Topic: ADHD

[jackh]

I imagine there are lots of people on RAWK who either have ADHD or have proximity to ADHD in their lives, but notice there isn't a thread on it.

I've had 'questions about myself' for a long time, but have just encountered a few 'penny drop' moments recently. I've subsequently had a few conversations about ADHD with relevant professionals and feel only reassured that I'm on the right track, so I find myself at the start of a process to find out more, gain referral to a specialist, and explore the possibility of diagnosis.

For many years, I only thought of ADHD in terms of the 'hyperactivity' that seems to be the focus when ADHD is represented in the news or whatever - it was only in reading a bit more into it that I reflected on the inattentiveness side of it. Having reframed it in my mind, I realised I recognised a lot of it in myself (or should that be the other way around, myself in it...??).

No particular question to close this opening post with - just curious to see where this thread might go, if anywhere at all...!

[[new username under construction]]

I got a referral to check me for ADHD, filled in the form on the website and joined a FIVE year waiting list to be diagnosed. Good old UK health system

[ToneLa]

ADHD is worth reading about in depth. Like you found OP, it is much more than hyperactivity

I have a friend at work who is 32 and only just got diagnosed - lived til now without a clue. He found out due to his insomnia

I think a lot of conditions are common. Let's face it, most people won't go to a doctor for a condition that they presume is normal

If you can even see a doctor these days

There is a bit of a Pay For ADHD Drugs scandal going on privately

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65534449

[ToneLa]

If you get newly diagnosed anyway you might have to experiment with medication

It is often almost trial and error getting one that works for you

Forms of autism are also common with ADHD which can further block the efficacy of the medication

It isn't a silver bullet from what I've heard, ex NHS mental health staff etc.

Worth knowing what you got
And if anyone suspects they have ADHD just trust the process I reckon - just be wary, it isn't always 'take this and you're cured' it is mitigating a condition

Quality of life is what it has always seemed about for me.

[jackh]

I got a referral to check me for ADHD, filled in the form on the website and joined a FIVE year waiting list to be diagnosed. Good old UK health system

Given that that's the context we're stuck in, is there anything you've read/found/done/etc in the meantime that you've found useful?

I've even just found these early steps of being able to reframe my thoughts and understand myself a little better...we...reassuring at least.

[Terry de Niro]

One of my granddaughters has it and it's a nightmare for her.
Constantly sent home from school because she disrupts the rest of her class with it.

[...]

I got a referral to check me for ADHD, filled in the form on the website and joined a FIVE year waiting list to be diagnosed. Good old UK health system

I've been waiting about 26 months now. Haven't got the money to get a private diagnosis but this shit is affecting me big time.

For a decade I thought I was 'lazy' because I'd been smoking weed on and off. Only 3ish years ago did I realise it's ADHD. I'm time blind and completely unable to focus on anything, it makes daily life a brutal struggle but I try my best.

[[new username under construction]]

Given that that's the context we're stuck in, is there anything you've read/found/done/etc in the meantime that you've found useful?

I've even just found these early steps of being able to reframe my thoughts and understand myself a little better...we...reassuring at least.

Thing is I don't even know if it is ADHD, Doc agreed that it could be after a diagnosis of anxiety in my 20's (48 now) and after about 20 years of NOT BEING BLOODY ANXIOUS!!!! i asked about ADHD.

As usual there are so many things that seem to make me feel better and so many that make me feel worse that might not actually do anything to affect me, I would say though that the one thing that does effect me over time is sugar, really affects adrenaline over a time and I get really bad so less overall sugar seeeeeeeeeeeeems to help, but again, no idea really.

[[new username under construction]]

I've been waiting about 26 months now. Haven't got the money to get a private diagnosis but this shit is affecting me big time.

This annoys the crap out of me, the fact private is so out of reach of "normal" people, never mind the fact that it might get a solution for you and save a lifetime of struggle. Even health insurance is a joke, for like £80 a month you can have loads of chats with doctors but if you're referred to a specialist your excess kicks in and instantly you're a £1000 down and still not actually been helped!

[Billy The Kid]

Wow perfect timing. Only recently I was thinking about this and doing some research on it. Looking back on my younger years (particularly in school) I definitely displayed all the signs. I'll be very interested to read the contributions of others....and see if.....maybe they......erm......sorry.......what were we talking about again?

[Slippers]

One of my granddaughters has it and it's a nightmare for her.
Constantly sent home from school because she disrupts the rest of her class with it.

My adult daughter has ADHD,she was put into a special needs class when she was three years old and spent the first two months lying on the floor screaming her head off.

[Bioluminescence]

We seem to have a few, suspected at least, cases of ADHD and/or autism in the family. My nephew got diagnosed with ADHD a few months ago, giving him about four weeks to find a treatment that worked before his GCSEs. They had to go private because, well, of the state of such services. They chose a woman who uses the tests approved by the NHS, which meant quite a thorough assessment. His first treatment didn't work but the second has helped. He's not quite sure about it because he says he feels different so this is something that he'll have to consider going forward - whether to carry on taking medicine that changes him but works, or to stop and hope he can find other ways of coping.

We'd started to put in place a few strategies before his assessment to help him study and revise, as that was our main concern. But it was hard work so I don't know whether stopping treatment is a good thing. Really tough at his age.

[duvva 💅]

Never been diagnosed but no doubt I’ve got ADHD, was Just known as ADD when I was younger but there was little known about it and I was just considered very naughty at school. I used to disrupt classes, was constantly sent out, used to run away from school a lot as well when I was younger.
Think I’m probably in the Asperger’s range of the Autism spectrum as well.

Mostly I’d say I have things under control, but it’s all due to experience and learning what triggers things or makes things worse. I still have to fight my instincts all the time to ensure I’m more measured in my behaviour. But I don’t think I’ll ever fix the concentration. If I’m into something I can become quite obsessed and need to know and learn everything. But one of my biggest issues is having to learn detail for things that don’t interest me, that’s been a real issue all my life particularly at work. I get bored and don’t want to know very quickly.

As I say never been diagnosed so I could have neither, but I’m content with the control I have over these things largely now. One of the big things for me has been stopping drinking as that exaggerated everything.

[jackh]

Never been diagnosed but no doubt I’ve got ADHD, was Just known as ADD when I was younger but there was little known about it and I was just considered very naughty at school. I used to disrupt classes, was constantly sent out, used to run away from school a lot as well when I was younger.
Think I’m probably in the Asperger’s range of the Autism spectrum as well.

Mostly I’d say I have things under control, but it’s all due to experience and learning what triggers things or makes things worse. I still have to fight my instincts all the time to ensure I’m more measured in my behaviour. But I don’t think I’ll ever fix the concentration. If I’m into something I can become quite obsessed and need to know and learn everything. But one of my biggest issues is having to learn detail for things that don’t interest me, that’s been a real issue all my life particularly at work. I get bored and don’t want to know very quickly.

As I say never been diagnosed so I could have neither, but I’m content with the control I have over these things largely now. One of the big things for me has been stopping drinking as that exaggerated everything.

This feels very familiar to me, and it's been really valuable to be able to take a step back and wonder what the causes might be - be able to present a few potential reasons for some workplace difficulties rather than be grappling for confusing excuses for perceived underperformance.

[MiddleMan]

Diagnosed and started medication just over 2 weeks ago now. Timely post.

As others have pointed out, one of the tell tale signs of ADHD is the process of getting intensely interested in a topic and then getting bored with it shortly after. No surprise, then, that the thread sustained interest for a grand total of 3 days before trailing off! 

I have made it 31 years without treatment; but still am grateful to have made it through a Master's degree in clinical psychology and today practice as a therapist. In the beginning of my career I worked with kids - many of whom have ADHD - and I knew my lived experience through childhood helped my treatment despite never having been diagnosed. My mother told me as a kid that I had it. When I asked why I wasn't treated she would always say she just got me into football for the hyperactivity.

It wasn't until I started doing psychotherapy with ADHD adults that the ways it effects me still today became abundantly clear. Work load stress of my own making, emotional dysregulation, impulsivity made me an awful employee to manage; a stifling inability to get chores done at home (exacerbated by my wife becoming disabled); relationship issues.

This post is getting much too long for those inattentive among us. But I'd love to keep the conversation going to keep up awareness.  Happy to talk more about my lived experience, treatment and work as a therapist.

[[new username under construction]]

I have made it 31 years without treatment; but still am grateful to have made it through a Master's degree in clinical psychology and today practice as a therapist.

Did you diagnose yourself?, the amount of time it takes to get an appointment i might consider doing this myself

[MiddleMan]

Did you diagnose yourself?, the amount of time it takes to get an appointment i might consider doing this myself

Not quite! Not sure what the process is like in England but here in the states, the official way to get diagnosed is through having a neuropsychological evaluation. Waitlist for these are long here too. I asked my doctor for referrals for one and the one with the first available happened to be a psychiatrist who simply did a questionnaire with me and was happy to prescribe - as psychiatrists are often eager to do.

You may still be able to get therapy without an office adhd diagnosis. Therapy can support with things such as time management strategies, emotional regulation, building coping skills, processing life trauma.

[jackh]

Did you diagnose yourself?, the amount of time it takes to get an appointment i might consider doing this myself

The referral form to at least take the step of getting a GP's opinion is available here: https://psychiatry-uk.com/download/198978/?tmstv=1681830799

[ToneLa]

Hope everyone is getting on OK!

My partner suffers it and it sounds really  debilitating. Really made me realise the condition is more than the "I can't hold attention" trait.

[[new username under construction]]

The referral form to at least take the step of getting a GP's opinion is available here: https://psychiatry-uk.com/download/198978/?tmstv=1681830799

lol doctor told me about that Friday and never sent me the link, so cheers

[Titi Camara]

ADHD is caused by a lack of dopamine being produced naturally in the brain. Treatments include, but aren't limited to, stimulants for adults, which promote dopamine production.

If anyone is wondering whether they might have ADHD or not, some tell-tale signs...

01. Hyper fixation on anything really, borderline obsessive. Can last hours to years.

02. Inability to fall asleep due to an active brain. Obsessive, repetitive thought patterns. Resulting in poor sleeping patterns and/or insomnia.

03. Very poor closure rates on work projects or a tendency to struggle to close them out (once they are no longer novel or interesting).

04. Numerous hobbies/ambitions/DIY projects dropped almost as soon as the kit is bought.

05. Intermittent fugue like states where even the very idea of having to carry out simply mundane tasks causes extreme mental anguish. Can often lead to people being called lazy, when they are actually suffering.

06. An over-reliance/addiction to stimulants. Caffeine and nicotine being the main ones of note.

07. Feeling almost hung over in the mornings, a brain fog that sometimes does not lift all day (without stimulants).

08. Stimming - repetitive body movements

09. Poor time management - underestimating the time it will take to do something and, simultaneously, overestimating how quickly you can do something. Car journeys are a prime example. No one with ADHD has ever agreed with the SAT NAVs estimated journey time

10. Poor impulse control - prone to making rash decisions, binge drinking etc

11. Difficulty maintaining relationships with friends/family/partners

Whilst no means an exhaustive list, if you identify with all/most of those points then I would definitely suggest doing more research (although you will probably hate that idea ) and seeking a diagnosis.

[Nobby Reserve]

ADHD is caused by a lack of dopamine being produced naturally in the brain. Treatments include, but aren't limited to, stimulants for adults, which promote dopamine production.

If anyone is wondering whether they might have ADHD or not, some tell-tale signs...

01. Hyper fixation on anything really, borderline obsessive. Can last hours to years.

02. Inability to fall asleep due to an active brain. Obsessive, repetitive thought patterns. Resulting in poor sleeping patterns and/or insomnia.

03. Very poor closure rates on work projects or a tendency to struggle to close them out (once they are no longer novel or interesting).

04. Numerous hobbies/ambitions/DIY projects dropped almost as soon as the kit is bought.

05. Intermittent fugue like states where even the very idea of having to carry out simply mundane tasks causes extreme mental anguish. Can often lead to people being called lazy, when they are actually suffering.

06. An over-reliance/addiction to stimulants. Caffeine and nicotine being the main ones of note.

07. Feeling almost hung over in the mornings, a brain fog that sometimes does not lift all day (without stimulants).

08. Stimming - repetitive body movements

09. Poor time management - underestimating the time it will take to do something and, simultaneously, overestimating how quickly you can do something. Car journeys are a prime example. No one with ADHD has ever agreed with the SAT NAVs estimated journey time

10. Poor impulse control - prone to making rash decisions, binge drinking etc

11. Difficulty maintaining relationships with friends/family/partners

Whilst no means an exhaustive list, if you identify with all/most of those points then I would definitely suggest doing more research (although you will probably hate that idea ) and seeking a diagnosis.

It never occurred to me until about 6/7 years ago that I might have ADHD. I've only done tentative research (not joking here, it's soon lost my attention when I've started).

But the more I read about it and apply to myself, the more I realise "Fuck, that's me... and has been since you were the little shit in class losing interest in what was being taught and so disrupting the class"

From that list, all except 10 and 11 apply to me absolutely - in fact, the level of how accurate some are is scary. With 2, I've self-medicated for years (decades) principally through smoking weed. I've noticed over the past couple of years that the 3/4/5/7 parts are getting worse and, when I've looked into it further, it turns out that weed worsens the effects of ADHD. Rock and a fucking hard place.

I've got to the stage now where I need to get on the waiting list for a diagnosis. Even if it's only for my own peace of mind (I've struggled with work all my life - and the fear of the work backlog catching up with me and seeing me out on my arse has been a constant for a long time... indeed it's cost me two jobs)

I don't know if this is normal, but there are activities where I can maintain full concentration for long periods. This is usually when I find the subject matter really stimulating or if I'm in an environment - like a meeting with a client or on a group meeting/discussion where I have to participate. Or it's for simple and repetitive things; for instance, I can (and do, almost every night) play Candy Crush solid for an hour or two, and I've previously done the same with Solitaire (on my last laptop before MS changed it and got rid of the 'Vegas Rules' thing, I'd racked up over 11,000 games). With these, I tend to have multiple 'games' inside my head relating to stats like how many consecutive wins or making mental bets on outcomes - even what advert is coming next - with odds and keeping a tally inside my head..

I feel so fucked in the head!

[rob1966]

ADHD is caused by a lack of dopamine being produced naturally in the brain. Treatments include, but aren't limited to, stimulants for adults, which promote dopamine production.

If anyone is wondering whether they might have ADHD or not, some tell-tale signs...

01. Hyper fixation on anything really, borderline obsessive. Can last hours to years.

02. Inability to fall asleep due to an active brain. Obsessive, repetitive thought patterns. Resulting in poor sleeping patterns and/or insomnia.

03. Very poor closure rates on work projects or a tendency to struggle to close them out (once they are no longer novel or interesting).

04. Numerous hobbies/ambitions/DIY projects dropped almost as soon as the kit is bought.

05. Intermittent fugue like states where even the very idea of having to carry out simply mundane tasks causes extreme mental anguish. Can often lead to people being called lazy, when they are actually suffering.

06. An over-reliance/addiction to stimulants. Caffeine and nicotine being the main ones of note.

07. Feeling almost hung over in the mornings, a brain fog that sometimes does not lift all day (without stimulants).

08. Stimming - repetitive body movements

09. Poor time management - underestimating the time it will take to do something and, simultaneously, overestimating how quickly you can do something. Car journeys are a prime example. No one with ADHD has ever agreed with the SAT NAVs estimated journey time

10. Poor impulse control - prone to making rash decisions, binge drinking etc

11. Difficulty maintaining relationships with friends/family/partners

Whilst no means an exhaustive list, if you identify with all/most of those points then I would definitely suggest doing more research (although you will probably hate that idea ) and seeking a diagnosis.

That basically describes me

[Peabee]

I have ADHD and it's fucking terrible if undiagnosed or only diagnosed as an adult (there was someone in the Netherlands who was allowed to be euthanised due to ADHD). Luckily, my nephew has been diagnosed while in primary school so, hopefully, he won't be self medicating or behaving like me.

[fridgepants]

It feels like so many people are being diagnosed in adulthood, especially if they didn't fit the stereotypes that existed when they were younger. Mad to think how different life could have been for some of us.

In my case, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when I was 25. Given medication that felt like someone had taken the batteries out of my brain - I went from reading three books a week to barely being able to focus, struggled at work, struggled with things out of work. Mental health provision is shite in my area so every few months I'd be going back to my GP saying that, ok, I'm taking the new medication but I still feel totally dysfunctional, I'm still feeling miserable, sometimes I'll be sat doing nothing and my mood will plummet and I'll be fighting off thoughts I can't deal with. Three months later I'd be seen by a specialist and given a different dose and advised 'go to A+E if it gets worse'. It never felt quite right or fixed no matter what I was given, and this was life for about 10-15 years. Then I read more about ADHD and a lot of it fitted, and three years later (there was a year of the GP and the mental health team disagreeing about who should refer me so it just didn't happen) I went through the assessment with a psychiatrist who told me that I was misdiagnosed and what was actually going on was ADHD and autism, the latter part confirmed earlier this year. It's incredibly common in women especially for both to be missed - when I was a kid only boys had autism, only kids who ran round causing trouble had ADHD, if you're not one of those you're just weird and lazy, right? Even my mum doesn't really understand it. Actually. I don't really understand it still.

In my case the medication helped enormously - the first few days after taking it I was thinking 'wait, is this how everyone feels all the time?'  The trouble is that you only get a month of it at a time, because it's a controlled drug, and there's constant shortages, all very fun and cool if you have a condition that makes it harder to remember things and not get stressed. It's different for me maybe because I was coming off medication that basically did the opposite, but actually being able to stick to something and get it done was quite astonishing. I was placed with a titration nurse who would meet with me every week or fortnight to see how the dosage was going which helped a lot. I've never been into weed - being on heavy prescription medication for years will basically prevent you from getting up to much with booze and drugs - but I drank astonishing amounts of caffeine, Red Bull or coffee did absolutely nothing for me and I never knew why when it seemed to have others bouncing off the walls. I also used to play Solitaire obsessively, haha. I owe Microsoft so many virtual dollars.

You can get a private diagnosis if you have the money, and at one point when it felt like nothing was moving we looked into it, but my GP said there may be issues with them prescribing medication that the NHS doesn't offer and then it gets expensive to sort that out on an ongoing basis. I believe you can use something called Right To Choose in some boroughs which can place you with a private clinic through the NHS with Psychiatry UK, but it wasn't offered where I live.

[Red Beret]

I'm currently waiting for an ADHD assessment. Going via the NHS can take up to five years, so I've been told; but the NHS has contracted out to a private group that can do the assessment in around 12 months. I think you can ask your GP or mental health nurse about it. they give you a form to complete and you just add a covering letter.

I know I'm wired differently, but I've never really known what. Other than EUPD, Complex PTSD and some form of autism, I'm not sure. It's really difficult getting any kind of long term support as an adult. It's why I've pretty much just given up trying.

[fridgepants]

I did find with autism that everything is very much geared towards children, not middle-aged adults thinking 'ok, what the hell happens now? Am I just...medically weird?'

[RedDeadRejection]

ADHD is caused by a lack of dopamine being produced naturally in the brain. Treatments include, but aren't limited to, stimulants for adults, which promote dopamine production.

If anyone is wondering whether they might have ADHD or not, some tell-tale signs...

01. Hyper fixation on anything really, borderline obsessive. Can last hours to years.

02. Inability to fall asleep due to an active brain. Obsessive, repetitive thought patterns. Resulting in poor sleeping patterns and/or insomnia.

03. Very poor closure rates on work projects or a tendency to struggle to close them out (once they are no longer novel or interesting).

04. Numerous hobbies/ambitions/DIY projects dropped almost as soon as the kit is bought.

05. Intermittent fugue like states where even the very idea of having to carry out simply mundane tasks causes extreme mental anguish. Can often lead to people being called lazy, when they are actually suffering.

06. An over-reliance/addiction to stimulants. Caffeine and nicotine being the main ones of note.

07. Feeling almost hung over in the mornings, a brain fog that sometimes does not lift all day (without stimulants).

08. Stimming - repetitive body movements

09. Poor time management - underestimating the time it will take to do something and, simultaneously, overestimating how quickly you can do something. Car journeys are a prime example. No one with ADHD has ever agreed with the SAT NAVs estimated journey time

10. Poor impulse control - prone to making rash decisions, binge drinking etc

11. Difficulty maintaining relationships with friends/family/partners

Whilst no means an exhaustive list, if you identify with all/most of those points then I would definitely suggest doing more research (although you will probably hate that idea ) and seeking a diagnosis.

This hit different. I'm convinced I have it and struggle with even getting myself up after acting "normal" in work all day to do even the most simplest tasks.

[jackh]

ADHD is caused by a lack of dopamine being produced naturally in the brain. Treatments include, but aren't limited to, stimulants for adults, which promote dopamine production.

If anyone is wondering whether they might have ADHD or not, some tell-tale signs...

...

Whilst no means an exhaustive list, if you identify with all/most of those points then I would definitely suggest doing more research (although you will probably hate that idea ) and seeking a diagnosis.

I've found this website quite interesting, in the way that on the symptoms page you can view by various contexts (home, work, relationships, education, or social situations) and then filter by type (inattentive, hyperactivity-impulsivity, or mood instability). There's clearly no one single source of truth out there (and identifying it & sticking with it would kill many of us!) but I definitely find this useful.

https://adhdclinic.co.uk/adhd-symptoms/

[fridgepants]

One thing I found myself thinking when first researching it was 'well, isn't everyone a bit like this? The modern world and that...having a dopamine machine in our pockets, fracturing our attention...how do I know I'm not just distracted by life generally?' and that does make me feel a bit apprehensive about disclosing it to people with the perception it's just a TikTok trend some have, rather than something that's genuinely debilitating and limiting for many.

[jackh]

Have you read about rejection sensitivity dysphoria?

Saw this reference to rejection sensitive dysphoria in a different thread - RSD is definitely something I recognise in myself and so has been useful to learn a bit more about since an introduction via the Adult ADHD podcast* recently. I'll share the link in case it's useful to others.

*I'll acknowledge that the podcast is one to very much file under 'acquired' taste, due to the nature of the 'banter' between the presenters - it's very much one at a time rather than a binger for me, though I have found content of many of the episodes both enlightening & useful.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/AvDaj_YSuCg&amp;t" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/AvDaj_YSuCg&amp;t</a>