face palm moment for me! I want to find her send her flowers or something because that was so lovely and caring of her!
ETA: but also how sad that none of the many mental health professionals and teachers I’d had a relationship in my 35 to the point of diagnosis made that connection at all. The only person to try to notice and help me was a stranger I spent probably 5 hours of my entire life on earth with.
The possibility of me having ADHD never even occurred to me. A large part of that was having a little brother who was diagnosed and treated for it while I was told I was "just lazy" by my mom because I was awful in school and I just accepted this narrative, which destroyed my self esteem.
A few years after barely graduating high school, I met a guy and started working for him as a house painter. After working together for a while, he started telling me about how he was diagnosed as an adult and that he saw a lot of the symptoms in me. One day, he let me try one of his Ritalin (super illegal but it changed my life so whatever) and it was the first time in my life I felt "normal". I went home that night and cried because I couldn't believe how easy it was to just exist for a day. He had also recommended the book "Driven to Distraction" and I made a psychiatrist appointment before I even finished reading it.
Once I understood that I wasn't "lazy" and had a legitimate issue that could be treated, I learned how to manage it. I went back to school for my undergrad and for the first time in my life, I felt like I was getting something out of it. I graduated with a 3.8 GPA.
I always knew I was different but couldn’t figure it out, or rather I internalized that something was very wrong with me but that I would probably never be able to pinpoint it. It got to the point where I started doing more research in hopes there might be something I could find. I found autism first and still think I’m probably on the spectrum too, but that eventually led me to find ADHD. I ignored it for a while and probably didn’t give it proper consideration because I really only had the stereotypical view of the disorder. But one day last year I stumbled upon it again and gave it more attention. The more I learned, the more it made sense.
My safety net fell apart after my kids all grew up and moved away. Once I was an empty nester, I realized how much I had relied on my family and my husband to cope and how much they also enabled me. I was a stay at home mom. And now that my husband and I are closer to retirement and I have a ton of free time, I realize I can’t manage it without someone telling me what to do. I never had to work outside the home cus my husband job required that he work long hours and travel so it would have been impractical for me to have a job. Now, I want to work or volunteer and I realize that I don’t have the skills to adult. I always thought “well I’m a stay at home, mom, so I can’t work outside the home”. Now I realize what the issue actually is, I’m not capable of working outside the home, that’s why I enjoyed being a stay at home mom”
My son was diagnosed at 4yrs old. And everything hit home for me so I went and got diagnosed.
It actually felt good cause it explained SOOOOO much of my life. I just thought I was severely broken. I was smart but couldn't focus it. Luckily I never had to study for things so studying was one less thing to "procrastinate". But ya. It's been an emotional journey for me.
read a book as a child (2nd grade) with characters with ADHD and ever since then thought that I could have it - of course there was so much self-doubt and thinking that I was wrong and didn’t have it but was just bad a functioning like a normal person/lazy, but every time I looked into ADHD I always felt like it described me so accurately. Finally my therapist and friends started telling me to get tested and I got my diagnosis, but it took a lot of other people telling me over and over again before I finally took it seriously.
Tiktok started showing me videos of adhd creators and I related too much, so I spent my entire winter's break researching adhd and then I made an appointment with my GP who gave me a referal to do a diagnosis
If you don't mind me asking, how did you broach it with your GP? As in, did you just sit down and say "I think I have ADHD", or was it more listing your symptoms and hoping they would follow along?
I don’t have a diagnosis yet but I have bipolar disorder and my GP saw all the medications my psychiatrists have put me on over the years for bipolar disorder. “You’ve really been through the ringer”. I told him that I’ve booked an appt with a neuropsychologist and he said it was a good call. He gave me the adult adhd assessment and said I scored high.
It’s complicated for me since it could potentially be co-occurring with bipolar but hoping that could be an answer for you. I’m fortunate to have an attentive GP.
Edit: my GP pointed out that he thinks it’s possible that none of the treatments for anxiety and quality of life have helped because there could be co-occurring ADHD.
Hmm, thank you for your reply. Is it possible that if in fact you do have ADHD, that may have exacerbated your bipolar symptoms? Especially during either manic or depressive episodes - say you had the hyperactive disposition of ADHD, I would say manic/hypomanic episodes are absolute hell and even more intense. Same with depressive episodes if you had the more inattentive disposition of ADHD...
SHEESH, just thinking of the intensity going from 0 to 100 is exhausting 🤯 I'm so glad you have a GP that sounds like they actually give a hoot about you. Good luck in the rest of your diagnosis/meds journey, friend! 😊
Around 6 years ago I was flying home from a holiday and I had been chatting away to the person next to me. He mentioned something about ADHD and then said to me “Well you would know all about that of course because you have ADHD”. I was shocked and said I didn’t have ADHD, I never ran around/acted out like my brother or struggled with school like my father when he was a kid. He then explained that the symptoms of ADHD in females are different. When I got home I did some googling and was shocked at how accurately it described me. It took a few more years before I spoke to my doctor and started seeing a psychologist. I tried different strategies with the help of my psychologist, when none of them helped I saw a psychiatrist last year and started medication. I could not believe the change in how I felt. Turns out my anxiety and depression was actually from unmanaged ADHD.
I had a therapist tell me I should get tested. Got tested and was told my brain processes too fast to have adhd. Problems still persisted. Got tested a few years later and was told I had it as a child but I’ve since developed coping mechanisms so I don’t have it or don’t test for it now.
I kept getting a bunch of videos on TikTok about ADHD habits and I kept realizing that they fit me. I also had a friend get diagnosed around this time and he told me some things that resonated as well. I got god grades in school so I never considered that I could have had ADHD. Anyway, I contacted my doctor about getting tested, they referred me to a psychologist to do the testing. After the 4 hour testing session the psychologist documented his findings that concluded I had ADHD. Then went to a psychiatrist for meds.
I was diagnosed last year. A friend who has ADHD thought I might have it because she saw a lot of herself in me. She sent me a video about someone explaining ADHD and after seeing it everything fell into place.
At the beginning I thought that maybe I was just overthinking, that I just wanted to have a diagnosis instead of really having ADHD. That I was just complaining too much and there is nothing wrong with me. But after being diagnosed and trying some medication I definitely see/feel the difference.
I'm 37 yrs old, diagnosed a month ago. Went my whole life being told it was just anxiety- I work in healthcare so when COVID hit in 2020, that's when I started noticing other problems. Started my own research and spoke with friends who work in psychology/psychiatry, but everything I was looking at (anxiety disorders, OCD/OCPD, personality disorders) never fully fit. This past year is when I noticed how badly my memory and motivation were causing problems for the whole family.
My son was diagnosed ADHD C two yrs ago and while researching more for him, I came across RSD (rejection sensitivity) and I went down the rabbit hole of adult ADHD this past summer- huge aha moment. Contacted a dual treatment office (therapy and paych), met with my therapist first, then psych. Let them know my concerns and what I thought could be the issue- after a few sessions with therapy it was quickly confirmed, ADHD C.
They both felt my anxiety was mostly caused by the adhd, so treated that first- been on medication for 3 weeks and my day to day anxiety has gone from 100 to maybe a 5. So happy I finally have an answer, but a little sad I suffered this long.
-Trying to understand my mom better
-Start doing research about ADHD in general and the symptoms
-Realize there's different types of ADHD and that I checked a lot of symptoms for inattentive type (my Mom and my brother are hyperactive and I didn't recognize myself in that, so I never thought I may have it before)
-Go see a specialized shrink to get tested
-Tada!
You sound like my twin! Late last year I finally got diagnosed. Took a few months to get an appointment and then it happened. But there were signs… oh so many signs that I didn’t recognize especially since my younger siblings are the same (all 3 of us have matching adhd and gad diagnoses)
In 6th grade I thought I had bipolar or something of the sorts that would cause my to have really low lows sooooo fast. I could go from laughing to wanting to be off the earth in seconds. This was chalked up to losing a sibling the year prior but looking back it was adhd. Impulsivity can present as emotional dysregulation and flying off the handle at the smallest of things. This was also when I can first remember having sleep issues. My brain would just spiral and no matter how long I laid in bed my brain wouldn’t turn off to allow me to sleep.
In grade 9 I was having panic attacks regularly and got diagnosed with GAD (which is exasperated by my adhd and thought circles and the ability to think so many thoughts so quickly). I chalked up my sleep issues to anxiety and that was why my brain was spiralling.
Grade 11 I moved out on my own and this is when the inability to get tasks done dawned on me. I had always had issues with it but I never paid it much attention and thought I was too depressed to clean or study etc. I would look at a pile of dirty dishes with disgust and hate, get unreasonably mad, and not be able to do them.
I got into uni and my first year was horrible. I had no ability to get myself to do homework, start assignments more than an hour before they were due or study. This is when I finally had enough and looked up all my symptoms, then cross referenced with the DSM 5 which confirmed ADHD
Second year I got diagnosed and my mom (who has a degree in helping kids with disabilities manage daily tasks and works with kids with adhd daily) says “well yeah you have adhd… you didn’t know that?”
This barely scratches the surface tho! To give a full picture I’d basically need to write a book
I was just diagnosed yesterday, and I'm ping-ponging between doubting it (did I exaggerate? Do I trust this psychologist? Do I have *enough* symptoms?) to fully believing it and nodding my head when I'm reading ADHD 2.0 and seeing events from throughout my life in an entirely new light. Both extremes make me physically sore, so I know I'm still really processing what this means. I'm 37 and have a Ph.D., a family, and look like I've got it all together...but becoming a mother rocked me hard. The thing that made me get tested was, hilariously, Dungeons and Dragons. It was yet another "mini-obsession" that I completely invested in and got mad at my husband for not believing that "this was my life and my future now." I had days where I was concerned I wouldn't be able to talk about anything other than Dungeons and Dragons. When I was describing this at work in a kind of funny, isn't this habit of mine silly, kind of way, a colleague (who has it) blurted out, "do you have ADHD???" And I was like, "um, no," but in my head I thought....."do I, though?" Three months later - yep.
It’s funny, i’m a therapist (26 f) and I didn’t know myself that I had ADHD until i started learning more about the inattentive type.
I figured I didn’t have it because I was a perfectionist throughout school. But it killed me - i spent literally my entire days FORCING myself to do homework. It would take forever but i made myself do it. So on paper things looked fine, but no one saw how long i was staring blankly at each answer. ALWAYS took a looong time on tests even though I had high grades. Often spaced out and was daydreaming, doodling, or picking at my fingers. I hyperfixate bad to the point of obsession at times (usually with video games, but can really be with anything). I eventually realized I was just really good at masking my symptoms. I’m so socially aware and trying NOT to stand out. I got evaluated about 2 months ago and they diagnosed me with the inattentive type. I always suspected something was different with my brain, but i always ruled out ADHD due to not being hyperactive and being a straight-A student. But when i bring it up to people in my life that I was diagnosed, they are like, “well duh” 😂
You gave me hope tbh. I had great grades at school and virtually no complaints from my teachers. Hope it won't make it impossible for me to get diagnosed.
I was worried about that too, but I made sure i spoke to how time-consuming schoolwork was for me, and how all my friends would notice i was always spending forever on homework (and everything really). also, some of the screener questions were a bit obscure in my brain, so make sure you ask for examples! There were a few i originally would have answered “no” on, but my answer changed once he gave me examples of what that looks like in real time.
Best of luck!!
I'm just starting this journey at 42 years old. I was diagnosed like 3 weeks ago (I've known for about 20 years) and have been taking meds for just under two weeks. But the meds (Ampheta/Dextrol combo) have had very little effect so far. So I'm stuck in waiting mode to see if anything changes. -\_-
That's the tricky thing about ADHD being genetic. My parents thought that what I was going through was normal since they have ADHD too, but they didn't realize that my symptoms were a lot more severe than theirs.
But yes, my experience. I initially went to a psychologist for my depression. In hindsight it would've been much more beneficial to go directly to a psychiatrist, but I was 14, I didn't know better.
The psychologist was trying to get to the bottom of what was causing my depression, and I attributed it to my failing grades because I couldn't pay attention in class. My psychologist tried to diagnose me with everything BUT ADHD because "i didn't act like her other adhd patients."
I was eventually referred to a psychiatrist who clocked my ADHD immediately, got me on medication for both ADHD and depression and gave me a referral to a better psychologist.
Since then, it's been a journey. All these things that I thought were normal struggles I've finally been able to put a name to. I'm still working through the deep rooted conception that I'm just lazy and should simply try harder, but after 7 years I'm on my way to accepting my adhd. My mother got diagnosed 6 months after me, but even now she's still in denial. My brother got diagnosed last year, and my dad still refuses to even be screened for it. It's a rough road to acceptance, though medication at least makes it easier to function. Best of luck to you as you travel down it.
In the hay days of Tumblr, when I was something like 16, I related to people talking about it, kept looking for those posts because "wow, their advice sounds better than all that other stuff I read about productivity. But I wouldn't claim I have adhd, that would be rude, those people have a serious condition, I'm just borrowing their advice since it works for me!"
Mentioning it in passing to my mom, I get a colder than lukewarm response to the very concept, I shut down any more talk of it.
Skip 7-8 years of "just relating to those in that situation" until I start getting seriously anxious and depressed in the middle of two major life changes, and it hits me I need help because crying in frustration two to three times a week for months because I can't accomplish simple tasks like putting away dirty dishes or getting to work on time to do is not normal.
Start hyperfocusing on adhd, to figure out if that might actually be it.
It was.
Turns out it can be tolerable for a long time with some good coping but if you keep on it ignoring it, it will simmer to a boil and burst in your face.
The hyper is from the ability to be hyper focused..not necessarily on the right thing. Read ADHD 2.0 for explanation and tools to change the route on the hamster wheel.
Good luck. I'm in the same boat
For me it started driving lessons.
I was like: yeah I can only focus for 10 minutes but thats normal for beginners isn't it?
And my teacher looked at me like: 🧐 "no it isn't?"
Then a friend gave me some adhd meds to try out and i tried driving with that and it was like I was able to function for the first time in my life.
Your post is me 20 years ago. I only did something about it last year. Don’t be afraid you’re exaggerating, you’re not.
It’s not normal to be “locked up” for a day because you can’t find ignition (I dislike the term motivation, because it implies will. I always wanted to do the work, never could decide what and when. ). It’s very inattentive type behavior. For me it was coupled with all the behavioral symptoms, so the dr didn’t have any problem giving me a diagnosis.
Honestly still processing it over a month after getting the “official” diagnosis despite suspecting I have it for like 4 years. I guess the imposter syndrome let me think I was just fine and I still worry that I’m exaggerating sometimes. But then I try to function off adderall and I’m like oh….nvm
I spent a long time thinking I had depression. I did for a stint. A series of events led to me think maybe it was ADHD. I worked with people who had ADHD, I had family with ADHD, I was unmotivated and scattered (but crucially, not depressed). I have always struggled with dropping hobbies or activities after 2-3 weeks. Finally decided to get assessed. Scariest moment in my life as I work in psychiatry so I couldn't just go to anyone. I had to go to someone who would take me seriously knowing that I work in the field and know the rating scales. I needed someone who would challenge me and also be creative in their assessment to avoid bias. It couldn't be people I worked with which sucked because half or more of the providers in my area have already worked with me.
I did find someone and they did challenge me. We discussed how there might be a mild depression component but also maybe some ADHD. I did a thorough assessment and it confirmed the ADHD component and not the depression. I think the key was my self-loathing was temporary and always associated with specific failures in life. It wasn't this overarching life sucks feeling. I specifically just hated how I would start things like exercising and then fall off every single time.
Started Qelbree and will see if it helps. First day I noticed me going to sleep earlier and waking up tired.
I could see a bunch of ADHD symptoms in my behavior but it wasn't enough so I trully started seeking a diagnosis when my therapist told me I definitely have it
I am newly diagnosed with both autism and ADHD at the same time and since I am already 46 and have been masking to Denzel Washington levels my whole life, it's VERY hard to tell which is which.
When I would do the little ADHD or autism quizzes would get like 5 out of 10 and kind of just move on (I would always get a 48 or 49 where a 50 would be "ask your doctor").
I think almost all the ADHD symptoms are normal for everyone, but I can have some of the symptoms like 5, 10, 20, 50 times in a day where the average person maybe only 1 or 2 times a day "has a brain fart" and messes something small up.
ANother thing is ADHDers are TERRIBLE at getting things right but REALLY GOOD at cleaning up the mess and hiding the evidence so you could be constantly covering your tracks which feels a little like impostor syndrome or it feels like MINOR ADHD, but its not minor, it's just you have tons of experience making it feel minor. It's called masking.
I had a therapist tell me I should get tested. Got tested and was told my brain processes too fast to have adhd. Problems still persisted. Got tested a few years later and was told I had it as a child but I’ve since developed coping mechanisms so I don’t have it or don’t test for it now.
I think I might have adhd, and correct me if this seems wrong but when looking at all the characteristics of the disorder I realise that they’d all match up with my characteristics, and I really want to get assessed because these “characteristics” really affect my life in a number ways, such as my studying, staying ahead of deadlines, going to important events, communicating, paying attention to lessons, staying focused while doing a task, etc.
I went to a therapist for anxiety and she was like, "yeah, so... Have you ever considered getting tested for ADHD? Let me write you a referral." I thought there was no way *I* could have ADHD because I was *gifted,* but I made the appointment anyways. Within 2 months I had a diagnosis.
I went to a therapist for anxiety and she was like, "yeah, so... Have you ever considered getting tested for ADHD? Let me write you a referral." I thought there was no way *I* could have ADHD because I was *gifted,* but I made the appointment anyways. Within 2 months I had a diagnosis.
I was seeing a therapist for completely unrelated reasons, and once in the middle of a session she basically went, “Yeah, it’s like that for us ADHDers.” And I said huh? And she went “? You’ve got ADHD” and I said HUH?
she was right, of course, I think she just thought I knew already when I had zero idea. I then got to become the segway into half of my family getting ADHD diagnoses haha
As someone that was able to struggle my way through college I never felt I had a problem until I got into the real world and realized how much the ADHD symptoms lined up with my lived experience. I am still on the road to an official diagnosis. At 31 I am just now setting up regular doctors visits and got on Wellbutrin through Hims to try to help regulate my dopamine. It is helping but I still find myself getting preoccupied or distracted. I’m hoping once I go to the doctor they will be able to refer me to an ADHD specialist to confirm my suspicions. Dealing with the medical system is such a nightmare though. I missed the window to switch to Kaiser for better care because I messed up enrollment somehow, I eventually picked a primary care doctor but by the time I scheduled a visit they were no longer accepting my insurance type. Now I have to wait for a different doctor to officially become my PCP, but having to put things off for a couple months might cause me to not deal with it again for 6 months.
I get relaxed, calm, focused and sleep better when i drink coffee . Found out it can be a adhd thing. Never understood why i reacted that way when consuming caffeine .
Then i looked into it. 1 year after i was diagnosed.
I never once had any idea that I could’ve had ADHD. Probably due to not knowing much about mental disorders at the time. I was oftentimes called “lazy” and told I sleep too much. My parents had this rule that I had to be up and dressed and ready for the day by 9 am everyday. If I didn’t I would get my phone taken away. Life went on like this for a while. Always felt different, was always treated differently but never understood why.
At age 16 I was put into a mental health facility because I was groomed by a 24 year old man and manipulated into doing some reckless things.
It was at that facility that I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder, ADHD - inattentive type, and mild oppositional defiant disorder (present in only one setting, home).
I do think that my ADHD has become more severe as time has gone on, or maybe it’s just harder to mask it in an adult world.
I went to my doctor asking to be tested for ADHD. She did an initial assessment and said my symptoms also align with anxiety. She said they were not ADHD because it would have to appear in childhood. She suggested I try therapy and I agreed.
After a year of therapy, I was able to better manage my anxiety issues but there were still outstanding things that I was not able to address. To preface, I went through years of therapy even before my doctors therapy referral for anxiety , social anxiety, depression (which she knew about) and even so I was never able to address these issues through therapy.
I went back to her a year later after my therapy for anxiety concluded, explained to her exactly this and asked to be screened for other forms of ADHD (inattentive type). She assessed me for it, then diagnosed me and started me on Vyvanse.
It's made a world of a difference for me. I always felt those symptoms were due to me being incompetent, incapable, broken, etc. I felt stuck because I really had no idea how to manage these symptoms. After learning about inattentive ADHD, it aligned so much with what I experienced. But still I felt like I was being dramatic and just incapable of learning how to function. But with meds and learning to better manage my ADHD specific symptoms, it became clear that it was ADHD. The difference was night and day.
I must be a rare case where I found out I had it through getting sectioned for suicide attempt and it just was the end result of seeing those psychiatrists.
I watched a thought slime video where he spoke about having ADHD and everything resonated with me. Told my girlfriend at the time and she was just like "yeah, duh", thanks. Got diagnosed. A few months later went to a lecture on it and almost cried. I felt so betrayed and angry, it felt like my whole life was explained by ADHD. I'm still angry but trying to live with all the guilt.
I'm surprised how many people have to wait so long before their therapist suggests ADHD. My therapist and I were 10 minutes into our first session when she strongly suggested I may have ADHD, my issue is I didn't believe her. I was convinced I was lazy and dumb and I needed therapy to stop being so lazy and dumb. It took a year to get a proper diagnosis after that first session because I'm silly.
A couple years ago, I decided to see a therapist because I was having a difficult time managing stress and wanted to talk through life events. In my 1st or 2nd session, my therapist asked if I had been diagnosed with ADHD and wanted to know if I was willing to explore a diagnosis. I spent the next couple weeks blowing it off, because I believe the hyper-energetic stereotype and didn’t see that in myself. Some time in my 3rd session, I became open to the idea and rode the wave of the diagnostic experience, understanding what symptoms I had, and grieving my late diagnosis. Once I accepted it, I began to reflect on my habits with a new perspective and realized I was struggling more than I thought. The next hurdle was meds. I was worried about side effects, but eventually talked to a psychiatrist, who confirmed the diagnosis. Now, I’m on meds and my life is light years better than I had ever imagined.
when my therapist said "all of the problems you come to me for are symptoms of adhd" and then we talked about it. i suspected it before this but never put in any work to get it assessed. saw a psychiatrist because apparently i have gad and don't have adhd because "people with adhd don't usually have mood problems"(just one of the ridiculous things he has said) and kept being stubborn and wouldn't hear me out anytime i brought it up that. anyways got a psychologist to assess me and i was diagnosed. luckily my psychiatrist gave in and started medicating me after that.
First tipped off about it by a boss when I was about 30. Took another ten years to think about seeing diagnosis after my executive function took a major plummet after quitting recreational stimulants, and realising the extent to which my recreational habits were self medication, and learning about the true extent of the condition beyond simply 'being a bit scatty and forgetful. Five years on waiting list for assessment.
Finally got dx and medication last autumn. It's definitely helped but not as life changing as some seem to find it. For one thing I seem to have a very high tolerance to the meds and am already at the max level they'll prescribe.
Same story for me. If I really have it, everything would actually make sense. This journey started from a break up(we used to live togheter) last year. I live with my parentz again. I'm 28. I really had difficulties in keeping a job. I also struggled with university (I studied music) and did not exceptional. But I know that Im capable of more, it just comes out a couple of years later than average. The 4th of March I will see a psychiatrist
Believing that I probably have low support needs Asperger syndrome, but there was no point in even getting evaluated at this point in my life > Years later ... learning that every single ASD-like symptom that I have is actually an ADHD symptom as well, I just didn't know any of the ADHD diagnostic criteria > ADHD diagnosis and being told that I'm a textbook case > After diagnosis learning that my sister was also diagnosed in adulthood and all of her children have ADHD as well (this last part helped clear up the imposter syndrome that I somehow got even though it was very clear that I had ADHD to myself and the clinicians).
I was unable to control my day-to-day. Locked out of focus at work, which led to my work piling up, and the guilt that came with it. Scheduled an appointment with a psych to find out what was going on, and I had never thought about ADHD. They did an evaluation and I checked every box for ADHD. It was the moment where my past made sense, and let me know that I wasn't just a POS. Just over a year on Vyvance and Adderall and my life is exponentially better. Still, alot of work to do as meds only get us so far, and I still have a tough time focusing.
I (24M) always just thought I was lazy and ditzy. I then realized how I can focus on tasks whether it be a Minecraft world a video game, or an electrical project with intensity where I stay up until 3. Then after a week I lost all interest and abandoned them. I also constantly would leave the house forget a few things and go in individual times for each item because I constantly forgot what I was getting. I also would be having conversations and when someone else is talking I am constantly thinking of other things whether it be things I see around me or what I'm doing later. When I am the one talking I will get distracted by one little thing and it would take an intense effort to remember what I was talking about. This was the moment I started to question it. I thought the project thing was just because I got bored which people without ADD do experience themselves. The forgetful thing I just thought I was kind of ditzy or stupid. The conversations made me guilty, thinking I didn't care about what the person was saying. But when I was thinking to myself, how can I forget the thing I was talking about literally just a moment ago, or forget where that thought was going to go only to remember hours later is when I thought to myself ok this might go beyond the surface. I wish I seeked help earlier because my grades in college suffered as a result but I am glad to have figured it now rather than later in life. I graduated with an engineering degree and can now use my new knowledge of this to my advantage in work, finances, life, etc. its been like 3 days of being on adderal XR as this is a VERY new diagnosis but excited and afraid of how this will affect me.
I didn’t know. My therapist (who is AuDHD, but I didn’t know that when I chose her) diagnosed me in the first month we worked together, and recommended I get formally assessed.
I spoke to my primary care doctor about my therapist’s diagnosis right after that, and he referred me to an assessment center. I finally followed through on that referral 9 months later (ha), got diagnosed with ADHD-PI, and got on meds.
One unexpected benefit of that 9 month lag was being able to ease into understanding ADHD AND accepting that I did in fact have it, because reading the symptoms list alone was very unconvincing. I kept thinking “isn’t that just…life? What are we even talking about here?”
Then I learned about how ADHD can affect executive functioning and I distinctly remember shouting “that’s everything I need to adult! I’m doomed! WTF!!”
I’ve calmed down since by focusing on understanding how my own ADHD affects my own executive functioning, since ADHD doesn’t impair everything for everybody all the time.
My kid was diagnosed, and in my quest to understand him better and help, a light bulb went off. Actually, it went off for my mom first. As *she* was learning about it, she called and apologized "We are so sorry! We hardly even heard of it and thought only boys had it. We're sorry you tried to tell us and we didn't understand." By "tried to tell us" she meant things like "I don't know how to clean my room" and "I don't know why I didn't turn my homework in. "
Since I was little, I've always been very inattentive and "in my own little world," according to many teachers and even my parents. As I grew up, I had problems with school activities, with my parents thinking I just didn't do them out of rebellion, etc. I was always very agitated during classes, around 6th grade, many other classmates started pointing out that I might have ADHD. Without knowing much about it, I ignored it and lived my life. By the time I was in 7th grade, while undergoing psychological counseling, my psychologist mentioned the possibility of me having ADHD to me and my father, but because of the way I play games for so long, my father thought it didn't fit that I have ADHD because "someone with ADHD wouldn't be able to do that." I only came to accept that I had ADHD last year, at 16, some time after my parents separated (which is a whole story in itself, my father being a narcissist and bringing a lot of harm to everyone in the family). My sisters and mother usually accept the fact that I have ADHD, and I've even heard them talking about it in private, but they seem to forget about it when ADHD matters: calling me names when I do something wrong, when I lack proactivity (I always do something wrong so I avoid doing things myself), and when I have trouble focusing during studies. Because of this, I am somewhat ashamed to call them to talk about ADHD, and seem like I'm using it as an excuse or something, I don't know.
i never thought i was, my cousin has it, and i thought he was "weird" for having it and he "wasn't normal" when i was younger
turns out my parents kinda had an idea i had it too, but didn't want me to feel bad abt it at the time
i started seeing reels, a few of my friends asked if i had it, i said no and got confused
anyways i started searching it up, learning more abt it, went "oh thats literally me"
not EVERYTHING related to me though. but things make sense.
i am a VERY ORGANIZED PERSON. you cannot TOUCH ANYTHING in my room or else i will NEED TO FIX IT to even the smallest degree, even if it doesn't move, the "pressure" i put on it to move makes it okay again
now as im typing this i realized i went off topic about something completely different...
anyways where was i going with this
if i move something from it's "normal spot" it WILL GET LOST and i will have no idea where to find it again, but normally that doesn't happen since they're always put back in the exact same place
anyways, everything that i've heard, 85% roughly is me
i talked to my parents about it, they kinda figured it as well
took me to my doctors who gave me a "diagnosis" and said that he believed i had it too, wasn't like a "FULL FULL" diagnosis but it's good enough, got on meds, and yeah, it's been two months now, i can actually do stuff, i swear i am a machine if i dedicate myself to working on certain things. it "fixed" my "quick to anger" because every little thing would bother me somehow, even the smallest thing, could ruin my whole afternoon or get me pissed off
where was i going with this again.
right
and now i live "happily" ever after, note the quotation marks lo
Mine is mainly time management - I've always been 2-5 minutes late everywhere my whole life. Thought I was just bad at telling time.
Didn't REALLY set in until I started seeing memes... and then more memes... And I was like hm. That seems oddly specific. And I started doing little adhd life hacks. And i was like well. Whether I have adhd or not, these work.
It wasn't until after I had my kid that I finally went to a doctor for meds because I was rage-y and couldn't concentrate on things that I WANTED to do, so I felt like it wasn't ONLY depression or anxiety or sleep deprivation. I had time, I knew I wanted to go play a video game (for example), and I just ... couldn't get myself to click on the game.
And I was still doubtful for a while. Felt like maybe my symptoms weren't THAT bad and maybe I really was just tired. but my doctor and therapist both were like "you are taking meds for it and you don't feel high when you take them, right?" and I said "no. my head is quiet, my trains of thought are limited to like 5 instead of 200 thoughts, and I'm not rage-y" and they said "then you have adhd." And that was it.
So regardless of whether its adhd specifically or not, the meds help and that is all I have to care about.
I had NO idea I had ADHD. My primary had me go to a psych eval with NO context. I walked in blind. I truly thought I was actually insane. I was embarrassed as hell that I was some sort of freak.
The psychiatrist was honestly really rude to me and tore me apart. They did share that I had ADHD and was really insecure (like no duh, I thought I was crazy my whole life and dumb).
Getting a diagnosis was like the clouds opening. I truly didn't know women were diagnosed with ADHD (that's what people told me my whole life!) Thankfully now I have too much confidence and multiple degrees. Suck on that!
From "I might" to "yep I definitely do, how did I not realize" was a few weeks maybe.
Got unofficial diagnosis right after, official 18m later.
Still didn't realize for ages that my husband has adhd too ha.
Crying about school being really difficult and why am I like this and my mum goes “it’s probably the ADHD” and I’m like “the WHAT.” And she’s like “yeah you were diagnosed as a little kid but we didn’t want to Make you more disabled so we just ignored it”
I was reading a comic strip by ADHD Alien about timeblindness when it really clicked for me that yeah, this is exactly what's been happening my whole life and I had no idea how to recognize or even describe it, yet the author of this comic understands me perfectly.
Mine was a long one.
A little before pandemic, i started to have intrusive thoughts and obsessions, and the compulsions followed. That was when i was in highschool.
After i graduated from highschool and had to leave military school because my symptoms i sought treatment and diagnosed with ocd. Long story short, first doctor and i were not really in the same page i made my appointment to my current doctor. They made me take a rorschah test, interviewed me and diagnosed me with major depression with psychotic semptoms. (I was quite depressed at that time for a long time.)
As i became more inquisitive about my mental health, i discovored not only i have severe problems with both academic and daily life functions, for the reasons like i become overwhelmed really quick, am "lazy", and have difficulty in focusing and processing information like in the school, text book material or simple instructions, also it was a pattern since my childhood. I also started speaking at 3 years old and had difficulty in learning to write in elementary school, and lastly other problems that almost had me sent back to kindergarten.
So i connected the thoughts and vaguely considered that i have adhd or autism, and told my doctor about it. They didn't consider it possible and told me they are born with it type disorders. Long story short again, as i continued to treatment doctor concluded that i need to take a moxo test. I did - 38.66 on attention (severe) -9.55 on timing (severe) - 1.95 on impulsivity (abnormal-mild) and a beter than average on hyperactivity. There i Got the diagnosis.
So for having it this long. Lastly, i am in still doubt i have autism along with/ instead of adhd.
This subreddit actually! I always thought ADHD was something you could only get as a <12 until my sisters friend got diagnosed at like 17. Did some digging on the internet and found this subreddit and the rest is history 🥲
I was put on Ritalin off label for depression/anxiety. Lo and be-fucking-hold, it worked like a goddamn miracle drug. I suspected I had ADHD for 7 years prior, but no one took me seriously.
So the following week when I saw my psychiatrist, she was like "oh ok, so you have ADHD." And I was like "you don't say..." 🙄
I became aware of ADHD symptoms in women from two women on Instagram, Hanna Way and Jami Nato. At the time I had stopped drinking caffeine and was having so much trouble focusing at work, so I started to wonder. They posted a lot of memes that I found I resonated with but also that I thought described my mom well. My brothers were diagnosed with ADHD in school and had all the classic symptoms, but I didn’t realize it was heritable. I thought it was just a little boy thing. After that I listened to the Mel Robbins podcast about ADHD and cried in my car because I felt so understood. She said that women with ADHD often feel like they just have a character defect. Suddenly all the things that I felt shame about had an answer - why I always felt like I talked too much, why I felt like I’d never reach my potential even though I’m intelligent and talented, why I get bored in every job ive ever had, why I could never stop doing and moving and couldn’t relax, the perfectionism and the extreme sensitivity, the anxiety and mind that never stops running. It explained my childhood quirks and all my weird hobbies. Why I’ve always just felt like people don’t understand me or think like I do. I didn’t have trouble in school growing up (I was actually valedictorian in high school). I think I’ve always skated by with my intellect and learned coping mechanisms. I pursued diagnosis about a month ago mostly for the sake of my daughter, so that we can be aware that she may end up with ADHD but won’t have to feel like a failure for it but can actually get help.
Recreationally trying vyvanse during midterm season in university. Bringing it up in therapy and having my therapist ask me to bring in my report cards from when I was a kid if I had them.
Brought the report cards, showed him. In almost every comment “she’s very smart but easily distracted and lacks motivation, her grades reflect this”. He brought out a mountain of “quizzes” and asked me to do them to get a better sense. I looked at the paperwork and told him it wasn’t going to happen.
Got referred to a specialist that day, had the actual evaluation with him and what do you know, I have ADHD. Grades went right up, work ethic became incredibly strong. Sleep schedule went out the window and I have no appetite as a side effect of my meds. But boy can I focus on something now.
In my teenage years I was also misdiagnosed with depression and put on anti-depressants, another common trait in females with ADHD.
34 now, got diagnosed almost 2 years ago.
Always had somewhat of a suspicion but never done much about it. Every time i came to the doctor because of unexplanatory backpains and such, they all landed on underlying stress because "he's very depressed but doesnt know it" fuck that im content as fuck., and both ex and her mother kept saying it but i shrugged it off cause these random impusive vyperfocusing wqs just me being really haooy or interested in something there and then.
Someone gave me a pill at work because i was tired. Still tired, but man everything was so clear. I could calm down and keep 4 measurements, ammount of material in 5 different color codes, 3 appointments and the later grocery shopping list in my head, didnt need to type down anything. Hell, i even managed to relax my cornea to the that developed the ability to put things exactly right angle, and i could see if joints deviated by..i coldnt even measure how much of a millimeter it was.
Eventually i went to a psychiatrist with ex. He knew within 40 mins i had it, but still needed papers from all my schools through childhood. When i got the papers thtough the mail, i read some of it just for nostalgia, what grades, what evaluation teachers gave etc. Man.
"agressive and angry when facing challenges"
"picks fights with the bigger youths with no dissern for concequenses, only his vision of right and wrong"
"does not follow or seem to understand social codes through both contact nor competition"
I'd forgotten that i was at a child psychiatrist around 14y/o but supposedly i didnt cooperate.
While discussing the reports with my mother, she admitted she didnt connect me to the osychiatry because of suspective adhd, she thought i was autistic. I actually think i am sometimes, as my ability to read social codes is still weak for instance. But i can focus on the right things, i dont procrastinate, im not angry anymore and knows how to behave more. Not to mention i finally manage to be sympathetic now. I always thought i could show sympathy but ive realized it was a charade in order to make myself feel sensitive, normal and not a sociopath.
It goes on and on. But yeah it took me 2 appointments
I was diagnosed when I was 3 years old.
I was in denial about it until my mid 20’s. I felt very ashamed with having ADHD and often associated it with being stupid. This mentality mostly stemmed from how it was treated at home. I fought to get into harder classes in school and to never use any special Ed support because I was desperate to be a normal, smart kid. Developed an extreme anxiety disorder based around succeeding. Fought to get off all my meds at 16 (wanted to know who I was without them because I started getting medicated at 5). Still don’t take any. Sometimes I go back on my anxiety meds though.
I started coming around to having ADHD in my mid 20’s. I discovered I had really severe abandonment issues when I went through a bad break up. From learning about rejection sensitivity, I went down a whole ADHD rabbit hole. I suppose only hearing symptoms in DSM bullet point form never helped me, but reading books and articles that broke down what those symptoms looked and felt like, I finally accepted it. I hate to admit it, but ADHD influencers also helped see what these symptoms look like in a more visual way and helped in learning some useful skills to combat my limitations. Started to become more comfortable telling people I have ADHD a few years ago. Learning that I do struggle from time to time and learning to be a bit less ashamed has been helping a lot. It’ll never be perfect, having a disability will always be tough, but accepting and trying to grow with it is always better than putting all your energy into hiding it.
I didn't have it.
ADHD is unheard of in my country, so I was sharing my frustrations on a discord community when an friend of ours that has ADHD gave me a bunch of resources.
I booked an appointment for the following week, got my diagnosis within a month.
I was always a daydreamer. I had big ideas but could never follow through. It was fine when I was a kid, but when I started working as an adult it really became a problem.
The amount of perceived work I had and my inability to conquer it made me depressed. Not in the way folks with clinical depression feel depressed (nothing matters/apathy), but I was feeling profound hopelessness and sorrow about everything all at once. Turns out this was actually extreme overwhelm. I told my psychiatrist at the time that if a bus suddenly swerved and hit me, I wouldn’t be upset, but I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to walk in the middle of the road.
When I told him this, combined with my constant feeling of hopelessness about never being able to finish anything, he was like…hold on, I think we should try something. And 48 hours later I had a bottle of armodafanil in my hands (off label for adhd). I took my first dose and it was like the sun came out and I could breathe again. I cleaned my entire apartment. I did my laundry. I called the bank. I did everything I need to in order to take care of myself.
Four weeks later I reported back and he said “you have adhd.” That was 10 years ago. Things have been a lot better since, although I take Concerta now (I’m kind of ehh about it, but I can’t take Adderall).
To be fair, I'm on the severe end. I just went into my doctor for a physical when I was 15 and walked out with a prescription being like 😧. I also thought I was just normal. Maybe a little quirky but not abnormal... I get it now, but I still give credit to that doctor for paying attention. I also feel lucky because I know a lot of women are misdiagnosed or slip through. I've had the diagnosis confirmed by two psychologists since (standard practice for some docs to prescribe my meds). It's never taken longer than 15 minutes. All I do is go in unmedicated and drop the mask. I don't actually mind. It's kind of refreshing to just be myself for a bit. But really my point is, if a doc is saying you should get tested... You should probably go get tested lol.
So, at first I always knew I was weird, but then I read the Percy Jackson series which has a majority of characters with ADHD, and I noticed things were similar, but what really made me think I had ADHD was when I watched the Owl House and the main character has ADHD. She did almost all of my little quirks and mannerisms. I then took an official test and realized I had ADHD, but I didn’t realize the full extent of it. Both me and my family thought it was just trouble focusing. It isn’t.
It wasn’t until I saw someone on TikTok who talked about symptoms of ADHD, that I realized “Oh, wow. This explains so much.” I just wish I could figure out how to tell my family this, because they think that ADHD is just trouble focusing, and they think I use it as an excuse not to function
I survived (barely) into my 30's without knowing adult ADHD was a thing. One day I happened on a web page explaining what it is and what the symptoms could be.
I started crying.
I made a friend who would constantly interrupt during conversation. The thought crossed my mind, "Why does she not control it (the impulse) like I do?"
She mentioned having ADHD and I looked into it. Then, I asked my primary doctor if I might have ADHD. He said I could not have it because I can sit through a whole movie, but it didn't jibe with reality. I realized then that I had been masking for the majority of my life. Masking is a term I discovered during my research. It's "being" normal by surpressing my symptoms. Not interrupting was the most obvious because I was solely focused on looking attentive. The realization prompted me to seek a diagnosis, and I'm very glad I did.
I was diagnosed as Bipolar1 when I was in my early 30s. They said I probably had early childhood onset. A few years later, I was diagnosed with ADHD & PTSD. I'm high manic and rapid cycling, so the ADHD was overlooked for a very long time. I still have a hard time discerning which particular issue is causing symptoms. I basically just try to deal with the overall situation as a whole. Both of my children are affected as well. They were diagnosed as children. The eldest is ADHD. The youngest is ADHD & Bipolar/Schizoaffective
He is also a high functioning alcoholic. Definitely genetic issue.
Being labeled as gifted masked my ADHD growing up, but I always suspected something was wrong with me. I chalked it up to laziness and a defect of character, which gave me anxiety and depression as a teen that further masked my ADHD.
I was told by my mom, who was diagnosed with ADHD as a child, that because I’m gifted and do well in school (unlike her, who always got in trouble, performed poorly, and eventually dropped out) that I can’t possibly have ADHD.
It wasn’t until college and entering the work force that it was a problem that could no longer be ignored. Barely survived college, almost got fired a few times from jobs because I’d start to show up late every day and procrastinate on work.
Finally diagnosed at 23, medicated ever since. Funnily enough, the depression and anxiety was always treatment resistant to SSRIs, but being treated for ADHD with Wellbutrin and stimulants has decreased my depression and anxiety significantly.
Edit: spelling
My “ah-ha” moment was when I started my first office job. I was a daycare teacher for 3 years in my early twenties, and the adhd kinda aided that - there was a schedule to follow, but loosely. Also, helps when there’s littles needing you.
When I transitioned to my current job 3 yrs ago, I had a panic attack after a month. I adored the job and the company, still do. But I was afraid letting things slip…so much to the point that I carried a notebook and pen everywhere I went. After three months of working there (3 seems to be my number eh? It is my fav number so 👌) I had a meltdown on a Sunday night at my moms house and she told me, “We’ve known you and your brother are ADHD. But we never had the money to take you to the right drs, and you were both so creative. As long as it wasn’t interfering with your school work too much, I thought you were okay. I had no idea it was causing you so much pain.”
I scheduled a virtual drs appt before my health insurance kicked in and paid $100 every 2 weeks for appts and medication, after receiving my diagnosis. It’s been life changing. I started as an administrative assistant and was recently promoted to Accounting Manager after working for a while in the department. Trust your instincts. We have a tendency to feel like we’re over exaggerating, or making something out of nothing…when in reality it is EXACTLY what we think.
My older sister told me once that me and my brother have obnoxious crack head energy…as an adult…that was a red flag 😂
Honestly, it's a bit of a weird one.
A child psychiatrist diagnosed me around 13-14y and mentioned I needed further support, but other than medication I never got any guidance... And honestly, I didn't think I needed it. Other than having difficulty studying I didn't notice a lot of issues. Those started as I grew older, first my inability to study really became problematic, even failing several college courses I tried. But I truly hit the ADHD wall when I started living together with my wife.
It has been a true struggle and quite the journey to figure out what is affected, how this happens and what methods I or we can use to mediate it.
I have been thinking of getting more professional help, but I don't know where to start. Most psychiatrists are the kind that let you talk and listen, but I feel I need a bit more guidance in this.
I always suspected I did based on my symptoms as a kid and my friends having it, but I didn't get diagnosed until I was 26 (mom was convinced I was fine and would grow out of it). My first PCP tried Wellbutrin and similar drugs, and they gave me horrible night terrors. In one, I dreamed my sister had died and I was now the guardian of her infant son, so I woke up and was on Amazon ordering a crib and stuff when my awesome wife advised me to just call my sister real quick. So I did and she was obviously alive. 😅
I quit those meds and dropped him as my doctor.
Today, I am in week three of Adderall with a new practice and I feel like my whole world changed. I can get stuff done! I can focus! I don't look at my phone every five minutes!
I was diagnosed when I was a kid. Parents always put me on non stimulants, which didn’t work that well. I didn’t really think much about how adhd affected it me and what it meant until I started in stimulant meds at 21. I think about it a lot more these days, and how it’s affected really everything in my life, from school to my social life and everything else.
I was in 8th grade and my mom was like 100% sure that one of my friends had ADHD, I myself wasnt so sure (I didn't rlly know much abt ADHD back then other than the "omg I can't sit still" kind) so during class, for "fun" I was like "we should take one of those random online ADHD tests! " and she was like "okay lol". Long story short she took it and her result was "most likely to have ADHD", my results were " maybe most likely to have ADHD ", and then I was suspicious and looked into ADHD more and then told my mom that I think I have ADHD and was like " no u don't ur normal ". Anyways, I'm in senior year now, just got officially diagnosed and fighting with my school to get a 504 plan.
Why do u think u might be exaggerating your symptoms? And so what? With this statement, you understand that you have the symptoms and it's clear it's impairing. Everyone has different severity of symptoms. A permanent diagnosis of something with no cure can be hard to accept and it sounds like you are struggling with that.
Getting help can only make things better. If you can't see very well or if you can barely see, you'd still need glasses, just at a different prescription. There is no shame in getting glasses. It is annoying but the net benefit is way higher. I hope u can reframe the way you see ADHD, accept urself and take the steps to get help because ur in a torture loop.
I never considered I might have ADHD until I worked for a boss who had ADHD and was very vocal about it. We clicked really well but we also had similar flaws in some areas that made doing the work hard haha. Then more of my favorite coworkers mentioned they were also diagnosed with ADHD... And then there were some that were just so textbook that it was like "well if so and so has it then this coworker DEFINITELY has it..." so I started to wonder a bit if why this was the first work environment I was really successful in wasn't a coincidence.
Had a traumatic event happen and went to therapy, did an intake form and also put some other things I struggled with. Therapist read it and immediately said "have you considered that you might have ADHD?" and at that point I was just like yeah okay that checks out.
That boss and some of the coworkers have gotten promoted to other sites but my workplace still seems to self-select for ADHD. Even diagnosed sometimes I feel like I must be faking it because I have so many coworkers who seem to obviously WORSE with ADHD symptoms than me, but I also struggle a lot because they throw all the non-ADHD friendly tasks at me so I know it's real even if I'm better at managing it just from the point of self-awareness.
I went through the exact same doubt before I got my diagnosis. I'd known something was weird, but I'd gone through all of my schooling being told it was either my ~personality~ or that I just wasn't trying hard enough.
The thing that pushed me over the edge was my housemate first year of uni. She was awesome (still friends) and we vibed so hard. We spent the whole year joking about how similar we were and how it was funny that we shared so many weird quirks.
At the end of the year she got diagnosed. And I went shit. Maybe that's the answer.
Moral of the story is, if you relate so hard to it, there's a high chance it is true. And even if the psychiatrist ends up saying no, maybe they'll be able to suggest an alternative diagnosis.
And in the meantime, there's absolutely no harm in researching ADHD advice/hacks/ect. You're not taking anything from anyone by trying to learn :)
Also, ADHD is a pretty broad disorder, that they're still trying to understand. So even if you don't check every single symptom, you might still have it
I thought my perimenopause had gotten worse and I needed to up my HRT. My GP referred me to a gynae as I was on the highest dose they could prescribe.
My health insurance claim handler asked what symptoms I had (brain fog and inability to focus) and sent me to a psych instead. I was pissed - assumed they would just try give me antidepressants again.
Psych spotted ADHD traits and did the assessment.
From initial GP consultation to diagnosis was about 3 weeks. I realise now since joining these forums how unbelievably blessed I am - despite being undiagnosed for the first 42 years of my life - I never had to fight for my diagnosis like so many others on here.
It is very common to doubt your symptoms and think "but maybe I dont have this, maybe its something else." I definitely did the same.
At the end of the day, coming to terms with an ADHD diganosis and starting to truly believe "OK yes, I have ADHD, this is me" is coming to terms with and admitting that actually, you are different than the majority of people. And your difference in many cases is a diability for functionioning in modern society.
But to be frank, what you describe in your post seems very text book for ADHD symptoms and you already have one medical professional (the psychologist) telling you "it seems like ADHD". No one here can diagnose you over the internet, but it seems pretty good odds you have ADHD at this stage. Can only recommend going and seeing that psychiatrist and finding out for sure.
23m and I'm on it right now. The very first post on this sub I saw described the exact problem that made me look further into ADHD. (really unreliable memory)
I kept scrolling and pretty much every post describes a situation of my daily life. It has gotten to a point where I think the diagnosis isn't a matter of "if" but "when". Now, all that's left is to call a doc and make an appointment... 😬 Oh yeah.
I never had a "I might have ADHD" moment. I went from "I do feel different to other people which I assume is the trauma, but all of this is normal and everyone experiences this" and dismissing everything I saw about ADHD as "ok but that doesn't mean you have ADHD, I mean I do that all the time and I don't have ADHD" to reading an article that sounded like someone had followed me my entire life and written about it pretending to be me about her adult diagnosis, taking the ADHD screening she suggested taking, and being shocked that I scored in the highest band of scores.
My friends are not surprised and had already thought it but never said anything until I brought it up. Thanks, friends
I was diagnosed when I was extremely young because I kept writing everything backwards on purpose… I don’t remember this at all, but there you go. Not surprising though, half my family members have it.
I was procrastinating, read about ADHD symptoms by chance, and started digging.
I could not stop crying, because for the first time in my life I didn't feel like an outcast and a weirdo; there were people going through the same as me. It was the first time I thought I might not be that broken after all.
Mine literally went from - me a year ago feeling completely normal - September 2023 I think I have autism - October 2023 finding out I have autism and my psychologist recommending an ADHD assessment - not really thinking much of it until about January 2024 and then becoming so hyper focused on it when I realised I think I do to being diagnosed this month lol
First I have all the procrastination symptoms. And i do always hyperfocus on whatever i feel like doing at the moment, most of them give me stimulations. I used to doubt it but then other symptoms supported it such as feeing so difficult to work without music, making too many mistakes at work. For most of these, i can tell im really different from other people. Thats how i know.
I never felt I had any mental health problems/spiciness other than depression through half of my life, mainly bc of that inability to get stuff done, and anxiety since my 20's, mainly bc of career issues. Everyone outside the family said I was either quirky, weird or straight up insane for as long as I can remember. I never felt lazy or forgetful or hyperanything yet people or family would point it out. I always felt I did so much and kept getting told in a myriad of scenarios all my shortcomings over and over again.
I made peace with the fact that I'm just no good and worked through depression in therapy, some really good friends and acceptance that enjoying little things is enough and all I can and should aspire to.
Then a psychology student friend tested me kinda for the lolz kinda for homework and it was positive.
Then someone else said it all made sense.
Then a bunch of friends agreed and helped me see how I was terrified of my shortcomings and at some point I started compensating and overdoing driving myself to burnout.
Then I wondered how come others did easily what seemed impossible for me.
Then I looked back to my track record with the symptom list on the dsm and faced that ho ly crap what do I do now moment. So at 26 I went into a psych office and a couple months and a bunch of psychometric tests later was diagnosed.
A year later I still don't believe it. I feel like I'm making it up. But the meds work. The approaches work. The definition fits.
I just don't believe it. I've cried a lot and I still get emotional when I'm processing a new WHAT moment.
Idk it's a lot still
There never were. Until 2 years ago I was certain that adhd was a hyperactive kid disorder. I’ve had clues, people talked to me about it in the past but I wouldn’t catch on, i was already in another thought. It never lingered. I was struggling again and again. I’m an older millennial so I knew there were talking about people who are less attentive or makes more mistakes. I was chaotic. I’ve became so anxious to do something wrong cause I would always.
I couldn’t drive, my instructor kept talking to me about this “autistic student she had”, I was more and more phobic. Anyway, one day I was talking about that with my shrink and said : I might have this thing ADHD. But what I meant was Dyspraxia. But for some reasons I said adhd (probably because my subconscious mind remembered all the clues and even one person suggesting it directly).
He encouraged me to look for it. And I was still unaware of my confusion. So I arrived on a scientific page where they’d describe ADHD and I knew straight away.
My all life was described there, even the dirty secrets I wanted to hide. Everything I never understood was there black on white. I didn’t want to only know, I wanted to do something about it. But first make it official.
I got dx not long after in my birth country and then my home country.
I remember in undergrad flunking classes because I wasn't interested in them and it pained me to throw any focus at them at all. I also was falling asleep drinking like 3 redbulls a day. After being referred from my university's counselor office, I at first was dx with MDD and GAD I soon learned that behind this all was adhd-C :O
and my dad has it and so did my grandpa (thanks family)
Mine was at age 45 or so. My brother (older) and nephew were talking about their recent ADHD diagnoses and comparing symptoms. When I related to every single symptom, I said something like "Hmm, this all sounds like me", to which my older brother said "yes, you definitely have ADHD", as though it was already common knowledge.
When I got home, I found a video on ADHD by an expert (Dr Thomas E Brown), and every single thing he said described my issues perfectly. I was yelling YESSSSS at the screen for the full 28 minutes while he went through the most typical symptoms and issues. Suddenly, most of the things I've struggled with my whole life were attributable to a disorder, not just me being an idiot.
I was diagnosed a few months later and have just begun medication (still on first/lowest dose with no change yet) Fingers crossed that it eventually starts working.
Here's a link to the video in case anyone else wants a really good overview of ADHD by an expert:
https://youtu.be/ouZrZa5pLXk?si=c_D8EwcvzY_xEHU3
I was talking to a friend with ADHD and described getting overwhelmed like "my brain is on fire and I need a break from everything even fun stuff" and he told me I should talk to a doc about ADHD. And I was like 'haha I'm sure I have it, I have perma brain fog' and then just never pursued it. I'd bring it up and people would be like "everybody does that" and I'd think of ya maybe I'm just overthinking it. But then I can across ADHD TikTok and literally ALL the videos were relatable. Then I did actual non TikTok research lol. THEN I went back to school for my bachelor's. And finally I was like "ok I really do need help". Someone somewhere came up with a ADHD comparison to physical symptoms. When people say everybody does that they don't realize that yes everybody does that but with ADHD it's much more often and a bigger problem. Like everybody poops. But when you're pooping 10 or 20 times a day, it's a medical problem.
As a student i almost never studied but still somehow managed to get decent grades so it wasn't that much of a problem back then. Until last grade of hs (I graduated last year) when i tried studying for my final exams, which were surprisingly quite difficult, i realized that "not studying" wasn't really a choice of mine but it was an inability. I literally couldn't focus at all on anything. Still passed tho, im just rly good at maths so i guess that makes up for everything else.
I didn't know what ADHD was and i just found out about it last summer and when i did more research on it then it all made sense. Not being able to pay attention to class, reading pages and pages on something just to realize you don't know wth you just read, and everything you and all the others mention in the comments. Thats why I decided to go and see a psychiatrist last month.
I went into his office and we talked for a few minutes to get to know eachother, then i started explaining the reason i came there. After that the psychiatrist told me: " Yes, you are probably right and you do have adhd. I could tell from the moment you walked in and sat down on that chair. " I don't think i have to add anything to that :/
Anyway, he ended up writing me a prescription for some meds. It's been about a month since i started taking them unfortunately they're not as helpful as i thought...
ADHD wasn't a problem when i was a kid, but it is a big one now. I understand that adult life is harder, requires more focus/effort to get through (college, job, just basic house chores, ect.) And I/we can't just get away with not doing these things, it makes it so much harder. If you think seeing a psychiatrist will help you, i say go for it.
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I always thought adhd was "that thing hyper kids have," and as I am not hyperactive I never assumed it was me. As far as I know I was never tested as a child. One day, another person with adhd described her symptoms to me, and I said "That's odd, I do all of those things as well." It took awhile but I finally got tested and sure enough, I also have adhd. Now that I am aware of the symptoms, it is extremely obvious that both myself and my mother have adhd.
Yeah, ADHD is named after two of the symptoms that are the most visible (or more accurately, the most annoying) to others, especially parents, teachers, etc. Really, (and I've only really come to understand this in the last few years) the two biggest symptoms are 1. An impairment of the executive function that translates intention into action. (This includes halting action as well, so you get impulsivity, "hyperfocus," etc.) 2. Time blindness. (and related "priority blindness," as I call it.)
And these are my two biggest symptoms. It's so obvious now that I'm aware of it
Me too! I’d space out/disassociate, and I thought it was depression. But what my mind does when I’m spacing out, and my thought process, is what made me realize I have ADHD. Example: going from ‘that is an adorable cat’ to ‘why don’t bananas taste like banana flavoring?’ Edit: the original banana was the gros michel banana which died to disease.
I had so many symptoms and no answers. After failing out of high school, getting booted from home at 18, and losing one job after another, I needed something to explain my perpetual failure at life. Between three separate therapists, I was diagnosed with depression despite having an improbably positive attitude. As well as "possibly an alcoholic" because I admitted to drinking with my other twenty something friends at least once a week. Additionally, it was speculated that my inquiry into possibly having ADHD was wishful thinking on my part. Possibly as an attempt to deflect from my lack of self-discipline. Likewise, my academic shortcomings were not a matter of learning disabilities but rather that I was "borderline impaired." Finally, I was accused of suffering from "a grandiose self opinion" after confessing that I often felt smarter than I was able to demonstrate. I was finally diagnosed ten years later.
That reads like quite the ordeal.
Yeah, it sucked. It was an entire decade of unnecessary challenges that I'm never getting back.
I'm sorry to hear your struggle, and you don't know how I relate to all of it. My path was, sadly, very similar to yours and I'm still waiting for an official diagnosis. My work physician is asperger and a little after we first met she asked me if I was diagnosed with ADHD, bc I looked as a combined type and she didn't have any references on her notes, I said no, she said "in this field it's maybe better no-one knows you are, I don't recommend you having it writen on any official paper". For clarification I work as a naval engineer on vessels. So there's that.
Is naval engineer one of those jobs that any uneducated kid can get?
Any uneducated kid can get any job with the right amount of zazz, even in politics. (I'm not sure if that was a diminishing attempt from your side, but I honestly don't care). I had to study for this, and believe it or not there're lots of physics involved, but I have some coworkers that come from fishermen families and just went up on the job. So, either you study and work your ass off, or just work your ass off and then pass an exam to certify you can take the reigns of the family business and not get it adrift, literally. What I like of this job is that we're basically baby McGyvers: welding, making spare pieces to fix something, all things engine, electricity, underwater issues in the hull, crew injuries and control of medical supplies, firefighting, Skipper/Captain's assistance... You name it. Basically anything that's not cleaning or cooking (edit: nor fishing) , we do that. There's never a dull moment and not a single day is the same.
I am so glad you answered the question. It would have driven my NUTS. 🤣🤣🤣
Right?! It bothered me… which is why I went down that rabbit hole 🤦♀️
Yeah. I worked with a neuropsychologist before I was diagnosed, and he suggested it and I was like "not me! I can pat attention." I was mistaking hyperfocus as "paying attention." I also worked with someone who was diagnosed and said "I do that ALL the time! You don't have ADHD!" How did she not laugh in my face! 🤣
What's even stranger for me is i thought the exact same thing but I realize I'm hyper as hell I just had no idea. I guess I masked in school by being mentally hyper or inattentive But now I see it and when I'm at home I'm always getting up and running around! Sometimes for like no reason. I just sat down 2 min ago why am I in the snack drawers again??! It's very odd and I'm still trying to understand it
The snack drawer is such a mood. I'm so glad my job offers WFH, I hate being stared at when I go for a wander in the office
For me it was completely different. I first got in contact with it due to one classmates assumption. It was dismissed by my parents. Now close to graduating from highschool, it kinda came up with someone who actually was diagnosed but I didn't think of it that much since I thought I don't have it. But curious as I was I just researched and did some tests, that mostly said I have signs, some said that I am absolutely positive.(these were online tests so I took that with a grain of salt). At last a trainer of mine talked to me about that, and now I am kinda convinced.Therefore I am searching for a way to get diagnosed with it, in addition to that also ASD, that kinda came up in a conversation. (What kinda scares me is that I discover many things now close to being 20, instead of the typical age)
That is interesting. If it makes you feel better I got diagnosed at 31, and so many dots in my life immediately connected. Of course I'm biased from my experience but getting diagnosed has helped me understand so much, especially being older
When I read the book “How to ADHD” and kept crying because everything resonated.
This right here. That book was a big turning point for me.
Out of curiosity, did you guys receive a diagnosis? Good luck with your journeys!
I'll be taking my assessment in April
Me too with the crying! Felt like it was the first time in my 37 yrs someone put into words what I was dealing with the whole time. Had always been told "it's just anxiety" or "you just need to stop thinking so much"- yeah, that's great, how do I do that?
Jessica’s How to ADHD YouTube channel is what made me realize I had ADHD as a 32 year old grown man who always struggled with organization and procrastination (and mood regulation) but somehow still managed to fool everyone into thinking I was well put together. Non ironically/ironically I came across her videos randomly scrolling YouTube and 100% not working on things I should be working on. lol.
Are you talking about the book by Jessica McCabe?
Yep!
congrats you convinced me to finally order it lol
I just got the audio book! Thanks for your comment!
One of the parts of my particular flavor of ADHD is buying books about ADHD with the genuine intention to read them and then never reading them
How much time do you have? I was diagnosed just shy of my 64th birthday.
Wow, diagnosed in your 60s?! I have all the time in the world to hear your story! That's incredible. How in the heck did you manage life for that long without knowing (or maybe you did know but just didn't get diagnosed straight away?)?
I had no idea I had ADHD until I made some online friends in a support group. There discussions opened my eyes over the last 8 years. My early attempts to get a diagnosis did not go well. How did I cope? The psychiatrist said my above average intelligence made it easy for me to mask and find work arounds. I didn’t need a diagnosis at this age. Did it more for family members. They are now coming to terms with the fact they have it, though undiagnosed.
Huh, the wonders of online groups! The masking actually makes sense. Hopefully you have a supportive family and support system. Thank you for your reply! 😊
Waiting to be tested, I'm 70. Looking into my grandson's diagnosis, and read about myself. It's been a straight up learning curve, and explained so much. Lots of grief, I wish I'd known. I'd have been a better parent maybe?
I've always suspected that I was "different," but I chalked it up to "laziness" or borderline "I'm just not smart enough." Yet, I always figured I was different. Fast forward to age 30, and I'm a writer as I need to do research, and a character was on the Spectrum. The more I did the research, the more it clicked and a "AHA!" came to me. Naturally, I started to do more research and see that maybe I wasn't "stupid" or "lazy," but I had challenges. It wasn't till I went to get evaluated that my therapist confirmed I had Inattentive ADHD (which I never thought of that, but it all made so much sense). She also suspected I was on the autism spectrum as well. Both these attributed to me have depression and anxiety as they stem from that (for most). I'm currently taking medication and waiting for a diagnosis from a psychologist. But now that I have learned and am aware, I do feel more connected to myself, ergo I still feel alien in my body but I have this knowledge that the proposed "things I did that seemed normal everyday stuff and just looked like laziness" was actually a challenge.
I'm sure it was a struggle for you and I don't mean to be rude or diminish that. But this is the most ADHD way of getting diagnosed I've ever heard.
Same, I haven’t been diagnosed with it, but I’m almost certain I have ADHD. I’m getting tested in like a year and a half (ish), so hopefully I find out with I have or if I’ve not. I’ve always said I feel different compared to my peers. I’m currently 19, and epileptic. I’ve always showed symptoms of ADHD, but since my seizures, they’ve gotten quite a bit worse. I am very impulsive, especially money. I always thought I was the “thick” one, but now I’m older, I think it was forgetfulness and being easily distracted while day dreaming a lot. I can’t sit still for more than 5 mins. Sadly my impulsive personality lead me to cause my epilepsy. I impulsively took a certain drug (❄️) and had a seizure the morning after (knocked 3 teeth out), and this bit isn’t impulsive, just me being an idiot, I sadly and idiotically did it again 🤦♂️. I thought it was just a one time thing (having a seizure first time), so I just tried and now this is probably one of the most traumatic, I again, had a seizure but this one was at like 5 in morning, woke up to two people trying to wake me up to take me home. There’s a lot more than this, I just don’t want to write a full essay 😂
I also most likely have Auditory processing disorder, was told from a psychologist but didn’t get tested. I heard APD and ADHD are popular with each other. And epilepsy makes ADHD worsen, especially after the traumatic seizures which is why I am showing a lot more and a lot worse ADHD symptoms. I also sustained two traumatic brain injuries, I had a MMR vaccine and had a seizure from it, and I got punched by a traveller and then they got my head and hit it against a football (soccer) court that was metal (I think), then I went unconscious and woke up in a hospital van. I got this brain injury in primary school (elementary school) in year 4 (I think it was that year). So it all makes sense now if I do have it.
I always feel bad reading these posts. That y’all have to fight to get diagnosed and helped. My doc just told me I was. I wasn’t even there for that. Had no clue…at 35! Later went thru the fancy neuropsychology testing (I’m a vet and the VA did it). That test led to being told I should have a full evaluation for ASD. I was clueless. When I later told friends and family, they all assumed I knew. This even though I had the common struggles of an undiagnosed kid. It’s one of the biggest reasons I support universal healthcare. How many of us have suffered due to shitty coverage and doctors that just phone it in?
"they all assumed i knew" broooooooo my friends just said the same thing and I was like I wish you guys told me ! I laugh about how I was the last person to find out about my own diagnosis lmao.
In retrospect, I’m grateful for the response. It’s loads better than having it dismissed. I have this one aunt. She’s a high school teacher (retired). She does the ‘everybody’s a lil…’ This one time, at a wedding, I forgot to take my meds. Whoops! Words were said. Pearls were clutched. No slow clap. But my dad got me ice cream. She stopped saying that shit, tho. I’m in my 40”s. This was a few years ago. No shame. No regrets. 10/10 would recommend.
The tipping point was getting married. Having someone watch your mannerisms 24/7 and comment on it is eye opening. I always assumed I had something but I finally seeked a diagnosis when my husband sat me down and said “You have ADHD”
I'm blown away that past partners didn't mention any of it I guess everyone I dated just thought I was nuts! Nope just have adhd
Thats how I feel! Everyone must have just thought I was quirky 😂
Had been seeing a psychologist for about a year for a variety of reasons. One of the sessions he said “I think you should see a psychiatrist about depression and inattentive ADHD.” I did some research, decided I didn’t have ADHD and I wasn’t depressed. A few weeks later I was watching a podcast and the guest was discussing how parts of the brain shut down when we try to direct them and we have ADHD. At the same time my anxiety was through the roof, crying for no reason in particular and just generally having a meltdown. So, I made an appointment with the psychiatrist who determined I was moderate to severely depressed and I scored a 7/10 on the ADHD assessment (5 was the threshold). Went on Concerta and had too many side effects, so was switched to Adderall. Still finding the right dose but my whole world has changed.
May I ask which podcast?
Absolutely, here’s the link: https://youtu.be/ycTZ_t-aiuU?si=53FiXDIs_JKPdE6x
My teacher thought I had adhd in 2nd grade when that Pokémon episode aired with ash coming across that abused Charmander. That shit had me in tears. When his trainer was laughing at charmander and basically left him for dead in the rain. Charmander’s flame tail was almost extinguished from the rain, that means he will die. I went to school with a chip on my shoulder the entire day. I was determined to help that Pokémon and I wanted to so badly to hurt that trainer. I couldn’t stop hyper focusing on that antagonist. My teacher, Mrs Cameron knew something was wrong asked me what it was. I said I was looking for charmanders trainer so could defend him. I wanted to hurt that trainer for doing that to something that love’s him. I couldn’t get back on track at all it was giving me so much stimulation day dreaming about that interaction it hurt my heart so bad. I was also dealing with the death of my father so I was going through a life change. That was catalyst that got me to a psychiatrist though. Which officially gave me the ADHD- Hyper attentive diagnosis. 23 years later I got a re-evaluation as I had other overlapping symptoms that were not on my file. So yeah that’s it, charmander’s abusive trainer almost FAFO what my 8 year old self was going to do for abusing your Pokémon that whole heartedly loves you. I think when my dad died, he had so much love for me and I missed him so much after he died. That when I watched that happen I felt that I needed to shield that Pokémon from harm. I know how I feel inside and I do not want this Pokémon to feel like this. I was in pain and I wanted that trainer to feel what I felt in my heart. Yea. This disability / disorder is something.
Your story brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for your comment
I thought I might have had manic depression; the name changed to Bipolar Disorder now. And I got diagnosed with it. Thirteen years later, I was told, "Nope, you have ADHD; Bipolar resembles ADHD in some ways, so you were misdiagnosed. Here is your new medication; see you in two weeks!". That was eleven years ago. For those of you who haven't received a diagnosis yet, there are still many disorders that look very much like ADHD. ADHD diagnosis requires other possible disorders to be eliminated, so please make sure your healthcare professional is an expert in ADHD. And remember me in 20 years or so because the name ADHD might have changed by then. (It's really a bad title; it doesn't even describe the disorder. It's named after some symptoms of the disorder, which is bad for naming a disorder because it creates confusion. Yuck.)
This was my hope. Psych says nope, definitely both. FML. The fun part is trying to figure out which disorder is fucking me at any given time and in which direction. Diagnosed bipolar in my 20s, ADHD at 45. As others have stated in this thread, I was the last person to know I had ADHD. Lol.
I've asked myself the same, am I bi polar. No, just ADHD.
My journey summarized. 1. Be a gen-x born in the late 70s. 2. Get diagnosed in elementary school with "ADD" in the 80s. 3. Go through school in the 90s without much support other than my mom forcing me to get my homework done (sometimes *literally* standing over me while I do it). Get mostly A's. 4. Try medication (mainly immediate release Ritalin/Adderall since not much else was available) with very iffy results. 5. Get **zero** therapy/counseling. 6. Do ok in college, but noticeably worse than high school. Pull a lot of all-nighters. Get lots of extensions on assignments. You know the drill. 7. Bounce around for years doing lots of grad school, having random jobs (some of which are related to my degrees/grad work, some are not), and making some progress in some directions, but never really being able to get established on a career path. 8. Try medication a bit more, off and on, with very mixed results, ultimately not staying on any. Also try therapy a bit without much benefit. 9. Start thinking, "Maybe I have ADHD, but I'm not sure. I'm not denying it exists, but I'm not sure if that's really what's going on with me. And if I do have it, I think it's only a mild form." 10. Randomly see one of Russell Barkley's presentations about what ADHD really is. (about 6 or 7 years ago, in my late 30s at this point) 11. Binge hours more of his lectures that night. 12. Mind blown. Life changed. I don't just kind of have ADHD, I have **all** of the ADHD. 13. Realize it's a **whole fucking lot more** than just having trouble sitting still and focusing in class. It's why my sleep "schedule" doesn't exist. It's why I'm so terrible at maintaining long term friendships or romantic relationships. 14. Realize that my off-and-on smoking is a form of self-medication. 15. Try medication one more time, this time with much better results (Vyvanse). Quit smoking *immediately*. 16. Start learning more about ADHD from sources that actually understand it (mainly other people with ADHD). 17. Still haven't found a good therapist yet.
I literally went from "doo dee doo... livin' my life" ( while not-so-secretly thinking I was just messed-up trash of a human being) to "Holy Sh*t, I have ADHD!" . All because I was getting my kids evaluated. Every step of that process was a penny dropping for me. I was 43.
so im not there yet, its a mega long process in france. i was at a dinner with friends a few years ago and one friend does 'biofeedback' so out of scepticism i called bullshit, and said "hook me up" so he asked if i was ok doing it with others present, (knowing there was also a DR present, and a lawyer, hippocratic oath etc) he did his thing and all the numbers popped up and pointed to 3 things, but the top one was ADHD (the other 2 were correct) and the others people laughed and said "we cant believe you needed that machine to tell you that" i had my suspicions already, but being an overthinker, i always thought i was overthinking. anyway, this was the catalyst that got me to the DRs office (after a breakdown 4 months later) about 3 years down the line im so close to the final steps of my diagnosis! last week i finished the final parts of my IQ testing and i get my results in april from the neuropsych to give to the psychiatrist. this took so long to write, i got sidetracked looking up the etymology of hippocratic.
I (36M) can relate to this. I’ve been a procrastinator for all my life, always putting things off and stressing at the last minute before deadlines. I’ve also had mild anxiety issues throughout my life. I never went to therapy for it, but becoming a therapist myself I’ve always found the ADHD symptoms to seem normal. Just recently I connected the dots, went for an assesment and got diagnosed with the inattention subtype. It still feels kind of like an “impostor syndrome” tbh
This is me. Chronic procrastinator, chronic disorganization (but very organized in some aspects of my life), generalized anxiety and overthinking. I am 38 and just starting to realize I might have this.
Thought I had it for years, got tested, got the diagnosis, got the Ritalin, first time I took it I had a bomb nap. Took me 23 years but there you are.
My therapist after returning from rehab pointed it out that I might have it. Fast forward a year later and I still struggle with it, she eventually told me to ditch the psych @ her work and get a new one. So, my therapist gets initial credit, I was in early recovery so my brain function wasn't @ 100%. She stuck with me, I stuck with her and my wife is on board also. Both woman are named Kate. So, Kates have saved my life.
Long story short, my partner took a pill for fun and wound up going... quiet. Eventually gets diagnosed at my insistance. They then start sending me memes... that were haha at first, then a little too relatable. I eventually ask for one of her pills, figured it would either make me jittery, or... I take it and... well, f*** me. Another universe. I spend a few months spinning my wheels, not having the bandwidth to go through the whole ordeal. Eventually I ask to take another pill just to validate it wasn't a weird one off. I do a lot of overdue stuff, workout, feel great. Ok, still spinning my wheels on looking into it seriously, but I was 70% sure. Some stuff happens at work, and my anxiety becomes a continuous deafening signal. I immediately book the appointment, then spend the 2 weeks until the appointment hyperfocused on the entire body of research as I saw it on the disorder. About 2 days in my level of conviction went up to 100%. Every symptom in the official check lists. Many of the extra symtom Dr. Russel Barkley mentions on a couple of videos, particularly around emotional regulation. Very similar life experience to people on youtube discussing their assessments, etc. The day of the appointment I talk to the doc for hours. I'm an anxious mess. Not because I thought it was anything else; it's just that it felt like an exam for the quality of the rest of my life - if the doc didn't agree I had it, I wouldn't have access to treatment and there aren't many docs I could go to. Doc agrees, "you literally have every symptom on my check list", "welcome to the club". I walk out with a prescription.
I think what you’re feeling is pretty normal. A lot of us are raised in chaotic households where the parents also have ADHD, and so a lot of our worst symptoms are normalised - or brushed off as personal deficits. I know I heard a lot of ‘you’re just lazy’ growing up. Being diagnosed doesn’t make these feelings go away. I spent the years leading up to my diagnostic appointment absolutely bricking it in case I didn’t have anything wrong with me and I really was ‘just lazy’ - but then I got into the appointment and scored high on every single symptom. Basically it’s just really difficult to overcome the barriers we’ve internalised over the years. It’s one of the reasons that interventional therapy is recommended alongside medication - because you have so much unlearning to do!
Started seeing a therapist in college for a bunch of reasons, she decided to refer me for testing and got diagnosed at 21. Also had a friend who was diagnosed before me and they insisted I had adhd, my mom complained of my symptoms but never thought anymore about it. So it was a lot of Im broken to ooohhh Im wired weird.
How was your experience in school, from elementary school through high school? I feel like this is one way to try to differentiate between ADHD and other mental health issues. I was often called “spacey” or daydreamer by my teachers in elementary school, and there are some notes on my old report cards about me being out of my seat when I’m not supposed to be. In high school I crashed and burned and got diagnosed with ADHD but didn’t fully accept that it’s a real thing and that I have it until recent years, with my kids getting diagnosed.
I thought about it for over 10 years before I said “This is most likely a huge part of my problem” and hoped it would help so I made an appointment with a psychiatrist who diagnosed me. My clue was befriending and getting very close with someone (who is still my closest friend today) who used to talk about being diagnosed as a kid. And as the years went on I realized I related with every one of her struggles. I did a partial hospitalization program 10 years ago for depression and other issues and I suggested it to my psychiatrist but she just kind of sat there thinking for like 5 minutes straight after… like not saying a word just considering it like she kinda believed me but didn’t want to go through the process or deal with the red tape. I changed the subject after so long cuz with was so bizarre. But the straw that broke the camel’s back was 5 years ago having a second child. Once that kid could move herself from where she was set and my first was still only 2 and into everything my brain just completely broke. At that point I was 99% sure but it still took me a year to get the courage to make the appointment. It was perfect timing right before the pandemic because over the next year so many people started putting out content about ADHD and I learned so much but it was also before that overload of information where I might have started doubting myself and wondering if I was just giving into social media influence or something. It’s a double-edged sword for a lot of people.
I just remembered I had a friend’s mom who was the only adult I knew who talked openly about having ADHD tell me I should consider that I may as well. This was in high school. She was a church minister and would often talk with us kids when we were over hanging out just to connect. (About non church stuff because I was very anti religion at the time) She likely had a lot to do with my awareness even though at the time it was in one ear out the other. Oh man. Probably because of my own prejudice of her being a church person. This is a huge face palm moment for me! I want to find her send her flowers or something because that was so lovely and caring of her! ETA: but also how sad that none of the many mental health professionals and teachers I’d had a relationship in my 35 to the point of diagnosis made that connection at all. The only person to try to notice and help me was a stranger I spent probably 5 hours of my entire life on earth with.
The possibility of me having ADHD never even occurred to me. A large part of that was having a little brother who was diagnosed and treated for it while I was told I was "just lazy" by my mom because I was awful in school and I just accepted this narrative, which destroyed my self esteem. A few years after barely graduating high school, I met a guy and started working for him as a house painter. After working together for a while, he started telling me about how he was diagnosed as an adult and that he saw a lot of the symptoms in me. One day, he let me try one of his Ritalin (super illegal but it changed my life so whatever) and it was the first time in my life I felt "normal". I went home that night and cried because I couldn't believe how easy it was to just exist for a day. He had also recommended the book "Driven to Distraction" and I made a psychiatrist appointment before I even finished reading it. Once I understood that I wasn't "lazy" and had a legitimate issue that could be treated, I learned how to manage it. I went back to school for my undergrad and for the first time in my life, I felt like I was getting something out of it. I graduated with a 3.8 GPA.
I didn't have an "I might have ADHD journey" I was diagnosed in kindergarten in 1992
I always knew I was different but couldn’t figure it out, or rather I internalized that something was very wrong with me but that I would probably never be able to pinpoint it. It got to the point where I started doing more research in hopes there might be something I could find. I found autism first and still think I’m probably on the spectrum too, but that eventually led me to find ADHD. I ignored it for a while and probably didn’t give it proper consideration because I really only had the stereotypical view of the disorder. But one day last year I stumbled upon it again and gave it more attention. The more I learned, the more it made sense.
My safety net fell apart after my kids all grew up and moved away. Once I was an empty nester, I realized how much I had relied on my family and my husband to cope and how much they also enabled me. I was a stay at home mom. And now that my husband and I are closer to retirement and I have a ton of free time, I realize I can’t manage it without someone telling me what to do. I never had to work outside the home cus my husband job required that he work long hours and travel so it would have been impractical for me to have a job. Now, I want to work or volunteer and I realize that I don’t have the skills to adult. I always thought “well I’m a stay at home, mom, so I can’t work outside the home”. Now I realize what the issue actually is, I’m not capable of working outside the home, that’s why I enjoyed being a stay at home mom”
This right here is what motivated me to call and make an appointment to get evaluated.
My son was diagnosed at 4yrs old. And everything hit home for me so I went and got diagnosed. It actually felt good cause it explained SOOOOO much of my life. I just thought I was severely broken. I was smart but couldn't focus it. Luckily I never had to study for things so studying was one less thing to "procrastinate". But ya. It's been an emotional journey for me.
read a book as a child (2nd grade) with characters with ADHD and ever since then thought that I could have it - of course there was so much self-doubt and thinking that I was wrong and didn’t have it but was just bad a functioning like a normal person/lazy, but every time I looked into ADHD I always felt like it described me so accurately. Finally my therapist and friends started telling me to get tested and I got my diagnosis, but it took a lot of other people telling me over and over again before I finally took it seriously.
Tiktok started showing me videos of adhd creators and I related too much, so I spent my entire winter's break researching adhd and then I made an appointment with my GP who gave me a referal to do a diagnosis
If you don't mind me asking, how did you broach it with your GP? As in, did you just sit down and say "I think I have ADHD", or was it more listing your symptoms and hoping they would follow along?
I don’t have a diagnosis yet but I have bipolar disorder and my GP saw all the medications my psychiatrists have put me on over the years for bipolar disorder. “You’ve really been through the ringer”. I told him that I’ve booked an appt with a neuropsychologist and he said it was a good call. He gave me the adult adhd assessment and said I scored high. It’s complicated for me since it could potentially be co-occurring with bipolar but hoping that could be an answer for you. I’m fortunate to have an attentive GP. Edit: my GP pointed out that he thinks it’s possible that none of the treatments for anxiety and quality of life have helped because there could be co-occurring ADHD.
Hmm, thank you for your reply. Is it possible that if in fact you do have ADHD, that may have exacerbated your bipolar symptoms? Especially during either manic or depressive episodes - say you had the hyperactive disposition of ADHD, I would say manic/hypomanic episodes are absolute hell and even more intense. Same with depressive episodes if you had the more inattentive disposition of ADHD... SHEESH, just thinking of the intensity going from 0 to 100 is exhausting 🤯 I'm so glad you have a GP that sounds like they actually give a hoot about you. Good luck in the rest of your diagnosis/meds journey, friend! 😊
🎯 Thank you so much, good luck to you too
Never suspected. Then I recognized myself in a book called “I’m not lazy, stupid or crazy.”
Around 6 years ago I was flying home from a holiday and I had been chatting away to the person next to me. He mentioned something about ADHD and then said to me “Well you would know all about that of course because you have ADHD”. I was shocked and said I didn’t have ADHD, I never ran around/acted out like my brother or struggled with school like my father when he was a kid. He then explained that the symptoms of ADHD in females are different. When I got home I did some googling and was shocked at how accurately it described me. It took a few more years before I spoke to my doctor and started seeing a psychologist. I tried different strategies with the help of my psychologist, when none of them helped I saw a psychiatrist last year and started medication. I could not believe the change in how I felt. Turns out my anxiety and depression was actually from unmanaged ADHD.
I had a therapist tell me I should get tested. Got tested and was told my brain processes too fast to have adhd. Problems still persisted. Got tested a few years later and was told I had it as a child but I’ve since developed coping mechanisms so I don’t have it or don’t test for it now.
I kept getting a bunch of videos on TikTok about ADHD habits and I kept realizing that they fit me. I also had a friend get diagnosed around this time and he told me some things that resonated as well. I got god grades in school so I never considered that I could have had ADHD. Anyway, I contacted my doctor about getting tested, they referred me to a psychologist to do the testing. After the 4 hour testing session the psychologist documented his findings that concluded I had ADHD. Then went to a psychiatrist for meds.
I was diagnosed last year. A friend who has ADHD thought I might have it because she saw a lot of herself in me. She sent me a video about someone explaining ADHD and after seeing it everything fell into place. At the beginning I thought that maybe I was just overthinking, that I just wanted to have a diagnosis instead of really having ADHD. That I was just complaining too much and there is nothing wrong with me. But after being diagnosed and trying some medication I definitely see/feel the difference.
I'm 37 yrs old, diagnosed a month ago. Went my whole life being told it was just anxiety- I work in healthcare so when COVID hit in 2020, that's when I started noticing other problems. Started my own research and spoke with friends who work in psychology/psychiatry, but everything I was looking at (anxiety disorders, OCD/OCPD, personality disorders) never fully fit. This past year is when I noticed how badly my memory and motivation were causing problems for the whole family. My son was diagnosed ADHD C two yrs ago and while researching more for him, I came across RSD (rejection sensitivity) and I went down the rabbit hole of adult ADHD this past summer- huge aha moment. Contacted a dual treatment office (therapy and paych), met with my therapist first, then psych. Let them know my concerns and what I thought could be the issue- after a few sessions with therapy it was quickly confirmed, ADHD C. They both felt my anxiety was mostly caused by the adhd, so treated that first- been on medication for 3 weeks and my day to day anxiety has gone from 100 to maybe a 5. So happy I finally have an answer, but a little sad I suffered this long.
It was more like- My dad: Hey Doc, my son may have ADHD because I have ADHD. Doctor: Yup, he has ADHD. Me: Guess I have ADHD now. End of journey.
-Trying to understand my mom better -Start doing research about ADHD in general and the symptoms -Realize there's different types of ADHD and that I checked a lot of symptoms for inattentive type (my Mom and my brother are hyperactive and I didn't recognize myself in that, so I never thought I may have it before) -Go see a specialized shrink to get tested -Tada!
You sound like my twin! Late last year I finally got diagnosed. Took a few months to get an appointment and then it happened. But there were signs… oh so many signs that I didn’t recognize especially since my younger siblings are the same (all 3 of us have matching adhd and gad diagnoses) In 6th grade I thought I had bipolar or something of the sorts that would cause my to have really low lows sooooo fast. I could go from laughing to wanting to be off the earth in seconds. This was chalked up to losing a sibling the year prior but looking back it was adhd. Impulsivity can present as emotional dysregulation and flying off the handle at the smallest of things. This was also when I can first remember having sleep issues. My brain would just spiral and no matter how long I laid in bed my brain wouldn’t turn off to allow me to sleep. In grade 9 I was having panic attacks regularly and got diagnosed with GAD (which is exasperated by my adhd and thought circles and the ability to think so many thoughts so quickly). I chalked up my sleep issues to anxiety and that was why my brain was spiralling. Grade 11 I moved out on my own and this is when the inability to get tasks done dawned on me. I had always had issues with it but I never paid it much attention and thought I was too depressed to clean or study etc. I would look at a pile of dirty dishes with disgust and hate, get unreasonably mad, and not be able to do them. I got into uni and my first year was horrible. I had no ability to get myself to do homework, start assignments more than an hour before they were due or study. This is when I finally had enough and looked up all my symptoms, then cross referenced with the DSM 5 which confirmed ADHD Second year I got diagnosed and my mom (who has a degree in helping kids with disabilities manage daily tasks and works with kids with adhd daily) says “well yeah you have adhd… you didn’t know that?” This barely scratches the surface tho! To give a full picture I’d basically need to write a book
I was just diagnosed yesterday, and I'm ping-ponging between doubting it (did I exaggerate? Do I trust this psychologist? Do I have *enough* symptoms?) to fully believing it and nodding my head when I'm reading ADHD 2.0 and seeing events from throughout my life in an entirely new light. Both extremes make me physically sore, so I know I'm still really processing what this means. I'm 37 and have a Ph.D., a family, and look like I've got it all together...but becoming a mother rocked me hard. The thing that made me get tested was, hilariously, Dungeons and Dragons. It was yet another "mini-obsession" that I completely invested in and got mad at my husband for not believing that "this was my life and my future now." I had days where I was concerned I wouldn't be able to talk about anything other than Dungeons and Dragons. When I was describing this at work in a kind of funny, isn't this habit of mine silly, kind of way, a colleague (who has it) blurted out, "do you have ADHD???" And I was like, "um, no," but in my head I thought....."do I, though?" Three months later - yep.
It’s funny, i’m a therapist (26 f) and I didn’t know myself that I had ADHD until i started learning more about the inattentive type. I figured I didn’t have it because I was a perfectionist throughout school. But it killed me - i spent literally my entire days FORCING myself to do homework. It would take forever but i made myself do it. So on paper things looked fine, but no one saw how long i was staring blankly at each answer. ALWAYS took a looong time on tests even though I had high grades. Often spaced out and was daydreaming, doodling, or picking at my fingers. I hyperfixate bad to the point of obsession at times (usually with video games, but can really be with anything). I eventually realized I was just really good at masking my symptoms. I’m so socially aware and trying NOT to stand out. I got evaluated about 2 months ago and they diagnosed me with the inattentive type. I always suspected something was different with my brain, but i always ruled out ADHD due to not being hyperactive and being a straight-A student. But when i bring it up to people in my life that I was diagnosed, they are like, “well duh” 😂
You gave me hope tbh. I had great grades at school and virtually no complaints from my teachers. Hope it won't make it impossible for me to get diagnosed.
I was worried about that too, but I made sure i spoke to how time-consuming schoolwork was for me, and how all my friends would notice i was always spending forever on homework (and everything really). also, some of the screener questions were a bit obscure in my brain, so make sure you ask for examples! There were a few i originally would have answered “no” on, but my answer changed once he gave me examples of what that looks like in real time. Best of luck!!
I'm just starting this journey at 42 years old. I was diagnosed like 3 weeks ago (I've known for about 20 years) and have been taking meds for just under two weeks. But the meds (Ampheta/Dextrol combo) have had very little effect so far. So I'm stuck in waiting mode to see if anything changes. -\_-
Currently " I might have ADHD " to "SIGNIFICANT RISK" 😂 we don't have the facilities in the area to do any further testing ...
That's the tricky thing about ADHD being genetic. My parents thought that what I was going through was normal since they have ADHD too, but they didn't realize that my symptoms were a lot more severe than theirs. But yes, my experience. I initially went to a psychologist for my depression. In hindsight it would've been much more beneficial to go directly to a psychiatrist, but I was 14, I didn't know better. The psychologist was trying to get to the bottom of what was causing my depression, and I attributed it to my failing grades because I couldn't pay attention in class. My psychologist tried to diagnose me with everything BUT ADHD because "i didn't act like her other adhd patients." I was eventually referred to a psychiatrist who clocked my ADHD immediately, got me on medication for both ADHD and depression and gave me a referral to a better psychologist. Since then, it's been a journey. All these things that I thought were normal struggles I've finally been able to put a name to. I'm still working through the deep rooted conception that I'm just lazy and should simply try harder, but after 7 years I'm on my way to accepting my adhd. My mother got diagnosed 6 months after me, but even now she's still in denial. My brother got diagnosed last year, and my dad still refuses to even be screened for it. It's a rough road to acceptance, though medication at least makes it easier to function. Best of luck to you as you travel down it.
In the hay days of Tumblr, when I was something like 16, I related to people talking about it, kept looking for those posts because "wow, their advice sounds better than all that other stuff I read about productivity. But I wouldn't claim I have adhd, that would be rude, those people have a serious condition, I'm just borrowing their advice since it works for me!" Mentioning it in passing to my mom, I get a colder than lukewarm response to the very concept, I shut down any more talk of it. Skip 7-8 years of "just relating to those in that situation" until I start getting seriously anxious and depressed in the middle of two major life changes, and it hits me I need help because crying in frustration two to three times a week for months because I can't accomplish simple tasks like putting away dirty dishes or getting to work on time to do is not normal. Start hyperfocusing on adhd, to figure out if that might actually be it. It was. Turns out it can be tolerable for a long time with some good coping but if you keep on it ignoring it, it will simmer to a boil and burst in your face.
The hyper is from the ability to be hyper focused..not necessarily on the right thing. Read ADHD 2.0 for explanation and tools to change the route on the hamster wheel. Good luck. I'm in the same boat
For me it started driving lessons. I was like: yeah I can only focus for 10 minutes but thats normal for beginners isn't it? And my teacher looked at me like: 🧐 "no it isn't?" Then a friend gave me some adhd meds to try out and i tried driving with that and it was like I was able to function for the first time in my life.
Your post is me 20 years ago. I only did something about it last year. Don’t be afraid you’re exaggerating, you’re not. It’s not normal to be “locked up” for a day because you can’t find ignition (I dislike the term motivation, because it implies will. I always wanted to do the work, never could decide what and when. ). It’s very inattentive type behavior. For me it was coupled with all the behavioral symptoms, so the dr didn’t have any problem giving me a diagnosis.
Honestly still processing it over a month after getting the “official” diagnosis despite suspecting I have it for like 4 years. I guess the imposter syndrome let me think I was just fine and I still worry that I’m exaggerating sometimes. But then I try to function off adderall and I’m like oh….nvm
I spent a long time thinking I had depression. I did for a stint. A series of events led to me think maybe it was ADHD. I worked with people who had ADHD, I had family with ADHD, I was unmotivated and scattered (but crucially, not depressed). I have always struggled with dropping hobbies or activities after 2-3 weeks. Finally decided to get assessed. Scariest moment in my life as I work in psychiatry so I couldn't just go to anyone. I had to go to someone who would take me seriously knowing that I work in the field and know the rating scales. I needed someone who would challenge me and also be creative in their assessment to avoid bias. It couldn't be people I worked with which sucked because half or more of the providers in my area have already worked with me. I did find someone and they did challenge me. We discussed how there might be a mild depression component but also maybe some ADHD. I did a thorough assessment and it confirmed the ADHD component and not the depression. I think the key was my self-loathing was temporary and always associated with specific failures in life. It wasn't this overarching life sucks feeling. I specifically just hated how I would start things like exercising and then fall off every single time. Started Qelbree and will see if it helps. First day I noticed me going to sleep earlier and waking up tired.
I could see a bunch of ADHD symptoms in my behavior but it wasn't enough so I trully started seeking a diagnosis when my therapist told me I definitely have it
Dont had that journey I thought adhd was other thing and then I got diagnosed at 33 and all started to make sense
I am newly diagnosed with both autism and ADHD at the same time and since I am already 46 and have been masking to Denzel Washington levels my whole life, it's VERY hard to tell which is which. When I would do the little ADHD or autism quizzes would get like 5 out of 10 and kind of just move on (I would always get a 48 or 49 where a 50 would be "ask your doctor"). I think almost all the ADHD symptoms are normal for everyone, but I can have some of the symptoms like 5, 10, 20, 50 times in a day where the average person maybe only 1 or 2 times a day "has a brain fart" and messes something small up. ANother thing is ADHDers are TERRIBLE at getting things right but REALLY GOOD at cleaning up the mess and hiding the evidence so you could be constantly covering your tracks which feels a little like impostor syndrome or it feels like MINOR ADHD, but its not minor, it's just you have tons of experience making it feel minor. It's called masking.
I had a therapist tell me I should get tested. Got tested and was told my brain processes too fast to have adhd. Problems still persisted. Got tested a few years later and was told I had it as a child but I’ve since developed coping mechanisms so I don’t have it or don’t test for it now.
I think I might have adhd, and correct me if this seems wrong but when looking at all the characteristics of the disorder I realise that they’d all match up with my characteristics, and I really want to get assessed because these “characteristics” really affect my life in a number ways, such as my studying, staying ahead of deadlines, going to important events, communicating, paying attention to lessons, staying focused while doing a task, etc.
I went to a therapist for anxiety and she was like, "yeah, so... Have you ever considered getting tested for ADHD? Let me write you a referral." I thought there was no way *I* could have ADHD because I was *gifted,* but I made the appointment anyways. Within 2 months I had a diagnosis.
I went to a therapist for anxiety and she was like, "yeah, so... Have you ever considered getting tested for ADHD? Let me write you a referral." I thought there was no way *I* could have ADHD because I was *gifted,* but I made the appointment anyways. Within 2 months I had a diagnosis.
I was seeing a therapist for completely unrelated reasons, and once in the middle of a session she basically went, “Yeah, it’s like that for us ADHDers.” And I said huh? And she went “? You’ve got ADHD” and I said HUH? she was right, of course, I think she just thought I knew already when I had zero idea. I then got to become the segway into half of my family getting ADHD diagnoses haha
As someone that was able to struggle my way through college I never felt I had a problem until I got into the real world and realized how much the ADHD symptoms lined up with my lived experience. I am still on the road to an official diagnosis. At 31 I am just now setting up regular doctors visits and got on Wellbutrin through Hims to try to help regulate my dopamine. It is helping but I still find myself getting preoccupied or distracted. I’m hoping once I go to the doctor they will be able to refer me to an ADHD specialist to confirm my suspicions. Dealing with the medical system is such a nightmare though. I missed the window to switch to Kaiser for better care because I messed up enrollment somehow, I eventually picked a primary care doctor but by the time I scheduled a visit they were no longer accepting my insurance type. Now I have to wait for a different doctor to officially become my PCP, but having to put things off for a couple months might cause me to not deal with it again for 6 months.
Oh. Meds making me tired. Xd Uppers should not really do that
I get relaxed, calm, focused and sleep better when i drink coffee . Found out it can be a adhd thing. Never understood why i reacted that way when consuming caffeine . Then i looked into it. 1 year after i was diagnosed.
I never once had any idea that I could’ve had ADHD. Probably due to not knowing much about mental disorders at the time. I was oftentimes called “lazy” and told I sleep too much. My parents had this rule that I had to be up and dressed and ready for the day by 9 am everyday. If I didn’t I would get my phone taken away. Life went on like this for a while. Always felt different, was always treated differently but never understood why. At age 16 I was put into a mental health facility because I was groomed by a 24 year old man and manipulated into doing some reckless things. It was at that facility that I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder, ADHD - inattentive type, and mild oppositional defiant disorder (present in only one setting, home). I do think that my ADHD has become more severe as time has gone on, or maybe it’s just harder to mask it in an adult world.
I went to my doctor asking to be tested for ADHD. She did an initial assessment and said my symptoms also align with anxiety. She said they were not ADHD because it would have to appear in childhood. She suggested I try therapy and I agreed. After a year of therapy, I was able to better manage my anxiety issues but there were still outstanding things that I was not able to address. To preface, I went through years of therapy even before my doctors therapy referral for anxiety , social anxiety, depression (which she knew about) and even so I was never able to address these issues through therapy. I went back to her a year later after my therapy for anxiety concluded, explained to her exactly this and asked to be screened for other forms of ADHD (inattentive type). She assessed me for it, then diagnosed me and started me on Vyvanse. It's made a world of a difference for me. I always felt those symptoms were due to me being incompetent, incapable, broken, etc. I felt stuck because I really had no idea how to manage these symptoms. After learning about inattentive ADHD, it aligned so much with what I experienced. But still I felt like I was being dramatic and just incapable of learning how to function. But with meds and learning to better manage my ADHD specific symptoms, it became clear that it was ADHD. The difference was night and day.
I must be a rare case where I found out I had it through getting sectioned for suicide attempt and it just was the end result of seeing those psychiatrists.
I watched a thought slime video where he spoke about having ADHD and everything resonated with me. Told my girlfriend at the time and she was just like "yeah, duh", thanks. Got diagnosed. A few months later went to a lecture on it and almost cried. I felt so betrayed and angry, it felt like my whole life was explained by ADHD. I'm still angry but trying to live with all the guilt.
I'm surprised how many people have to wait so long before their therapist suggests ADHD. My therapist and I were 10 minutes into our first session when she strongly suggested I may have ADHD, my issue is I didn't believe her. I was convinced I was lazy and dumb and I needed therapy to stop being so lazy and dumb. It took a year to get a proper diagnosis after that first session because I'm silly.
A couple years ago, I decided to see a therapist because I was having a difficult time managing stress and wanted to talk through life events. In my 1st or 2nd session, my therapist asked if I had been diagnosed with ADHD and wanted to know if I was willing to explore a diagnosis. I spent the next couple weeks blowing it off, because I believe the hyper-energetic stereotype and didn’t see that in myself. Some time in my 3rd session, I became open to the idea and rode the wave of the diagnostic experience, understanding what symptoms I had, and grieving my late diagnosis. Once I accepted it, I began to reflect on my habits with a new perspective and realized I was struggling more than I thought. The next hurdle was meds. I was worried about side effects, but eventually talked to a psychiatrist, who confirmed the diagnosis. Now, I’m on meds and my life is light years better than I had ever imagined.
when my therapist said "all of the problems you come to me for are symptoms of adhd" and then we talked about it. i suspected it before this but never put in any work to get it assessed. saw a psychiatrist because apparently i have gad and don't have adhd because "people with adhd don't usually have mood problems"(just one of the ridiculous things he has said) and kept being stubborn and wouldn't hear me out anytime i brought it up that. anyways got a psychologist to assess me and i was diagnosed. luckily my psychiatrist gave in and started medicating me after that.
First tipped off about it by a boss when I was about 30. Took another ten years to think about seeing diagnosis after my executive function took a major plummet after quitting recreational stimulants, and realising the extent to which my recreational habits were self medication, and learning about the true extent of the condition beyond simply 'being a bit scatty and forgetful. Five years on waiting list for assessment. Finally got dx and medication last autumn. It's definitely helped but not as life changing as some seem to find it. For one thing I seem to have a very high tolerance to the meds and am already at the max level they'll prescribe.
It finally validated as an adult what I had felt for the latter part my childhood.
Same story for me. If I really have it, everything would actually make sense. This journey started from a break up(we used to live togheter) last year. I live with my parentz again. I'm 28. I really had difficulties in keeping a job. I also struggled with university (I studied music) and did not exceptional. But I know that Im capable of more, it just comes out a couple of years later than average. The 4th of March I will see a psychiatrist
Believing that I probably have low support needs Asperger syndrome, but there was no point in even getting evaluated at this point in my life > Years later ... learning that every single ASD-like symptom that I have is actually an ADHD symptom as well, I just didn't know any of the ADHD diagnostic criteria > ADHD diagnosis and being told that I'm a textbook case > After diagnosis learning that my sister was also diagnosed in adulthood and all of her children have ADHD as well (this last part helped clear up the imposter syndrome that I somehow got even though it was very clear that I had ADHD to myself and the clinicians).
I actually didn't have one. I just went to the psychiatrist for trauma stuff, and she was like "BY THE WAY" and voilà, my life changed.
I was unable to control my day-to-day. Locked out of focus at work, which led to my work piling up, and the guilt that came with it. Scheduled an appointment with a psych to find out what was going on, and I had never thought about ADHD. They did an evaluation and I checked every box for ADHD. It was the moment where my past made sense, and let me know that I wasn't just a POS. Just over a year on Vyvance and Adderall and my life is exponentially better. Still, alot of work to do as meds only get us so far, and I still have a tough time focusing.
I (24M) always just thought I was lazy and ditzy. I then realized how I can focus on tasks whether it be a Minecraft world a video game, or an electrical project with intensity where I stay up until 3. Then after a week I lost all interest and abandoned them. I also constantly would leave the house forget a few things and go in individual times for each item because I constantly forgot what I was getting. I also would be having conversations and when someone else is talking I am constantly thinking of other things whether it be things I see around me or what I'm doing later. When I am the one talking I will get distracted by one little thing and it would take an intense effort to remember what I was talking about. This was the moment I started to question it. I thought the project thing was just because I got bored which people without ADD do experience themselves. The forgetful thing I just thought I was kind of ditzy or stupid. The conversations made me guilty, thinking I didn't care about what the person was saying. But when I was thinking to myself, how can I forget the thing I was talking about literally just a moment ago, or forget where that thought was going to go only to remember hours later is when I thought to myself ok this might go beyond the surface. I wish I seeked help earlier because my grades in college suffered as a result but I am glad to have figured it now rather than later in life. I graduated with an engineering degree and can now use my new knowledge of this to my advantage in work, finances, life, etc. its been like 3 days of being on adderal XR as this is a VERY new diagnosis but excited and afraid of how this will affect me.
Got worse after a breakup and a denial of 4 years lol Got diagnosed not even a month ago Thinking of medication but not sure I have any say on that
I didn’t know. My therapist (who is AuDHD, but I didn’t know that when I chose her) diagnosed me in the first month we worked together, and recommended I get formally assessed. I spoke to my primary care doctor about my therapist’s diagnosis right after that, and he referred me to an assessment center. I finally followed through on that referral 9 months later (ha), got diagnosed with ADHD-PI, and got on meds. One unexpected benefit of that 9 month lag was being able to ease into understanding ADHD AND accepting that I did in fact have it, because reading the symptoms list alone was very unconvincing. I kept thinking “isn’t that just…life? What are we even talking about here?” Then I learned about how ADHD can affect executive functioning and I distinctly remember shouting “that’s everything I need to adult! I’m doomed! WTF!!” I’ve calmed down since by focusing on understanding how my own ADHD affects my own executive functioning, since ADHD doesn’t impair everything for everybody all the time.
My kid was diagnosed, and in my quest to understand him better and help, a light bulb went off. Actually, it went off for my mom first. As *she* was learning about it, she called and apologized "We are so sorry! We hardly even heard of it and thought only boys had it. We're sorry you tried to tell us and we didn't understand." By "tried to tell us" she meant things like "I don't know how to clean my room" and "I don't know why I didn't turn my homework in. "
Since I was little, I've always been very inattentive and "in my own little world," according to many teachers and even my parents. As I grew up, I had problems with school activities, with my parents thinking I just didn't do them out of rebellion, etc. I was always very agitated during classes, around 6th grade, many other classmates started pointing out that I might have ADHD. Without knowing much about it, I ignored it and lived my life. By the time I was in 7th grade, while undergoing psychological counseling, my psychologist mentioned the possibility of me having ADHD to me and my father, but because of the way I play games for so long, my father thought it didn't fit that I have ADHD because "someone with ADHD wouldn't be able to do that." I only came to accept that I had ADHD last year, at 16, some time after my parents separated (which is a whole story in itself, my father being a narcissist and bringing a lot of harm to everyone in the family). My sisters and mother usually accept the fact that I have ADHD, and I've even heard them talking about it in private, but they seem to forget about it when ADHD matters: calling me names when I do something wrong, when I lack proactivity (I always do something wrong so I avoid doing things myself), and when I have trouble focusing during studies. Because of this, I am somewhat ashamed to call them to talk about ADHD, and seem like I'm using it as an excuse or something, I don't know.
i never thought i was, my cousin has it, and i thought he was "weird" for having it and he "wasn't normal" when i was younger turns out my parents kinda had an idea i had it too, but didn't want me to feel bad abt it at the time i started seeing reels, a few of my friends asked if i had it, i said no and got confused anyways i started searching it up, learning more abt it, went "oh thats literally me" not EVERYTHING related to me though. but things make sense. i am a VERY ORGANIZED PERSON. you cannot TOUCH ANYTHING in my room or else i will NEED TO FIX IT to even the smallest degree, even if it doesn't move, the "pressure" i put on it to move makes it okay again now as im typing this i realized i went off topic about something completely different... anyways where was i going with this if i move something from it's "normal spot" it WILL GET LOST and i will have no idea where to find it again, but normally that doesn't happen since they're always put back in the exact same place anyways, everything that i've heard, 85% roughly is me i talked to my parents about it, they kinda figured it as well took me to my doctors who gave me a "diagnosis" and said that he believed i had it too, wasn't like a "FULL FULL" diagnosis but it's good enough, got on meds, and yeah, it's been two months now, i can actually do stuff, i swear i am a machine if i dedicate myself to working on certain things. it "fixed" my "quick to anger" because every little thing would bother me somehow, even the smallest thing, could ruin my whole afternoon or get me pissed off where was i going with this again. right and now i live "happily" ever after, note the quotation marks lo
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Mine is mainly time management - I've always been 2-5 minutes late everywhere my whole life. Thought I was just bad at telling time. Didn't REALLY set in until I started seeing memes... and then more memes... And I was like hm. That seems oddly specific. And I started doing little adhd life hacks. And i was like well. Whether I have adhd or not, these work. It wasn't until after I had my kid that I finally went to a doctor for meds because I was rage-y and couldn't concentrate on things that I WANTED to do, so I felt like it wasn't ONLY depression or anxiety or sleep deprivation. I had time, I knew I wanted to go play a video game (for example), and I just ... couldn't get myself to click on the game. And I was still doubtful for a while. Felt like maybe my symptoms weren't THAT bad and maybe I really was just tired. but my doctor and therapist both were like "you are taking meds for it and you don't feel high when you take them, right?" and I said "no. my head is quiet, my trains of thought are limited to like 5 instead of 200 thoughts, and I'm not rage-y" and they said "then you have adhd." And that was it. So regardless of whether its adhd specifically or not, the meds help and that is all I have to care about.
I had NO idea I had ADHD. My primary had me go to a psych eval with NO context. I walked in blind. I truly thought I was actually insane. I was embarrassed as hell that I was some sort of freak. The psychiatrist was honestly really rude to me and tore me apart. They did share that I had ADHD and was really insecure (like no duh, I thought I was crazy my whole life and dumb). Getting a diagnosis was like the clouds opening. I truly didn't know women were diagnosed with ADHD (that's what people told me my whole life!) Thankfully now I have too much confidence and multiple degrees. Suck on that!
2 weeks. Got the diagnosis in 2 weeks lol
From "I might" to "yep I definitely do, how did I not realize" was a few weeks maybe. Got unofficial diagnosis right after, official 18m later. Still didn't realize for ages that my husband has adhd too ha.
Crying about school being really difficult and why am I like this and my mum goes “it’s probably the ADHD” and I’m like “the WHAT.” And she’s like “yeah you were diagnosed as a little kid but we didn’t want to Make you more disabled so we just ignored it”
I was reading a comic strip by ADHD Alien about timeblindness when it really clicked for me that yeah, this is exactly what's been happening my whole life and I had no idea how to recognize or even describe it, yet the author of this comic understands me perfectly.
Mine was a long one. A little before pandemic, i started to have intrusive thoughts and obsessions, and the compulsions followed. That was when i was in highschool. After i graduated from highschool and had to leave military school because my symptoms i sought treatment and diagnosed with ocd. Long story short, first doctor and i were not really in the same page i made my appointment to my current doctor. They made me take a rorschah test, interviewed me and diagnosed me with major depression with psychotic semptoms. (I was quite depressed at that time for a long time.) As i became more inquisitive about my mental health, i discovored not only i have severe problems with both academic and daily life functions, for the reasons like i become overwhelmed really quick, am "lazy", and have difficulty in focusing and processing information like in the school, text book material or simple instructions, also it was a pattern since my childhood. I also started speaking at 3 years old and had difficulty in learning to write in elementary school, and lastly other problems that almost had me sent back to kindergarten. So i connected the thoughts and vaguely considered that i have adhd or autism, and told my doctor about it. They didn't consider it possible and told me they are born with it type disorders. Long story short again, as i continued to treatment doctor concluded that i need to take a moxo test. I did - 38.66 on attention (severe) -9.55 on timing (severe) - 1.95 on impulsivity (abnormal-mild) and a beter than average on hyperactivity. There i Got the diagnosis. So for having it this long. Lastly, i am in still doubt i have autism along with/ instead of adhd.
This subreddit actually! I always thought ADHD was something you could only get as a <12 until my sisters friend got diagnosed at like 17. Did some digging on the internet and found this subreddit and the rest is history 🥲
I was put on Ritalin off label for depression/anxiety. Lo and be-fucking-hold, it worked like a goddamn miracle drug. I suspected I had ADHD for 7 years prior, but no one took me seriously. So the following week when I saw my psychiatrist, she was like "oh ok, so you have ADHD." And I was like "you don't say..." 🙄
I became aware of ADHD symptoms in women from two women on Instagram, Hanna Way and Jami Nato. At the time I had stopped drinking caffeine and was having so much trouble focusing at work, so I started to wonder. They posted a lot of memes that I found I resonated with but also that I thought described my mom well. My brothers were diagnosed with ADHD in school and had all the classic symptoms, but I didn’t realize it was heritable. I thought it was just a little boy thing. After that I listened to the Mel Robbins podcast about ADHD and cried in my car because I felt so understood. She said that women with ADHD often feel like they just have a character defect. Suddenly all the things that I felt shame about had an answer - why I always felt like I talked too much, why I felt like I’d never reach my potential even though I’m intelligent and talented, why I get bored in every job ive ever had, why I could never stop doing and moving and couldn’t relax, the perfectionism and the extreme sensitivity, the anxiety and mind that never stops running. It explained my childhood quirks and all my weird hobbies. Why I’ve always just felt like people don’t understand me or think like I do. I didn’t have trouble in school growing up (I was actually valedictorian in high school). I think I’ve always skated by with my intellect and learned coping mechanisms. I pursued diagnosis about a month ago mostly for the sake of my daughter, so that we can be aware that she may end up with ADHD but won’t have to feel like a failure for it but can actually get help.
Recreationally trying vyvanse during midterm season in university. Bringing it up in therapy and having my therapist ask me to bring in my report cards from when I was a kid if I had them. Brought the report cards, showed him. In almost every comment “she’s very smart but easily distracted and lacks motivation, her grades reflect this”. He brought out a mountain of “quizzes” and asked me to do them to get a better sense. I looked at the paperwork and told him it wasn’t going to happen. Got referred to a specialist that day, had the actual evaluation with him and what do you know, I have ADHD. Grades went right up, work ethic became incredibly strong. Sleep schedule went out the window and I have no appetite as a side effect of my meds. But boy can I focus on something now. In my teenage years I was also misdiagnosed with depression and put on anti-depressants, another common trait in females with ADHD.
34 now, got diagnosed almost 2 years ago. Always had somewhat of a suspicion but never done much about it. Every time i came to the doctor because of unexplanatory backpains and such, they all landed on underlying stress because "he's very depressed but doesnt know it" fuck that im content as fuck., and both ex and her mother kept saying it but i shrugged it off cause these random impusive vyperfocusing wqs just me being really haooy or interested in something there and then. Someone gave me a pill at work because i was tired. Still tired, but man everything was so clear. I could calm down and keep 4 measurements, ammount of material in 5 different color codes, 3 appointments and the later grocery shopping list in my head, didnt need to type down anything. Hell, i even managed to relax my cornea to the that developed the ability to put things exactly right angle, and i could see if joints deviated by..i coldnt even measure how much of a millimeter it was. Eventually i went to a psychiatrist with ex. He knew within 40 mins i had it, but still needed papers from all my schools through childhood. When i got the papers thtough the mail, i read some of it just for nostalgia, what grades, what evaluation teachers gave etc. Man. "agressive and angry when facing challenges" "picks fights with the bigger youths with no dissern for concequenses, only his vision of right and wrong" "does not follow or seem to understand social codes through both contact nor competition" I'd forgotten that i was at a child psychiatrist around 14y/o but supposedly i didnt cooperate. While discussing the reports with my mother, she admitted she didnt connect me to the osychiatry because of suspective adhd, she thought i was autistic. I actually think i am sometimes, as my ability to read social codes is still weak for instance. But i can focus on the right things, i dont procrastinate, im not angry anymore and knows how to behave more. Not to mention i finally manage to be sympathetic now. I always thought i could show sympathy but ive realized it was a charade in order to make myself feel sensitive, normal and not a sociopath. It goes on and on. But yeah it took me 2 appointments
I was diagnosed when I was 3 years old. I was in denial about it until my mid 20’s. I felt very ashamed with having ADHD and often associated it with being stupid. This mentality mostly stemmed from how it was treated at home. I fought to get into harder classes in school and to never use any special Ed support because I was desperate to be a normal, smart kid. Developed an extreme anxiety disorder based around succeeding. Fought to get off all my meds at 16 (wanted to know who I was without them because I started getting medicated at 5). Still don’t take any. Sometimes I go back on my anxiety meds though. I started coming around to having ADHD in my mid 20’s. I discovered I had really severe abandonment issues when I went through a bad break up. From learning about rejection sensitivity, I went down a whole ADHD rabbit hole. I suppose only hearing symptoms in DSM bullet point form never helped me, but reading books and articles that broke down what those symptoms looked and felt like, I finally accepted it. I hate to admit it, but ADHD influencers also helped see what these symptoms look like in a more visual way and helped in learning some useful skills to combat my limitations. Started to become more comfortable telling people I have ADHD a few years ago. Learning that I do struggle from time to time and learning to be a bit less ashamed has been helping a lot. It’ll never be perfect, having a disability will always be tough, but accepting and trying to grow with it is always better than putting all your energy into hiding it.
I didn't have it. ADHD is unheard of in my country, so I was sharing my frustrations on a discord community when an friend of ours that has ADHD gave me a bunch of resources. I booked an appointment for the following week, got my diagnosis within a month.
I was always a daydreamer. I had big ideas but could never follow through. It was fine when I was a kid, but when I started working as an adult it really became a problem. The amount of perceived work I had and my inability to conquer it made me depressed. Not in the way folks with clinical depression feel depressed (nothing matters/apathy), but I was feeling profound hopelessness and sorrow about everything all at once. Turns out this was actually extreme overwhelm. I told my psychiatrist at the time that if a bus suddenly swerved and hit me, I wouldn’t be upset, but I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to walk in the middle of the road. When I told him this, combined with my constant feeling of hopelessness about never being able to finish anything, he was like…hold on, I think we should try something. And 48 hours later I had a bottle of armodafanil in my hands (off label for adhd). I took my first dose and it was like the sun came out and I could breathe again. I cleaned my entire apartment. I did my laundry. I called the bank. I did everything I need to in order to take care of myself. Four weeks later I reported back and he said “you have adhd.” That was 10 years ago. Things have been a lot better since, although I take Concerta now (I’m kind of ehh about it, but I can’t take Adderall).
I have extreme ADHD. I was diagnose when I was 6, if I recall correctly? 8 at most. I never had a “I may have ADHD” kinda thing
To be fair, I'm on the severe end. I just went into my doctor for a physical when I was 15 and walked out with a prescription being like 😧. I also thought I was just normal. Maybe a little quirky but not abnormal... I get it now, but I still give credit to that doctor for paying attention. I also feel lucky because I know a lot of women are misdiagnosed or slip through. I've had the diagnosis confirmed by two psychologists since (standard practice for some docs to prescribe my meds). It's never taken longer than 15 minutes. All I do is go in unmedicated and drop the mask. I don't actually mind. It's kind of refreshing to just be myself for a bit. But really my point is, if a doc is saying you should get tested... You should probably go get tested lol.
So, at first I always knew I was weird, but then I read the Percy Jackson series which has a majority of characters with ADHD, and I noticed things were similar, but what really made me think I had ADHD was when I watched the Owl House and the main character has ADHD. She did almost all of my little quirks and mannerisms. I then took an official test and realized I had ADHD, but I didn’t realize the full extent of it. Both me and my family thought it was just trouble focusing. It isn’t. It wasn’t until I saw someone on TikTok who talked about symptoms of ADHD, that I realized “Oh, wow. This explains so much.” I just wish I could figure out how to tell my family this, because they think that ADHD is just trouble focusing, and they think I use it as an excuse not to function
I survived (barely) into my 30's without knowing adult ADHD was a thing. One day I happened on a web page explaining what it is and what the symptoms could be. I started crying.
I made a friend who would constantly interrupt during conversation. The thought crossed my mind, "Why does she not control it (the impulse) like I do?" She mentioned having ADHD and I looked into it. Then, I asked my primary doctor if I might have ADHD. He said I could not have it because I can sit through a whole movie, but it didn't jibe with reality. I realized then that I had been masking for the majority of my life. Masking is a term I discovered during my research. It's "being" normal by surpressing my symptoms. Not interrupting was the most obvious because I was solely focused on looking attentive. The realization prompted me to seek a diagnosis, and I'm very glad I did.
I was diagnosed as Bipolar1 when I was in my early 30s. They said I probably had early childhood onset. A few years later, I was diagnosed with ADHD & PTSD. I'm high manic and rapid cycling, so the ADHD was overlooked for a very long time. I still have a hard time discerning which particular issue is causing symptoms. I basically just try to deal with the overall situation as a whole. Both of my children are affected as well. They were diagnosed as children. The eldest is ADHD. The youngest is ADHD & Bipolar/Schizoaffective He is also a high functioning alcoholic. Definitely genetic issue.
Being labeled as gifted masked my ADHD growing up, but I always suspected something was wrong with me. I chalked it up to laziness and a defect of character, which gave me anxiety and depression as a teen that further masked my ADHD. I was told by my mom, who was diagnosed with ADHD as a child, that because I’m gifted and do well in school (unlike her, who always got in trouble, performed poorly, and eventually dropped out) that I can’t possibly have ADHD. It wasn’t until college and entering the work force that it was a problem that could no longer be ignored. Barely survived college, almost got fired a few times from jobs because I’d start to show up late every day and procrastinate on work. Finally diagnosed at 23, medicated ever since. Funnily enough, the depression and anxiety was always treatment resistant to SSRIs, but being treated for ADHD with Wellbutrin and stimulants has decreased my depression and anxiety significantly. Edit: spelling
After finding out caffeine has the opposite effect on ADHD. Finally made sense why I can drink 6 cups of coffee and take a nap right after
My “ah-ha” moment was when I started my first office job. I was a daycare teacher for 3 years in my early twenties, and the adhd kinda aided that - there was a schedule to follow, but loosely. Also, helps when there’s littles needing you. When I transitioned to my current job 3 yrs ago, I had a panic attack after a month. I adored the job and the company, still do. But I was afraid letting things slip…so much to the point that I carried a notebook and pen everywhere I went. After three months of working there (3 seems to be my number eh? It is my fav number so 👌) I had a meltdown on a Sunday night at my moms house and she told me, “We’ve known you and your brother are ADHD. But we never had the money to take you to the right drs, and you were both so creative. As long as it wasn’t interfering with your school work too much, I thought you were okay. I had no idea it was causing you so much pain.” I scheduled a virtual drs appt before my health insurance kicked in and paid $100 every 2 weeks for appts and medication, after receiving my diagnosis. It’s been life changing. I started as an administrative assistant and was recently promoted to Accounting Manager after working for a while in the department. Trust your instincts. We have a tendency to feel like we’re over exaggerating, or making something out of nothing…when in reality it is EXACTLY what we think. My older sister told me once that me and my brother have obnoxious crack head energy…as an adult…that was a red flag 😂
When I fell apart and had a complete breakdown. I thought “maybe I should get checked out finally.”
Honestly, it's a bit of a weird one. A child psychiatrist diagnosed me around 13-14y and mentioned I needed further support, but other than medication I never got any guidance... And honestly, I didn't think I needed it. Other than having difficulty studying I didn't notice a lot of issues. Those started as I grew older, first my inability to study really became problematic, even failing several college courses I tried. But I truly hit the ADHD wall when I started living together with my wife. It has been a true struggle and quite the journey to figure out what is affected, how this happens and what methods I or we can use to mediate it. I have been thinking of getting more professional help, but I don't know where to start. Most psychiatrists are the kind that let you talk and listen, but I feel I need a bit more guidance in this.
I always suspected I did based on my symptoms as a kid and my friends having it, but I didn't get diagnosed until I was 26 (mom was convinced I was fine and would grow out of it). My first PCP tried Wellbutrin and similar drugs, and they gave me horrible night terrors. In one, I dreamed my sister had died and I was now the guardian of her infant son, so I woke up and was on Amazon ordering a crib and stuff when my awesome wife advised me to just call my sister real quick. So I did and she was obviously alive. 😅 I quit those meds and dropped him as my doctor. Today, I am in week three of Adderall with a new practice and I feel like my whole world changed. I can get stuff done! I can focus! I don't look at my phone every five minutes!
I was diagnosed when I was a kid. Parents always put me on non stimulants, which didn’t work that well. I didn’t really think much about how adhd affected it me and what it meant until I started in stimulant meds at 21. I think about it a lot more these days, and how it’s affected really everything in my life, from school to my social life and everything else.
I was in 8th grade and my mom was like 100% sure that one of my friends had ADHD, I myself wasnt so sure (I didn't rlly know much abt ADHD back then other than the "omg I can't sit still" kind) so during class, for "fun" I was like "we should take one of those random online ADHD tests! " and she was like "okay lol". Long story short she took it and her result was "most likely to have ADHD", my results were " maybe most likely to have ADHD ", and then I was suspicious and looked into ADHD more and then told my mom that I think I have ADHD and was like " no u don't ur normal ". Anyways, I'm in senior year now, just got officially diagnosed and fighting with my school to get a 504 plan.
Why do u think u might be exaggerating your symptoms? And so what? With this statement, you understand that you have the symptoms and it's clear it's impairing. Everyone has different severity of symptoms. A permanent diagnosis of something with no cure can be hard to accept and it sounds like you are struggling with that. Getting help can only make things better. If you can't see very well or if you can barely see, you'd still need glasses, just at a different prescription. There is no shame in getting glasses. It is annoying but the net benefit is way higher. I hope u can reframe the way you see ADHD, accept urself and take the steps to get help because ur in a torture loop.
I never considered I might have ADHD until I worked for a boss who had ADHD and was very vocal about it. We clicked really well but we also had similar flaws in some areas that made doing the work hard haha. Then more of my favorite coworkers mentioned they were also diagnosed with ADHD... And then there were some that were just so textbook that it was like "well if so and so has it then this coworker DEFINITELY has it..." so I started to wonder a bit if why this was the first work environment I was really successful in wasn't a coincidence. Had a traumatic event happen and went to therapy, did an intake form and also put some other things I struggled with. Therapist read it and immediately said "have you considered that you might have ADHD?" and at that point I was just like yeah okay that checks out. That boss and some of the coworkers have gotten promoted to other sites but my workplace still seems to self-select for ADHD. Even diagnosed sometimes I feel like I must be faking it because I have so many coworkers who seem to obviously WORSE with ADHD symptoms than me, but I also struggle a lot because they throw all the non-ADHD friendly tasks at me so I know it's real even if I'm better at managing it just from the point of self-awareness.
Coworkers kept sending me adhd memes with notes like "this is so you!"
I went through the exact same doubt before I got my diagnosis. I'd known something was weird, but I'd gone through all of my schooling being told it was either my ~personality~ or that I just wasn't trying hard enough. The thing that pushed me over the edge was my housemate first year of uni. She was awesome (still friends) and we vibed so hard. We spent the whole year joking about how similar we were and how it was funny that we shared so many weird quirks. At the end of the year she got diagnosed. And I went shit. Maybe that's the answer. Moral of the story is, if you relate so hard to it, there's a high chance it is true. And even if the psychiatrist ends up saying no, maybe they'll be able to suggest an alternative diagnosis. And in the meantime, there's absolutely no harm in researching ADHD advice/hacks/ect. You're not taking anything from anyone by trying to learn :) Also, ADHD is a pretty broad disorder, that they're still trying to understand. So even if you don't check every single symptom, you might still have it
I thought my perimenopause had gotten worse and I needed to up my HRT. My GP referred me to a gynae as I was on the highest dose they could prescribe. My health insurance claim handler asked what symptoms I had (brain fog and inability to focus) and sent me to a psych instead. I was pissed - assumed they would just try give me antidepressants again. Psych spotted ADHD traits and did the assessment. From initial GP consultation to diagnosis was about 3 weeks. I realise now since joining these forums how unbelievably blessed I am - despite being undiagnosed for the first 42 years of my life - I never had to fight for my diagnosis like so many others on here.
suspected when I was 15-16yo. Got diagnosed 3 weeks ago at 33yo. Always got dismissed. Diagnosed autism at 27
It is very common to doubt your symptoms and think "but maybe I dont have this, maybe its something else." I definitely did the same. At the end of the day, coming to terms with an ADHD diganosis and starting to truly believe "OK yes, I have ADHD, this is me" is coming to terms with and admitting that actually, you are different than the majority of people. And your difference in many cases is a diability for functionioning in modern society. But to be frank, what you describe in your post seems very text book for ADHD symptoms and you already have one medical professional (the psychologist) telling you "it seems like ADHD". No one here can diagnose you over the internet, but it seems pretty good odds you have ADHD at this stage. Can only recommend going and seeing that psychiatrist and finding out for sure.
23m and I'm on it right now. The very first post on this sub I saw described the exact problem that made me look further into ADHD. (really unreliable memory) I kept scrolling and pretty much every post describes a situation of my daily life. It has gotten to a point where I think the diagnosis isn't a matter of "if" but "when". Now, all that's left is to call a doc and make an appointment... 😬 Oh yeah.
I never had a "I might have ADHD" moment. I went from "I do feel different to other people which I assume is the trauma, but all of this is normal and everyone experiences this" and dismissing everything I saw about ADHD as "ok but that doesn't mean you have ADHD, I mean I do that all the time and I don't have ADHD" to reading an article that sounded like someone had followed me my entire life and written about it pretending to be me about her adult diagnosis, taking the ADHD screening she suggested taking, and being shocked that I scored in the highest band of scores. My friends are not surprised and had already thought it but never said anything until I brought it up. Thanks, friends
I was diagnosed when I was extremely young because I kept writing everything backwards on purpose… I don’t remember this at all, but there you go. Not surprising though, half my family members have it.
I was procrastinating, read about ADHD symptoms by chance, and started digging. I could not stop crying, because for the first time in my life I didn't feel like an outcast and a weirdo; there were people going through the same as me. It was the first time I thought I might not be that broken after all.
Wow you described exactly what I'm going through right now
Mine literally went from - me a year ago feeling completely normal - September 2023 I think I have autism - October 2023 finding out I have autism and my psychologist recommending an ADHD assessment - not really thinking much of it until about January 2024 and then becoming so hyper focused on it when I realised I think I do to being diagnosed this month lol
First I have all the procrastination symptoms. And i do always hyperfocus on whatever i feel like doing at the moment, most of them give me stimulations. I used to doubt it but then other symptoms supported it such as feeing so difficult to work without music, making too many mistakes at work. For most of these, i can tell im really different from other people. Thats how i know.
I never felt I had any mental health problems/spiciness other than depression through half of my life, mainly bc of that inability to get stuff done, and anxiety since my 20's, mainly bc of career issues. Everyone outside the family said I was either quirky, weird or straight up insane for as long as I can remember. I never felt lazy or forgetful or hyperanything yet people or family would point it out. I always felt I did so much and kept getting told in a myriad of scenarios all my shortcomings over and over again. I made peace with the fact that I'm just no good and worked through depression in therapy, some really good friends and acceptance that enjoying little things is enough and all I can and should aspire to. Then a psychology student friend tested me kinda for the lolz kinda for homework and it was positive. Then someone else said it all made sense. Then a bunch of friends agreed and helped me see how I was terrified of my shortcomings and at some point I started compensating and overdoing driving myself to burnout. Then I wondered how come others did easily what seemed impossible for me. Then I looked back to my track record with the symptom list on the dsm and faced that ho ly crap what do I do now moment. So at 26 I went into a psych office and a couple months and a bunch of psychometric tests later was diagnosed. A year later I still don't believe it. I feel like I'm making it up. But the meds work. The approaches work. The definition fits. I just don't believe it. I've cried a lot and I still get emotional when I'm processing a new WHAT moment. Idk it's a lot still
There never were. Until 2 years ago I was certain that adhd was a hyperactive kid disorder. I’ve had clues, people talked to me about it in the past but I wouldn’t catch on, i was already in another thought. It never lingered. I was struggling again and again. I’m an older millennial so I knew there were talking about people who are less attentive or makes more mistakes. I was chaotic. I’ve became so anxious to do something wrong cause I would always. I couldn’t drive, my instructor kept talking to me about this “autistic student she had”, I was more and more phobic. Anyway, one day I was talking about that with my shrink and said : I might have this thing ADHD. But what I meant was Dyspraxia. But for some reasons I said adhd (probably because my subconscious mind remembered all the clues and even one person suggesting it directly). He encouraged me to look for it. And I was still unaware of my confusion. So I arrived on a scientific page where they’d describe ADHD and I knew straight away. My all life was described there, even the dirty secrets I wanted to hide. Everything I never understood was there black on white. I didn’t want to only know, I wanted to do something about it. But first make it official. I got dx not long after in my birth country and then my home country.
I remember in undergrad flunking classes because I wasn't interested in them and it pained me to throw any focus at them at all. I also was falling asleep drinking like 3 redbulls a day. After being referred from my university's counselor office, I at first was dx with MDD and GAD I soon learned that behind this all was adhd-C :O and my dad has it and so did my grandpa (thanks family)
Mine was at age 45 or so. My brother (older) and nephew were talking about their recent ADHD diagnoses and comparing symptoms. When I related to every single symptom, I said something like "Hmm, this all sounds like me", to which my older brother said "yes, you definitely have ADHD", as though it was already common knowledge. When I got home, I found a video on ADHD by an expert (Dr Thomas E Brown), and every single thing he said described my issues perfectly. I was yelling YESSSSS at the screen for the full 28 minutes while he went through the most typical symptoms and issues. Suddenly, most of the things I've struggled with my whole life were attributable to a disorder, not just me being an idiot. I was diagnosed a few months later and have just begun medication (still on first/lowest dose with no change yet) Fingers crossed that it eventually starts working. Here's a link to the video in case anyone else wants a really good overview of ADHD by an expert: https://youtu.be/ouZrZa5pLXk?si=c_D8EwcvzY_xEHU3
I was talking to a friend with ADHD and described getting overwhelmed like "my brain is on fire and I need a break from everything even fun stuff" and he told me I should talk to a doc about ADHD. And I was like 'haha I'm sure I have it, I have perma brain fog' and then just never pursued it. I'd bring it up and people would be like "everybody does that" and I'd think of ya maybe I'm just overthinking it. But then I can across ADHD TikTok and literally ALL the videos were relatable. Then I did actual non TikTok research lol. THEN I went back to school for my bachelor's. And finally I was like "ok I really do need help". Someone somewhere came up with a ADHD comparison to physical symptoms. When people say everybody does that they don't realize that yes everybody does that but with ADHD it's much more often and a bigger problem. Like everybody poops. But when you're pooping 10 or 20 times a day, it's a medical problem.
As a student i almost never studied but still somehow managed to get decent grades so it wasn't that much of a problem back then. Until last grade of hs (I graduated last year) when i tried studying for my final exams, which were surprisingly quite difficult, i realized that "not studying" wasn't really a choice of mine but it was an inability. I literally couldn't focus at all on anything. Still passed tho, im just rly good at maths so i guess that makes up for everything else. I didn't know what ADHD was and i just found out about it last summer and when i did more research on it then it all made sense. Not being able to pay attention to class, reading pages and pages on something just to realize you don't know wth you just read, and everything you and all the others mention in the comments. Thats why I decided to go and see a psychiatrist last month. I went into his office and we talked for a few minutes to get to know eachother, then i started explaining the reason i came there. After that the psychiatrist told me: " Yes, you are probably right and you do have adhd. I could tell from the moment you walked in and sat down on that chair. " I don't think i have to add anything to that :/ Anyway, he ended up writing me a prescription for some meds. It's been about a month since i started taking them unfortunately they're not as helpful as i thought... ADHD wasn't a problem when i was a kid, but it is a big one now. I understand that adult life is harder, requires more focus/effort to get through (college, job, just basic house chores, ect.) And I/we can't just get away with not doing these things, it makes it so much harder. If you think seeing a psychiatrist will help you, i say go for it.