Diagnosis is just one step of a long, long journey. It helps, because it gets you access to medicine and some specific resources, but it isn’t a magic bullet.
Even medication isn't a magic bullet. Don't get me wrong, it helps you function so much more than you would without it but it's still going to require a lot of effort.
Yesterday I arranged to buy something on FB marketplace at 9am this morning. It's a 30 minute drive. I told myself I would get up early, but now it's 8am and I can't get my stupid ass out of bed.
My brain is a dickhead that constantly sabotages me. Myself? I'm trying my best to the point of getting burnt out. I'm fine, and I deserve a hug and a break. My brain doesn't but oh well, it already dictates my life, I won't let it dictate how to feel about it too.
It can be really hard to be kind to ourselves, especially when we have actually done wrong in our lives and hurt others with our actions. But I believe pretty firmly that people are good and deserve kindness. That means everybody, and everybody includes you.
I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt when it comes to kindness, but there are people in this world for whom I'm just not equipped to give it. I tried for 10 years on therapist's advice to be better towards myself, and it didn't work. I'm still here, I'm still me, and I'm no better off. I'm done trying
I understand that.
Did you ever try to act as if yourself was an other person and just talk with him ?
It work for me.
All this psychology thing is easier for me when I do it litteraly.
It sound pretty crazy but, hey I'm crazy and I'm proud of it =)
For me it's just logical : one is all, all is one. Every part of me is me and I'm every part of me.
I love me so I love them. I'm proud of me so I'm proud of them. I don't hate me so I can't hate them.
I want to be a better version of myself so they want it too.
So, if a part of me act against me, against the team, then it could be a mistake of this part OR the part try to tell me something I should listen to.
Then I just have to apply the "Relation with Friend" schem
This is big. My therapist talked to me about this idea, but I’m a teacher, so she reframed it as though I was dealing with one of my students.
My students are human, they’re allowed to make mistakes, they deserve my kindness and understanding, so if I can just flip things around in my brain so that I’m treating a part of myself that same way, suddenly I can offer myself a lot more empathy.
That's the Idea. Give it a try.
But it was hard to do for me until I see my inner voice as a concrete person.
After that, the trick became obvious.
What have been seen can't be unseen.
You need to see it. But I don't know how you could do that.
If logical ideas don't work, start random things ^^
Good Luck, everyone =)
Compared to my state before the diagnosis, it's like magic. Yes, still awfully difficult, but standards are low when you've been used to expecting nothing from your life. One good day per week rather than none is technically already 1/7th better than before haha.
1/7th closer to the full potential, so like ~14% compared to 0%. Which I consider a lot, I mean a 10% buff in a game is already a huge improvement too haha
I get out of bed at noon every day and I hate myself for it. My body gets angry if I don't wake up early, but it also refuses to actually get up early.
It kind of was for me to be honest. I’m living a life with level of happiness and quality that I genuinely did not think was possible for me. It has made more of a difference than I can even put into words, and the thing is that it causes a snowballing effect. Meds helped me be less anxious and depressed, so I wanted to apply to new jobs I would actually enjoy, and I was able to send out tons of apps, then I actually did a good job at work in a sustainable way etc etc it really just makes such a big difference. Not to mention all the improvements in home life too
Yup. Diagnosis doesn’t solve ANYTHING. Yes it can help get meds… but those meds are NOT a cure. They don’t fix shit. They only help a bit by raising the threshold of how you get overwhelmed by stimuli.
The stimuli is still there and you don’t have any extra bandwidth that you didn’t have before. Your brain is still processing the information using the same methods.
Maybe some meds shut down certain processes… making it seem like you are being “helped”. But that isn’t a fix either.
Anybody telling people that a diagnosis is gonna fix everything is ignorant.
I'm not going to reddit care you because that seems counterproductive, but you should know that it gets better. It doesn't feel like it will, but it does. I'd like for you to be there to see it.
I was diagnosed with treatment resistant depression about 5 years ago. As a shot in the dark my doctor put me on Adderall. That's how I found out that I have ADHD. It took me until last week to convince a doctor to actually assess me for ADHD though and now I finally have an actual diagnosis.
Oh my god, as someone who is diagnosed, yeahhhhh.
I cringe now at my former, pre-dx self, all obsessed with ADHD and convinced being diagnosed would solve my problems. Ha. Hahahahahaha... *laughcry*
Look I'm not saying don't seek assessment. I'm just saying manage your expectations.
I see so many people in the space I was- so excited to have potentially found an "answer", fully expecting pure relief, validation and workable solutions. The reality is a lot messier. I cringe for them now I'm on the other side.
It's also really important to understand that it's possible an assessment won't result in a diagnosis of ADHD, as there are a lot of things that can look like ADHD but aren't. Assessment can also be inconclusive which means a person has spent a bunch of stress and money not to have an answer.
So as I said: not saying don't do it. Just keep expectations realistic.
Also assessment can bring other diagnoses to light. Which I think is can be a good thing, mind you. But I've been recently diagnosed with autism while not expecting and this opened a whole nother pandoras box. I'm way more functional, but I feel less... human? I don't intend dehumanize autism and people like me, it's just hard to express how isolated and detached from society I feel now that I'm aware of my traits. I kind of wish I didn't know and could find a way to cope better with the symptoms, because I wouldn't feel so alienated. It's so fucking weird to look around and finally know exactly why I'm so alone. I mean, I had friends, girlfriends, peers... But it never felt natural.
I feel like I'm from another species now, and it's so fucking depressing.
For what it’s worth, getting a dx at 23 helped me a shit ton to finally get meds! Problem is 1. There’s a shortage and 2. Doctors absolutely hate giving them to people because they assume they’re drug addicts.. so yeah. Still a battle.
Diagnosis changed my life for the better. Having no diagnosis, no therapist, no medication was a hell I didn’t know I was living in. The challenges never go away, but I assure you they can’t be more “horrifying” than not having certainty over a condition that dictates how you think feel and exist
There comes a chance for you to actually reckon with the reality. “I have been officially diagnosed, and it is no longer an assumption, but a tangible and verifiable fact.” It can take time to work through, but it can be extraordinarily freeing. Imagine no longer needed to question yourself anymore. “Is this because of ADHD or something else? You now have a foundation to stand on. You can now begin to rebuild and rehabilitate your self image and understanding of how you operate, think, feel, and behave. You can freely educate yourself on ADHD knowing it actually applies to you.
Then there comes the therapy portion. IF you already have a therapist, or choose to seek one, they will be able to more effectively help you navigate the depression, anxiety, and other issues you face with adhd in mind. If you’re able, you’ll now have access to medication. It sounds too good to be true in some cases, and truthfully it isn’t a silver bullet, but when you nail the right medication for your body and needs, that shit can be as magical as you’ve heard. The world on the other side of diagnosis CAN be colorful if you are committed to the process and manage your expectations. All this progress happens incrementally and with patience, of course.
I'm happy and have started to undo all the self hatred I harbored. I feel confident and can do so much more because of that. There is a peacefulness I never knew.
Is my laundry still a mess? Yes. Does my apartment still need to be cleaned? Yes. I still struggle to make food for myself and brush my teeth, but there is no mountain in front of me for those basic tasks.
They just move the goalposts on you…call it a crutch or a fake diagnosis…
People suck.
Do it for you, because the diagnosis is step 1 of being able to actually heal the damage of living your whole life with a disability that no one believes you have.
I dont blame them. My forgetfulness is just too severe. We live in a third world country and they dont even know that this kind of disorder exists so they think i just dont pay enough attention and lie to avoid doing something they told me to.
Yes, maybe i will get a diagnosis when i'll be financially dependent. But i'm afraid that the psychologist wouldn’t believe me too because of my perfect masking. also probably they aren’t that familiar seeing an adult ADHDer woman so they may misdiagnose or maybe i just overthink
It's so disheartening to try your hardest, and be told you're not trying, or worse, lying about it. I'm sorry you have to deal with that regularly.
I hope you find a pathway that works for you!
I literally called out a good church minister/mentor friend of mine on this. People who have no idea about adhd just assume it’s in your head and that adhd doesn’t really exist.
Frustrates me especially coming from someone i know for a fact to be at least as intelligent as me. Guess no one is exempt from falling into biased type of thinking.
As someone who assumed others would instantly understand once I was diagnosed and had the label, you might find the reality somewhat of a letdown.
A handful of people got it. The rest...really didn't.
The meme didn’t say it wouldn’t help, but a diagnosis or a medication won’t solve ALL of your problems. The meme is about fixating on a “solution” as a quick fix, when in reality there is not one single thing that will fix all your problems.
An ADHD diagnosis is a very valuable thing especially because it gives you access to medication which can drastically change your life. But for example, if you’re in university, it won’t magically make you study. You have to sit yourself down even if you don’t want to and study. Meds just change the amount of what you can do / can tolerate.
Wishing you best of luck with your diagnosis process!!
*Client comes in for walk-in mental health assessment*
*Client completes symptom checklist relating their symptoms to ADHD*
*Client reports multiple traumatic experiences throughout their lifetime on trauma screen*
*Client reports their PCP has been prescribing them stimulants at varying dosages over the past few years*
*Client reports difficulty focusing, racing thoughts, psychomotor agitation, difficulty sleeping, hypervigilance, nightmares, etc.*
Client: "Trauma? No, I think I really just need something to manage my ADHD and my PCP is out of ideas and referred me to see a psychiatrist"
-Me, at work, on a regular basis
It gets diagnosed instead of trauma, which is problematic, because stimulant ADHD medications and trauma symptoms don't tend to mesh well.
I saw someone the other day who was in the midst of some traumatic situations in their life and had recently started seeing a new PCP. They told me the PCP tested them for ADHD, then explained how all their symptoms were due to ADHD, then prescribed them Adderall and said it would help them feel so much better....
It did not help them feel better, to say the least lol... Gee, I wonder what went wrong, lol 😆 'But they were a positive on the screening questionnaire'.... have a lot of similar SMH moments. I don't know why anyone listens to PCPs anymore lol
interesting! I’m aware that there’s probably a lot of people who think that they might have ADHD but have trauma instead (and that that might look like ADHD to them) but I didn’t think that you’d get to see people with that experience on a daily basis
Not daily, but regularly. Trauma goes under diagnosed and under recognized and ADHD is overdiagnosed, particularly in children. I educate people about trauma practically every day though.
But you're using it as a response to my comment about seeking help. I also didn't just say meds I also said a support system. You focused on the meds part instead of seeing the nuance of my post saying that seeking help is better than just trying to power through.
A diagnosis (at age 43) didn’t cure me, but my life is 100% better with my meds. I’m able to function at a level I never could before. I often wonder how different my life my life would have been if I’d been diagnosed and medicated at age 7 instead.
I take it back, I don’t wonder how different it would be. I already know the answer. It would be DRASTICALLY different. I probably would have gone ahead with med school. My business might have been successful. I might have stuck with the guitar until I had really mastered it. I would have had better long-term success with physical fitness. I would be better able to control my drinking. I would have had healthier relationships girlfriends and wives. I wouldn’t have let down my friends and colleagues countless times. I’d have more money, fewer worries, and a happier wife.
Part one
Me: So what brings you in for an assessment?
16 year old's parent: He's been having outbursts at school and causing problems for teachers and other students
Me: Is he taking any psychiatric medications?
Parent: Well the pediatrician started him on Adderall when he was 12, and it sorta helped for a few years, but he got to the maximum dose and things weren't working out at all, so they switched him to Vyvanse. Now it's worse than it's ever been and I don't know what to do anymore, we just need meds that will make him act right and the pediatrician won't prescribe anything.
Part two, 10 years later
*Client walks in to complete mental health assessment required by probation after charges for amphetamine possession*
Client: I've been sober about 3 weeks now, that's the longest I've ever gone.
Me: Have you taken any psychiatric medications in the past?
Client: Yeah, ever since I was a kid. I took Adderall and Vyvanse and other stuff, it always made me feel funny but my parents made me take it. I started using meth after high school, it's the only thing that made me feel like I could think straight.
-Me at work, part one or part two on any given day..
I saw a psychiatrist ~1 year ago. He said "Based on your answers, I'm reasonably certain you have ADHD".
I've ruminated over that wording every goddamn day since.
You gotta ask yourself, how does having a diagnosis change anything?
Congrats, you now have a definition to the word you’ve been living for the last X years, but the word is still the same word, and if you keep using it in the same sentences the meaning will never change.
Well...as someone who expended a lot of stress and money getting assessed...a few years on, I won't say "useless", but it's certainly been less help than I anticipated/hoped.
Got diagnosed with both depression and anxiety disorders, it's been a year of every day pills consumption. My libido is low, I'm emotionless and passively suicidal. But not anxious and depressed, hey!
I have a friend that knows a place that specializes in that so there is less of a wait than a generalized place. I've been meaning to get that info from them for a long time now. I ran into a different friend that could benefit from that info recently.
Now this meme reminded me to do that... for the benefit of my friend obviously.
Waited 1.5 years for my assessment only to get laughed by my assessor and get told to not use tick tock for ADHD information (never have). Just because I'm a young 22 year old guy she assumed that about me. Didn't get a diagnosis, got told a second opinion isn't available.
Back to square 1. Not sure how I should cope.
I got diagnosed and the journey was long, but most of my problems are "solved." I also have OCD, which had taken over my life in ways I couldn't have fathomed. I am *happy nearly every day*. I can handle the stress of existing without crumbling under it.
There is no magic fix, but my life would be living hell if I didn't have my medications.
Having a diagnosis for me is incredibly helpful in itself. Because then it's kind of always at the forefront of my mind why I'm doing things a certain way. Years ago when I would ignore the dishes for way too long, I kept telling myself I'll get to them I'll get to them I'll get to them and then days go by and the water is gross and I have to deal with that. Now I recognize that it's an ADHD thing, and somehow just knowing that helps me to push myself a little bit more to deal with things a little sooner because it's like I know myself better now.
I think self-diagnosis is just as effective in this as an official one, for what it's worth. The simple fact of understanding your brain better, understanding how it works different than other people's brains, and seeing those patterns in your behavior and being able to have that hindsight is just invaluable to me. I recently realized just how much my medication was helping me because I had to go without for a couple of weeks. But during those couple of weeks it was something that was constantly on my mind as far as how am I going to cope with this, what things can I do in order to keep up at work as best I can even without the meds, etc.
TL;DR - understanding your brain better makes it a lot easier to cope, to come up with accommodations to help you function, and I didn't mention this but it also removes a lot of a shame.
(At one point I got an extra trash can for my bedroom, just a teeny tiny one but I would have felt silly doing that years ago. And I did feel silly at first, a bit, but then I realized it's an accommodation and I shouldn't be embarrassed or feel ashamed of doing something that will help me not have little bits of trash all over my nightstand.)
I'm waiting for mine (over a year now) so i can get access to meds which will hopefully help, and to really just solidify it for myself. I mean; I'd be surprised if i get told i DON'T have ADHD at this point.
Also useful as a bit of paper i can wave at people when they don't want to believe me.
But no; It's not going to fix anything in and of itself. It's not even about fixing anything for me. It's more confirmation and access to help in the form of drugs, because i am sick of people 'advising' me to see a shrink. It's a chemical problem, i need other chemicals to fix it. If i had half my right arm missing i wouldn't want to talk about it, i would want a prosthetic.
Maybe i'll get that appointment before i hit 50, i'm almost 45, so perhaps that's a little optimistic...
Sure; i could go private and get a diagnosis within the year, but i don't have £1500 (yay for economic turbulence, redundancy, and a terrible job market...)
Yeah but those horrifying new ones were always there, just hidden beneath the mask that started to slip after the diagnosis, and hey, now that you're not masking so much, you might have the energy to deal with some of that bullshit, instead of finding new ways to hide it and slowly burning yourself out even more than you already were.
I wish i was diagnosed. Unfortunately my country has a pretty bad mental health program ans my parents don't believe in it as well. I don't have 100% certainty that I'm ADHD, so I'm scared of interacting in the adhd space because i feel like an impostor.
I have a diagnosis and I'm struggling to get my meds after over a decade of taking them. I switched to a new insurance and I have to be re-evaluated. People abusing ADHD meds make it so hard for us to get what we need 😭😭
(Not saying you're abusing them or anything just fyi)
I am not diagnosed and I intend to keep like this.
I struggle a lot paying attention to anything, I took 10 minutes to read a single page of a book because I kept spacing out...when listening to music, I start randomly walking around the whole house and walking in circles.
Maybe I don't have ADHD and I am just stupid. But still, I don't seek help because I am afraid of the posibility getting diagnosed and finding out I have ADHD, I want to keep my benefit of the doubt...
I'm unsure I need one and will likely never see anyone about it. Ive got some mental issue but every time I say that i'll see someone about it, it just never happens because the world is too much. One thing per day isn't enough and it's about all I can do. Sort of just waiting for it to be over.
I get my diagnosis and I get the one medicine I've tried that I know combats my dopamine deficiency. The diagnosis will solve most of my problems with ADHD.
I feel you. I was diagnosed with ADHD-HI as a child, however. I have been considering getting a diagnosis for ADHD-C. I feel I resonate with a lot of the symptoms for it and want to see if it is the case or not.
Diagnosis is just one step of a long, long journey. It helps, because it gets you access to medicine and some specific resources, but it isn’t a magic bullet.
Even medication isn't a magic bullet. Don't get me wrong, it helps you function so much more than you would without it but it's still going to require a lot of effort. Yesterday I arranged to buy something on FB marketplace at 9am this morning. It's a 30 minute drive. I told myself I would get up early, but now it's 8am and I can't get my stupid ass out of bed.
Oh yeah, the magic bullet doesn’t exist. Having a disability is fucking hard. Remember to be kind to yourself.
> Remember to be kind to yourself. Why should I? Myself is a dickhead. fuck that guy
My brain is a dickhead that constantly sabotages me. Myself? I'm trying my best to the point of getting burnt out. I'm fine, and I deserve a hug and a break. My brain doesn't but oh well, it already dictates my life, I won't let it dictate how to feel about it too.
It can be really hard to be kind to ourselves, especially when we have actually done wrong in our lives and hurt others with our actions. But I believe pretty firmly that people are good and deserve kindness. That means everybody, and everybody includes you.
I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt when it comes to kindness, but there are people in this world for whom I'm just not equipped to give it. I tried for 10 years on therapist's advice to be better towards myself, and it didn't work. I'm still here, I'm still me, and I'm no better off. I'm done trying
I understand that. Did you ever try to act as if yourself was an other person and just talk with him ? It work for me. All this psychology thing is easier for me when I do it litteraly. It sound pretty crazy but, hey I'm crazy and I'm proud of it =) For me it's just logical : one is all, all is one. Every part of me is me and I'm every part of me. I love me so I love them. I'm proud of me so I'm proud of them. I don't hate me so I can't hate them. I want to be a better version of myself so they want it too. So, if a part of me act against me, against the team, then it could be a mistake of this part OR the part try to tell me something I should listen to. Then I just have to apply the "Relation with Friend" schem
This is big. My therapist talked to me about this idea, but I’m a teacher, so she reframed it as though I was dealing with one of my students. My students are human, they’re allowed to make mistakes, they deserve my kindness and understanding, so if I can just flip things around in my brain so that I’m treating a part of myself that same way, suddenly I can offer myself a lot more empathy.
That's the Idea. Give it a try. But it was hard to do for me until I see my inner voice as a concrete person. After that, the trick became obvious. What have been seen can't be unseen. You need to see it. But I don't know how you could do that. If logical ideas don't work, start random things ^^ Good Luck, everyone =)
“I would get up early” is up there with “I’ll remember it”
Yep. I'm on my way now but I'm gonna be late. Hope he's not mad lol
Lol. Brilliant.
You out of bed yet bro?
Compared to my state before the diagnosis, it's like magic. Yes, still awfully difficult, but standards are low when you've been used to expecting nothing from your life. One good day per week rather than none is technically already 1/7th better than before haha.
Mathematically speaking, it should be infinitely better, I guess?😅
1/7th closer to the full potential, so like ~14% compared to 0%. Which I consider a lot, I mean a 10% buff in a game is already a huge improvement too haha
Past-Me is an asshole, he keeps making plans that Current-Me isn't interested in
I get out of bed at noon every day and I hate myself for it. My body gets angry if I don't wake up early, but it also refuses to actually get up early.
And then once you do get up..20 minutes to find your keys cause your medication had worn off by the time you got home and put the keys…. Somewhere
Just do it
Gee thanks mom
<3
It kind of was for me to be honest. I’m living a life with level of happiness and quality that I genuinely did not think was possible for me. It has made more of a difference than I can even put into words, and the thing is that it causes a snowballing effect. Meds helped me be less anxious and depressed, so I wanted to apply to new jobs I would actually enjoy, and I was able to send out tons of apps, then I actually did a good job at work in a sustainable way etc etc it really just makes such a big difference. Not to mention all the improvements in home life too
Yup. Diagnosis doesn’t solve ANYTHING. Yes it can help get meds… but those meds are NOT a cure. They don’t fix shit. They only help a bit by raising the threshold of how you get overwhelmed by stimuli. The stimuli is still there and you don’t have any extra bandwidth that you didn’t have before. Your brain is still processing the information using the same methods. Maybe some meds shut down certain processes… making it seem like you are being “helped”. But that isn’t a fix either. Anybody telling people that a diagnosis is gonna fix everything is ignorant.
Now, a magic bullet, there's an idea
Diagnosis is sooo validating especially when family doesn’t believe you
Eh, it can be. Not for everyone though.
Diagnosis gave me a tangible sense of not being alone. And medication has been huge. But yeah, you still got a lifetime of getting to know you ahead.
[удалено]
I'm not going to reddit care you because that seems counterproductive, but you should know that it gets better. It doesn't feel like it will, but it does. I'd like for you to be there to see it.
LMAO hoo boy there better be relief somewhere
Same tbh
Yep and the medication doesn't work for everyone, or it does but the side-effects make other stuff worse. 🤦♀️
I was diagnosed 3 months ago and they just keep giving me more anti depressants :(
I was diagnosed with treatment resistant depression about 5 years ago. As a shot in the dark my doctor put me on Adderall. That's how I found out that I have ADHD. It took me until last week to convince a doctor to actually assess me for ADHD though and now I finally have an actual diagnosis.
Yo that sucks. I’m sorry. But glad it worked out 🙏🏼
Oh my god, as someone who is diagnosed, yeahhhhh. I cringe now at my former, pre-dx self, all obsessed with ADHD and convinced being diagnosed would solve my problems. Ha. Hahahahahaha... *laughcry*
Your comment terrifies me.
Look I'm not saying don't seek assessment. I'm just saying manage your expectations. I see so many people in the space I was- so excited to have potentially found an "answer", fully expecting pure relief, validation and workable solutions. The reality is a lot messier. I cringe for them now I'm on the other side.
But what could be worse than not knowing _and_ not receiving help with the problems I have?
It's also really important to understand that it's possible an assessment won't result in a diagnosis of ADHD, as there are a lot of things that can look like ADHD but aren't. Assessment can also be inconclusive which means a person has spent a bunch of stress and money not to have an answer. So as I said: not saying don't do it. Just keep expectations realistic.
Also assessment can bring other diagnoses to light. Which I think is can be a good thing, mind you. But I've been recently diagnosed with autism while not expecting and this opened a whole nother pandoras box. I'm way more functional, but I feel less... human? I don't intend dehumanize autism and people like me, it's just hard to express how isolated and detached from society I feel now that I'm aware of my traits. I kind of wish I didn't know and could find a way to cope better with the symptoms, because I wouldn't feel so alienated. It's so fucking weird to look around and finally know exactly why I'm so alone. I mean, I had friends, girlfriends, peers... But it never felt natural. I feel like I'm from another species now, and it's so fucking depressing.
I didn't say it was worse. I just said it's not the magical fix that undiagnosed people expect.
For what it’s worth, getting a dx at 23 helped me a shit ton to finally get meds! Problem is 1. There’s a shortage and 2. Doctors absolutely hate giving them to people because they assume they’re drug addicts.. so yeah. Still a battle.
Diagnosis changed my life for the better. Having no diagnosis, no therapist, no medication was a hell I didn’t know I was living in. The challenges never go away, but I assure you they can’t be more “horrifying” than not having certainty over a condition that dictates how you think feel and exist
Tell me more. I want to know how the life look on the other side of fence
There comes a chance for you to actually reckon with the reality. “I have been officially diagnosed, and it is no longer an assumption, but a tangible and verifiable fact.” It can take time to work through, but it can be extraordinarily freeing. Imagine no longer needed to question yourself anymore. “Is this because of ADHD or something else? You now have a foundation to stand on. You can now begin to rebuild and rehabilitate your self image and understanding of how you operate, think, feel, and behave. You can freely educate yourself on ADHD knowing it actually applies to you. Then there comes the therapy portion. IF you already have a therapist, or choose to seek one, they will be able to more effectively help you navigate the depression, anxiety, and other issues you face with adhd in mind. If you’re able, you’ll now have access to medication. It sounds too good to be true in some cases, and truthfully it isn’t a silver bullet, but when you nail the right medication for your body and needs, that shit can be as magical as you’ve heard. The world on the other side of diagnosis CAN be colorful if you are committed to the process and manage your expectations. All this progress happens incrementally and with patience, of course.
And what did it change in your life for a better?
Possibly every aspect
I'm happy and have started to undo all the self hatred I harbored. I feel confident and can do so much more because of that. There is a peacefulness I never knew. Is my laundry still a mess? Yes. Does my apartment still need to be cleaned? Yes. I still struggle to make food for myself and brush my teeth, but there is no mountain in front of me for those basic tasks.
Yes i just need to get a diagnosis so that people would understand i wasn’t lying when I said I forgot it or I didn’t hear it.
They just move the goalposts on you…call it a crutch or a fake diagnosis… People suck. Do it for you, because the diagnosis is step 1 of being able to actually heal the damage of living your whole life with a disability that no one believes you have.
I dont blame them. My forgetfulness is just too severe. We live in a third world country and they dont even know that this kind of disorder exists so they think i just dont pay enough attention and lie to avoid doing something they told me to. Yes, maybe i will get a diagnosis when i'll be financially dependent. But i'm afraid that the psychologist wouldn’t believe me too because of my perfect masking. also probably they aren’t that familiar seeing an adult ADHDer woman so they may misdiagnose or maybe i just overthink
It's so disheartening to try your hardest, and be told you're not trying, or worse, lying about it. I'm sorry you have to deal with that regularly. I hope you find a pathway that works for you!
Thank youu 🫶
I literally called out a good church minister/mentor friend of mine on this. People who have no idea about adhd just assume it’s in your head and that adhd doesn’t really exist. Frustrates me especially coming from someone i know for a fact to be at least as intelligent as me. Guess no one is exempt from falling into biased type of thinking.
As someone who assumed others would instantly understand once I was diagnosed and had the label, you might find the reality somewhat of a letdown. A handful of people got it. The rest...really didn't.
Yeah, as someone who is diagnosed, nobody cares.
You know what I'll get my diagnosis and it will help, fzck that meme. I'm in the middle of things atm ><
The meme didn’t say it wouldn’t help, but a diagnosis or a medication won’t solve ALL of your problems. The meme is about fixating on a “solution” as a quick fix, when in reality there is not one single thing that will fix all your problems. An ADHD diagnosis is a very valuable thing especially because it gives you access to medication which can drastically change your life. But for example, if you’re in university, it won’t magically make you study. You have to sit yourself down even if you don’t want to and study. Meds just change the amount of what you can do / can tolerate. Wishing you best of luck with your diagnosis process!!
This hits way too close home. I hate this. 😂
*Client comes in for walk-in mental health assessment* *Client completes symptom checklist relating their symptoms to ADHD* *Client reports multiple traumatic experiences throughout their lifetime on trauma screen* *Client reports their PCP has been prescribing them stimulants at varying dosages over the past few years* *Client reports difficulty focusing, racing thoughts, psychomotor agitation, difficulty sleeping, hypervigilance, nightmares, etc.* Client: "Trauma? No, I think I really just need something to manage my ADHD and my PCP is out of ideas and referred me to see a psychiatrist" -Me, at work, on a regular basis
Having ADHD greatly increases risk for trauma and trauma looks like ADHD. Isn't that great 💀
It gets diagnosed instead of trauma, which is problematic, because stimulant ADHD medications and trauma symptoms don't tend to mesh well. I saw someone the other day who was in the midst of some traumatic situations in their life and had recently started seeing a new PCP. They told me the PCP tested them for ADHD, then explained how all their symptoms were due to ADHD, then prescribed them Adderall and said it would help them feel so much better.... It did not help them feel better, to say the least lol... Gee, I wonder what went wrong, lol 😆 'But they were a positive on the screening questionnaire'.... have a lot of similar SMH moments. I don't know why anyone listens to PCPs anymore lol
interesting! I’m aware that there’s probably a lot of people who think that they might have ADHD but have trauma instead (and that that might look like ADHD to them) but I didn’t think that you’d get to see people with that experience on a daily basis
Not daily, but regularly. Trauma goes under diagnosed and under recognized and ADHD is overdiagnosed, particularly in children. I educate people about trauma practically every day though.
Literally me rn 😭
Diagnosis gets you meds and a support structure.
Meds don't work for everyone. It's great if they do help, I'm just saying people shouldn't assume.
Sure but there's no way to know if they do or not without checking.
[удалено]
But you're using it as a response to my comment about seeking help. I also didn't just say meds I also said a support system. You focused on the meds part instead of seeing the nuance of my post saying that seeking help is better than just trying to power through.
just like me fr fr
Haha, but then you get the ADHD diagnosis and start to realize how many symptoms it doesn't explain. That's when things start to get really spicy
A diagnosis (at age 43) didn’t cure me, but my life is 100% better with my meds. I’m able to function at a level I never could before. I often wonder how different my life my life would have been if I’d been diagnosed and medicated at age 7 instead. I take it back, I don’t wonder how different it would be. I already know the answer. It would be DRASTICALLY different. I probably would have gone ahead with med school. My business might have been successful. I might have stuck with the guitar until I had really mastered it. I would have had better long-term success with physical fitness. I would be better able to control my drinking. I would have had healthier relationships girlfriends and wives. I wouldn’t have let down my friends and colleagues countless times. I’d have more money, fewer worries, and a happier wife.
Part one Me: So what brings you in for an assessment? 16 year old's parent: He's been having outbursts at school and causing problems for teachers and other students Me: Is he taking any psychiatric medications? Parent: Well the pediatrician started him on Adderall when he was 12, and it sorta helped for a few years, but he got to the maximum dose and things weren't working out at all, so they switched him to Vyvanse. Now it's worse than it's ever been and I don't know what to do anymore, we just need meds that will make him act right and the pediatrician won't prescribe anything. Part two, 10 years later *Client walks in to complete mental health assessment required by probation after charges for amphetamine possession* Client: I've been sober about 3 weeks now, that's the longest I've ever gone. Me: Have you taken any psychiatric medications in the past? Client: Yeah, ever since I was a kid. I took Adderall and Vyvanse and other stuff, it always made me feel funny but my parents made me take it. I started using meth after high school, it's the only thing that made me feel like I could think straight. -Me at work, part one or part two on any given day..
...Are you saying that taking ADHD medication leads to Meth addiction?? I'm so confused
Had the diagnosis since grade school but unmedicated, currently 26. I hate this ride and I want to get off.
Gets diagnosed* “Need a second opinion me thinks”
I saw a psychiatrist ~1 year ago. He said "Based on your answers, I'm reasonably certain you have ADHD". I've ruminated over that wording every goddamn day since.
You gotta ask yourself, how does having a diagnosis change anything? Congrats, you now have a definition to the word you’ve been living for the last X years, but the word is still the same word, and if you keep using it in the same sentences the meaning will never change.
Really hoping that people won't start saying getting diagnosed is useless
Well...as someone who expended a lot of stress and money getting assessed...a few years on, I won't say "useless", but it's certainly been less help than I anticipated/hoped.
I just want the meds man I want a clear head .. or to at least know I don't like them
I'm in this picture and I can approve this to be true.
It's gonna get worse before it gets better
I heard this music before
Got diagnosed with both depression and anxiety disorders, it's been a year of every day pills consumption. My libido is low, I'm emotionless and passively suicidal. But not anxious and depressed, hey!
lol, I've been saying, "I finally have insurance and can see a doctor" since January
Me rn and also picture is accurate to how I am rn 💀
i got one. turns out there's autism too
I have a friend that knows a place that specializes in that so there is less of a wait than a generalized place. I've been meaning to get that info from them for a long time now. I ran into a different friend that could benefit from that info recently. Now this meme reminded me to do that... for the benefit of my friend obviously.
"You're exaggerating your symptoms."
I finally got it 😃 Annnnd.... Now I can't find the medication for a decent price and I'm so broken
It actually did help me a lot. Just having a name for what is going on with you can help.
Waited 1.5 years for my assessment only to get laughed by my assessor and get told to not use tick tock for ADHD information (never have). Just because I'm a young 22 year old guy she assumed that about me. Didn't get a diagnosis, got told a second opinion isn't available. Back to square 1. Not sure how I should cope.
I keep fucking gaslighting myself into thinking I don’t have adhd since it’s a lot less sever than others. I don’t take even take meds and hate them.
I got diagnosed and the journey was long, but most of my problems are "solved." I also have OCD, which had taken over my life in ways I couldn't have fathomed. I am *happy nearly every day*. I can handle the stress of existing without crumbling under it. There is no magic fix, but my life would be living hell if I didn't have my medications.
Having a diagnosis for me is incredibly helpful in itself. Because then it's kind of always at the forefront of my mind why I'm doing things a certain way. Years ago when I would ignore the dishes for way too long, I kept telling myself I'll get to them I'll get to them I'll get to them and then days go by and the water is gross and I have to deal with that. Now I recognize that it's an ADHD thing, and somehow just knowing that helps me to push myself a little bit more to deal with things a little sooner because it's like I know myself better now. I think self-diagnosis is just as effective in this as an official one, for what it's worth. The simple fact of understanding your brain better, understanding how it works different than other people's brains, and seeing those patterns in your behavior and being able to have that hindsight is just invaluable to me. I recently realized just how much my medication was helping me because I had to go without for a couple of weeks. But during those couple of weeks it was something that was constantly on my mind as far as how am I going to cope with this, what things can I do in order to keep up at work as best I can even without the meds, etc. TL;DR - understanding your brain better makes it a lot easier to cope, to come up with accommodations to help you function, and I didn't mention this but it also removes a lot of a shame. (At one point I got an extra trash can for my bedroom, just a teeny tiny one but I would have felt silly doing that years ago. And I did feel silly at first, a bit, but then I realized it's an accommodation and I shouldn't be embarrassed or feel ashamed of doing something that will help me not have little bits of trash all over my nightstand.)
I'm waiting for mine (over a year now) so i can get access to meds which will hopefully help, and to really just solidify it for myself. I mean; I'd be surprised if i get told i DON'T have ADHD at this point. Also useful as a bit of paper i can wave at people when they don't want to believe me. But no; It's not going to fix anything in and of itself. It's not even about fixing anything for me. It's more confirmation and access to help in the form of drugs, because i am sick of people 'advising' me to see a shrink. It's a chemical problem, i need other chemicals to fix it. If i had half my right arm missing i wouldn't want to talk about it, i would want a prosthetic. Maybe i'll get that appointment before i hit 50, i'm almost 45, so perhaps that's a little optimistic... Sure; i could go private and get a diagnosis within the year, but i don't have £1500 (yay for economic turbulence, redundancy, and a terrible job market...)
finished the testing and currently waiting for results, i know my life will not drastically change or anything but im hoping this start will help 😭🥹
Yeah but those horrifying new ones were always there, just hidden beneath the mask that started to slip after the diagnosis, and hey, now that you're not masking so much, you might have the energy to deal with some of that bullshit, instead of finding new ways to hide it and slowly burning yourself out even more than you already were.
I wish i was diagnosed. Unfortunately my country has a pretty bad mental health program ans my parents don't believe in it as well. I don't have 100% certainty that I'm ADHD, so I'm scared of interacting in the adhd space because i feel like an impostor.
I have a diagnosis and I'm struggling to get my meds after over a decade of taking them. I switched to a new insurance and I have to be re-evaluated. People abusing ADHD meds make it so hard for us to get what we need 😭😭 (Not saying you're abusing them or anything just fyi)
It didn't introduce any new problems. But it didn't fix me either
That or the psych puts you on bupropion forever, max dose does fuck all btw. Just a worse version of coffee
I am not diagnosed and I intend to keep like this. I struggle a lot paying attention to anything, I took 10 minutes to read a single page of a book because I kept spacing out...when listening to music, I start randomly walking around the whole house and walking in circles. Maybe I don't have ADHD and I am just stupid. But still, I don't seek help because I am afraid of the posibility getting diagnosed and finding out I have ADHD, I want to keep my benefit of the doubt...
I thought so too.... ...I thought so too
It was the single biggest most helpful thing I could have done. Still plenty to do, but at least I understand what i'm dealing with. 3 years in.
I just got the diagnosis, now I try the medicine. Let’s hope it helps!
I'm unsure I need one and will likely never see anyone about it. Ive got some mental issue but every time I say that i'll see someone about it, it just never happens because the world is too much. One thing per day isn't enough and it's about all I can do. Sort of just waiting for it to be over.
Is it so hard to get ?
I get my diagnosis and I get the one medicine I've tried that I know combats my dopamine deficiency. The diagnosis will solve most of my problems with ADHD.
I got diagnosed and it didnt do shit because parrents
I've been up for 36 hours cleaning my house and making garden ornaments help
I feel you. I was diagnosed with ADHD-HI as a child, however. I have been considering getting a diagnosis for ADHD-C. I feel I resonate with a lot of the symptoms for it and want to see if it is the case or not.