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I’m my case it was an autism diagnosis but otherwise yes.
For anyone reading this who may not be aware, there’s a lot of overlap between the two diagnoses, and there’s a chance you may have both.
ADHD may actually be a spectrum disorder. I’ve seen a few studies over the last few years that suggest this.
It does “feel” like that to me. Some days it helps me do my job better, some days it takes an hour between deciding to brush my teeth and actually doing it.
Holy shit it’s my life
I’ve yet to get the official diagnosis. But im on track.
Don’t give up, it took me eight years from my suspicions to actually getting a diagnosis. The hardest part was finding psychiatrists, making appointments, going to the first appointment, and then going to the following appointments.
Apart from stimulant prescriptions, what is the benefit of getting diagnosed with ADHD?
ADHD-tailored therapy.
Meds alone are not going to solve the problems that ADHD causes, especially when it is untreated throughout one’s life. There’s the additional primary impacts like emotional disregulation and alexithymia (and many others), as well as the secondary impacts of emotional traumas from struggling and failing to do things that are simple for neurotypical people and being given no quarter societally for those challenges that are rooted in the physical neurophysiological differences in the prefrontal cortex of ADHD brains.
In addition, stimulant meds are not the only meds for ADHD and not effective for all people with ADHD. They are the first line treatment because they have far greater statistical efficacy than other meds in most cases. Their main useful mechanism of action though, is not really their “stimulant” properties but their action as dopamine/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors.
I posted elsewhere about this, but ADHD can mess with your emotions. I thought for a while that I was bipolar because of how quickly my moods could change and how strongly I felt things like anxiety or disappointment or frustration. Now that I know what it is, in the moment I’m able to pull myself out of depressive spirals caused by hyperfixation etc. I’m also able to better work with the peaks and troughs of my productivity. Plenty of other helpful reasons too!
Whoa whoa whoa
I’m diagnosed bipolar and I’m just starting to work on potential adhd/AuDHD issues
My Dr appointment with the psychiatrist basically went nowhere. He said that he very rarely diagnoses ADHD in adults because it gets found when you’re a kid so i probably don’t have it since im an adult.
A real fuckin doctor said this to me.
Idk where to go from here…
Find a new one. Find one that specializes in ADHD. You can absolutely be diagnosed as an adult, however the symptoms must have been present before the age of 12 or something, technically.
I had a doctor ask me if I had found jesus when first trying to get help w my issues. For real. It can take some time to find the right fit, but hopefully you can seek out an ADHD/neurodivergent focused therapist for better results
e: i was diagnosed by a psychologist/therapist. I have heard from several folks anecdotally that their psychiatrists are more detached and are mostly just there for prescriptions. YMMV
Your edit seems about right lol
I’ll definitely be looking. I’m on a wait-list for therapy for now, but I’ll try to find someone who works with ADHD specifically. I didn’t know that existed. Hopefully my city is big enough.
I also had a therapist tell me that Jesus could help me once. I didn’t see her again. Lmao
The advantage is you’re no longer doubting yourself. Self diagnosis is not sufficient.
That makes it easier to select therapy that specifically suits ADHD. For me, It also lead to me actually using self help practices and trying to read books on it. A diagnosis gave me a framework to base my path to improvement on.
A diagnosis also demonstrates to others, that you’re not just lazy.
Im at the “psychiatrist referred me to psychologist for testing” stage. As of like, a few days ago. Otherwise identical, 7+ years of wanting testing (and having insurance and money to do it), before even making an attempt at getting treatment.
Psychiatrist seemed confident meds would seriously help tho! Although i guess they are kinda paid to say that i guess?
Medication helps most people with ADHD the fastest. It’s just a scientific fact.
No medication can be the goal, the meds seriously help on that path though.
They are not at all paid to say that. That said, the meds were a game changer for me.
Oh. Now i feel like i made an impression and will dwell on that for the next several minutes.
You did. But I won’t remember your username or comment in about 4 minutes
If only we applied ourselves.
I feel like if only I had worked up to my potential, my life wouldn’t be a shambling corpse-to-be.
As it turns out, our potential is really high in a select few categories, and that makes it look to authority figures like we’re good at everything.
me explaining to my family that the only thing I actually know is how to formulate a proper search query
I used to feel that was one thing I was good at. But then the algorithms changed as well as the internet. Now I rarely find what I’m looking for and I die a little each time.
Yeah but that’s not a problem with you or the march of time. Search engines have been effectively ruined.
I’d suggest Ed Zitron’s “better offline” pod or Freya Holmer’s latest YT vid on the topic if you want to hear some will developed arguments on the subject.
I do apply myself from 2-6 am until my eyes are dryaf and wont stay open
No, trying harder doesn’t work for us.
I think that’s the joke. I heard this a lot growing up and it obviously didn’t help.
You must not have heard it enough because I heard it seriously all the time and I’m doing great and like sure I can’t sleep and stuff but I’m totally fine and doing great now as an adult and it’s totally unrelated that I’m not employed and super anxious about literally every moment awake because who knows what’s coming but honestly I’m super fine so not to worry.
(That was so hard to write without punctuation, but that’s how it feels)
For me it was hiding my emotions while dying of anxiety inside. I thought it was normal for people to have multiple streams of thought at once and to wake up with your mind immediately racing til bed. I did it though, college, kids, house, corporate IT career, until I couldn’t handle the grind of daily life and burned out hardcore, several times. Also drank excessively for 20 years.
Thankfully, you can get treated for depression and anxiety for decades, then spend thousands of dollars to get an official ADHD diagnosis, maybe. And the stimulants make my anxiety and depression so much better, and they are super easy to get. Also, no one will question if you really have ADHD, support all the way. Then, back to the grind which you’ll run right into with a smile everyday. I love it! It’s the best!
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Thanks, I hate it
Just my experience. If your family or friends notice and help you, especially when younger, it can be a huge help. I’m just bitter cause I figured this out, and other big mental health issues, in my 40s. Some people get help right away, but sometimes you have to ask, and others, you have to beg and hope you make it.
Not to be bleak. I think realizing that you and only you are responsible for your physical and mental well being. Take care of those as best as you can and the way you want or need. It may hurt people but again, you are your #1 person in whatever reality you live in. You can feel better it just takes time and processing all emotions and looking out for you.✌️
Well I believe they tried to, in my case. Mental health was still a low priority and borderline taboo as a topic when my parents were growing up.
In fact, they faced similar issues and no one batted an eye, never saw it as something curable.
Wtf … is this real?
I got diagnosed recently and don’t want my job back. Freelancing is the way to go. Stay away from corporate culture, stay strong.
I wish I could be like you.
I also have recently-diagnosed ADHD, and could never do freelance because I feel constantly burnt out and unmotivated all the time, even when doing absolutely nothing. I have to be in a structured environment with clear goals, or my life completely falls apart.
Not going to assume anything, but ADHD can manifest itself in different ways depending on your gender. And there’s also the fact that it is a complex disability. You’re lucky enough to have the type of ADHD that allows you to be productive. My parents have the same kind. I’m unlucky enough to have the “gifted child who grows up to disappoint their parents” type of ADHD.
I relate to this tweet hard, because it describes my life to a T.
Yes for sure, it wasn’t easy. I left my job and hit rock bottom for roughly 3 yrs, spent long time with psychedelics and then my first mushroom trip gave the right perspective- is this how normal should feel like?
I didn’t know shit. I thought maybe I was psychopathic, maybe sociopath, then assumed I’m just stupid. The doctor initially diagnosed me for Anxiety, that still left a lot of ocd behavior and helped little with social anxiety. That meant I couldn’t work with people, avoided client calls even.
After diagnosis it kinda felt I’m cheating because things were so much easier now. I could run circles around the peers who made me insecure. Dont get me wrong I’m still jobless and drowning in debt, but hopeful instead of crippled with depression (huge win)
same, same, same, and same.
I screwed up and am stuck deep in 2. I even screwed up a miraculous way out with this awesome startup. And I was diagnosed in kindergarten! No drugs, I’m healthy, just… Yeah.
I wish I could subscribe to this community over and over.
Just got stage 3 last month. Stage 2 sucks :(
Keep going and try to apply yourself to the ADHD projects as much as humanly possible, you will expand your attention on the things you get all attention deficity on, and can train to be absorb situations quickly and astutely, the more powerful your ADHD the stronger you can train yourself to absorb knowledge because your attention naturally grabs anything happening, also try not to get distracted by a TV every time one is on, so ignore the meaningless stuff, focus the ADHD on important things, and grow as a person using your “disability” as a tool for success. -you will be exhausted regularly if you are doing it right, that much processing has a cost-
So what you’re saying is I have great potential but just need to apply myself?
I’ll go for the “Don’t get diagnosed” and “Kill yourself in your 30s” strat.
Same, thou I’m not sure I can wait out the last couple years to 30. Might be fun to have my birthday be my deathday tho
30s give you “Dadbod Multplier”
You uh…ok? It does not sound fun to have your birthday be your death day :(.
Nowhere near it, but haven’t started looking for a place to get a helium or nitrogen tank yet so I call it a win. Tbh I should hurry up so I have more money left to leave to friends and family but I just haven’t been able to get around to it.
Your friends would almost certainly rather have you than any money you would give them.
I mean, sure, but I see them irl maybe once a year, and it’s easy to forget people exist (or existed) when you only interact with them online. I’m always the one reaching out and trying to do things and god knows I’ve let enough friendships vanish by getting sick of it and stopping initiating things and watching them never notice.
I don’t think it’s as easy as you think. It sure isn’t for me. There are a lot of friends I have lost touch with over the years that I think of often. And hope are still around.
At this point it’s just more of a question of when, not if
🤷♀️
Life is both pointless AND miserable and it would be fine if it were just one or the other but I’m just so fucking tired of putting effort into a life that I hate living
Please don’t hurt yourself. You are worthy of love.
Worthy? I can accept that. The problem is my presence in someone’s life would only make theirs worse. Well it would be a problem if I were capable of seeking out a relationship which I’m not. Not even comfortable with hookups anymore. Accepted that love, affection, and intimacy just aren’t for me.
Relationships aren’t for everyone, and that’s fine if its your choice and you are actually happy with it. Regardless, life is worth living. It may not seem like it now (I’ve been there) but I assure you there is a reason you’re here. Keep your head up.
If I start hoping, it’s just gonna make everything hurt more
I’ve passed the third section and moved into the fourth, horrible section. “Diagnosed ADHD but no medication will work.”
Went through most if not all of the stimulant treatments 15+ years ago. The most reaction I got was panic attacks for routine stuff at work. In the meantime depression has taken over, with similar lack of response to treatment.
I feel like I’m an onion inside of a Russian nesting doll stuck in a can of worms that tumbled out of Pandora’s box and down the stairs to be kicked around the neighborhood by bored old timey kids before getting stuck in a storm drain and abandoned.
Maybe what you’re experiencing is an accurate emotional assessment of the state of our society.
You shut your god damned accurate mouth.
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Sooo… where do we go after stage 3? The meds just make me nap a lot :(
try different meds or take them at a different time of day, many people experience a “crash” when stimulance like adderall or medikinet where off.
I take part of my meds in the afternoon (unless i forget it again…) because that way they where off closer to bed time.
Work with a therapist to improve coping strategies and improve your sleep hygiene. If the meds are making you nap, chances are it’s because they’re allowing you to relax enough to actually rest. Developing habits that help you to sleep better may help (I’m pretty terribad at it myself).
Unmedicated, unemployed, and homeless. Like me.
living out in the woods, getting dirt on your hands, and learning to work well with feelings again.
Hey, it’s me!
I feel personally attacked, lol
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