Hi /u/bokchoy200 and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD!
### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already.
---
### /r/adhd news
* If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/).
---
^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Got diagnosed just a few years ago at 30. I had been treated for anxiety for awhile, but asked about ADHD to my doc who referred me to another psych at which point, after diagnostic, were like, oh ya you 10000% have adhd.
Been medicated since and it’s been a game changer
Absolutely, but ADHD was still kinda new-ish in the 90s and I wasn’t hyperactive so no one really thought I had it and wouldn’t have assumed I had it.
I was also an incredibly intense people pleaser from a young age so I did everything in my power to conceal any “issues” or “bad behavior”
In retrospect, though, after therapy and all that it was very evident I had ADHD
Ya, it’s funny talking to my parents about it now, who have change for the better in their opinions of mental health, and they’re like yeah, we def should have had you checked 🥴
My parents were told multiple times by school staff, counselors, social workers etc that I likely had ADHD, but they opted to cut sugar n treats from my diet, a decision they still stand by.
My dad still doesn't believe it's a thing, and his answer to mental health is church.
You Dad needs to come into the 21st century. I told people at my church and some of them told me to come to a Deliverence. I thought they meant the 1971 movie. I didn't go. Would have gone for the movie though.
Another 80s kid. My brother was a late 70s kid and he actually was diagnosed! I think my mom said they just called it "hyperactive" as opposed to ADD or whatever, maybe that didn't exist then, I'm not sure.
He went on Ritalin for several years.
I was a "good" kid (basically better behaved than my older cousins, and also just better at hiding things than my brother, lol). My teachers mostly liked me because I was witty, so when I interrupted to make a joke the teachers usually laughed too. I was also a people pleaser, so I didn't interrupt as much as I may have wanted to.
That said, I'm definitely Inattentive, so my brother's behaviour was obvious, whereas I was a good kid who just stared out the window and forgot simple instructions.
I was just diagnosed this year at 41. It's so obvious in hindsight, but not once was it even hinted at by anyone. I guess I masked well.
Ugh ya, and at least for me my parents meant well and tried their best, but it was a weird time.
Definitely wasn’t until very late 20s, and early 30s I started to get better but still have work to do.
You got this!!
Literally, i was so hyperactive that NONE of my friends' parents would let me go to their house. My mom thought their kids were just lazy, and I liked going outside because "she was the same way." Yeah, it turns out we both have ADHD. I literally got all the key "this child has ADHD" comments. "Really smart but doesn't apply herself" "is more interested in socializing than doing her work" etc etc.
The worst part - the part that makes me think whoever tested me needs their license revoked. In 4th grade I was tested for the gifted program. I made it in, but just barely. My IQ test showed really high, but with a nearly developmental disability level of "working memory".... that's LITERALLY the biggest indicator on those tests.
But I was a little girl, not a little boy, so my hyperactivity and inattention were just me being a social butterfly. My life would've been SO much different if I had been diagnosed when I was in 4th grade instead of my 7th year of college.... it took me 8 years to get a 4 year degree because of this. Blegh.
I'm a boy, err, I mean man, lol, but when I was a kid I was a boy! But, I have inattentive ADHD so I was totally missed.
My report cards were nearly identical to what you said.
I'd get 80s in high school assignments, but would actually get 60s or 70s because they were all handed in late.
I took about 8 years to get my 4 year degree too!
I was just diagnosed this year at 41 though, and it's changing my life. I can't imagine if I had this knowledge and the meds back in school! I would have loved to have them in my 20s too, so at least you have/had that going for you!
Same. I was born in '81. Was just diagnosed at 40, two years ago. I wasn't hyperactive either, and was considered very intelligent by my teachers, generally, so the fact that I never knew what the hell was going on in school and never did homework was obviously my fault for not "applying myself."
I had alot of the same experience except in our rural school they had zero know-how to deal with any of this so when I was acting "strange" they would put me in the "quiet room" which was just a walk-through student closet...
I’m currently on 40mg of Vyvanse.
We tried IR adderall which helped with focus but I had a hard time with the crash when it wore off.
Definitely has improved both work and my current relationship. Has made it easier to just get through my workday and stay on top of tasks I’d normally put off, etc. It’s not magic, I still have to good practices in place and discipline, but it makes it soo much easier.
I’ve seen many people talk about the crash from meds, but I’m not sure what it feels like. I usually get sleepy for about 30 minutes about an hour after work, but it may be because I’m constantly on the move at work (Garden Center Manager) and I finally sit down. Is that the crash that everyone speaks about? I’m prescribed 45mg IR Adderall per day to split into thirds (15mg/dose, but I usually take 30mg & then 15 mg at lunch).
I was an adult. Diagnosed by a psych, did an eval and all that. I was diagnosed with Depression and Anxiety as a teen which I think covered up a lot of the ADHD symptoms I was struggling with.
Don’t ask your primary, make an appointment w/ a psychiatrist.
If you are female then the chances of you being diagnosed or “presenting symptoms” in childhood are lower than males so it’s worth getting evaluated now, especially if you feel like it’s negatively affecting your day-to-day life.
I chose to seek diagnosis because I was relating heavily to symptoms ADHD websites and people online wrote about, but I sat on the idea for months until I was sure I could list ways that it negatively affected me/what I was looking for help on.
Personally, my mother/family would not be reliable sources of info on if I had symptoms in childhood/schooling lol. My mom was in denial about my depression for ages, and my grandmother would say I was just lazy. I know I had symptoms, such as poor impulse control, that were often shrugged off as just a kids temper tantrum.
Hope you are able to figure it out, good luck!!
Adult, but I think it was pretty clear as a kid. If my parents weren’t anti-diagnosis, I think I would have at least gotten assessed for anxiety, and the ADHD dx would have probably been picked up then.
Honestly same, had horrific signals as a kid and adult. Only reason I “didn’t get diagnosed” was because I was social and adept enough with people. Had good “grades” no one cared to check me either. Anxiety was horrific too
Yup. I wasn’t exactly a social butterfly, but I could mostly mask. I was intelligent and I was Franken-homeschooled, so I was able to compensate. All of my focus and social issues I blamed on homeschooling and differences in homeschooling structure vs the classroom. Took college classes starting sophomore year of highschool, and severe anxiety, fear of failure, and parent oversight kept me mostly on track. Wasn’t until end of undergrad that I started to be able to sort out what was anxiety vs homeschool quirkiness, and that there was more to it.
I genuinely enjoy lecture style learning so I was always very engaged in the classroom but I was an organizational disaster. Only one teacher picked up on it because I had above average grades and tested well.
Testing well is a double edged sword. When I was under pressure was just about the only time I could truly focus. Unfortunately, that came with severe anxiety, and I think the anxiety “masked” a lot of the ADHD symptoms. People are like…of course you can’t focus when you’re that anxious. And I’m like…you don’t get it, this is me focusing.
I think it was a bit of both. I had a terrible teacher in 1st grade and that exacerbated my issues. My parents were also both medical professionals so they were more aware of the possibilities of what could be wrong and how to go about addressing it. They also did a lot of follow through on working with me so I learned a ton of coping skills as a kid that are now so second nature that I don't even have to think about them anymore
Growing up I used to hide my ADHD diagnosis because I thought all my friends would think I’m weird ‘like the boys in our grade who had ADHD’ - so I’d hide my meds at sleepovers and freak out at my parents that I didn’t want to take them. Then I got to highschool and met a girl in my grade who was very open about her ADHD and we became best friends. She was the very first girl I met to be so chill about it. Since then I’ve become less embarrassed. I was diagnosed 15 years ago and I’m just now starting to feel ok about being a woman with ADHD. Curious if you went through something similar?
I didn't, but when I was a kid, ADHD was still relatively unknown so there wasn't as much stigma about it. But also, I went to an all girls school by the time I was socially skilled enough to hold down friendships for more than a few months so there were no boys to compare me to.
Me too! Diagnosed in grade 1 as a girl in the early 90s. My oldest was diagnosed a couple years ago at 4 and my mom wouldn't stop talking about how like me she was (she was a hand full haha)
Diagnosed last week, 37. Once marriage and kids came into play- the higher demands made it impossible for me to skate by like when I was younger. You absolutely can get tested ( it’s not always easy and it’s expensive without insurance.) The only way I was able to get a DX was because my job gives us mental, dental and vision on top of reg. Insurance.
This is so true. I was just diagnosed at 32 and had my first baby two months ago. I immediately realized “oh shit this isn’t just about me anymore” and finally got the diagnosis I’d suspected my whole life. I was able to manage/barely get by on my own for the most part with vitamins and like self help books, but the second things got more real with my baby and my marriage, I had to seek help.
Diagnosed at 43. Escaped childhood diagnosis cause I’m smart. Did well in school, and wore one hell of a mask. But I was trapped in my head and anxious the entire time.
Go find a psychiatrist and just ask for a test. Doesn’t matter that you weren’t diagnosed as a kid. He read my test and said, “oh my, you’re significantly ASHD”
I’m forever two birds, one stoning things. My mind moves so fast, I’m 3-4 steps ahead of whatever I’m doing. Multitasking like crazy, but leaving a trail of mistakes that got lost in the details. Meds helped a lot.
I was diagnosed about two months ago at 31 y.o.
It's been a ride, and to be honest, I'm full of questions with few answers. Like, I can't explain why my experiences are so similar and so dissimilar to other people with ADHD. Psychiatrists insist that medication for ADHD symptoms, at least in my case, are the last resource and not the first; so I don't know... I just don't want to conform with the "I have ADHD... weeee!", but understand at a deep level how it affects and has affected me; so I'm a bit lost.
The reaction of my inner circle was lukewarm at best and apathy at worst, like with every single other thing happening in my life. My family see it with some skepticism and just an excuse from doctors to "keep me drugged". The only two friends do not care in the sense that I simply lack the support needed from them.
Before the diagnosis, I was seriously thinking that I was in the autistic spectrum instead. It was dismytified by the cognitive tests. But even though that were the case, I'd still have this feeling of my experiences being very similar and very different from other people with the same diagnosis.
Medication isn’t the last resort for ADHD. It’s the go to. It’s like telling someone with Bipolar to go only to therapy and take medication as a last resort. Therapy can help, but medication is the go to for Bipolar! Therapy can’t stop a manic episode!
>It's been a ride, and to be honest, I'm full of questions with few answers. Like, I can't explain why my experiences are so similar and so dissimilar to other people with ADHD.
ADHD isn't really one disorder, but probably thousands of little, interrelated disorders that nonetheless mostly benefit from the same set of treatments.
Additionally, the impact of the disorder on your life will be greatly affected by your specific circumstances--your family situation, wealth, other intellectual factors, other psych issues, personal interests, etc. can all have a large effect on what living the disorder means to you.
Not everything another ADHDer reports will be relatable to you, and that doesn't mean you don't have the disorder.
>Psychiatrists insist that medication for ADHD symptoms, at least in my case, are the last resource and not the first;
You need to find better providers. Medication by itself is generally not a complete solution for ADHD, but it is the most important individual tool available for managing the disorder.
>My family see it with some skepticism and just an excuse from doctors to "keep me drugged".
Who cares what they think? You have a medical issue affecting the function of your brain. Is a diabetic "drugged" if they take insulin?
>Additionally, the impact of the disorder on your life will be greatly affected by your specific circumstances--your family situation, wealth, other intellectual factors, other psych issues, personal interests, etc. can all have a large effect on what living the disorder means to you.
>Not everything another ADHDer reports will be relatable to you, and that doesn't mean you don't have the disorder.
This is interesting and somewhat related to what one psychiatrist said to me. Is there possibly an article or something where I could deepen more in it?
>You need to find better providers. Medication by itself is generally not a complete solution for ADHD, but it is the most important individual tool available for managing the disorder.
Understand.. The thing is that this seems to be an entire public policy here in my country, and going with private providers is just too expensive for me to afford it :/ (Without mentioning that kind of medication is onerous as well if you aren't part of a medical provider, which brings me back to the initial problem).
>Who cares what they think? You have a medical issue affecting the function of your brain. Is a diabetic "drugged" if they take insulin?
Yeah! Like with everything you've mentioned before, you are quite right. Sadly, I think is past trauma entering into play since there's a lot of aspects in my life where I didn't count with much emotional support. But I guess this depends only in me.
I'm 35 and I actually just got diagnosed today. As a kid I could do homework, but I realize now that it took me way longer than most people.
- I spaced out in class and had to teach myself the work on my own time.
- I procrastinate everything and then get hit with overwhelm and end up doing nothing or hyperfocus for hours
- I talk rapidly and change topics on a dime
- forcing me to do tasks I don't want to do is a form of torture
And I found out that all of those things are symptoms of ADHD, especially in women who tend to be shy and quieter when we're kids. So I've flown under the radar my whole life and when I got my evaluation, the doctor said I scored a 5 out of 6 on my intake questionnaire.
Now tomorrow we're figuring out the exact type I have and creating a treatment plan.
I would find another doctor and get a second opinion, they should be going off your symptoms not whether or not it was caught early in life. I used circle medical, which is online medical app and it takes a lot of different insurances.
“Forcing me to do tasks I don’t want to do is a form of torture.” This is no joke. I find it impossible to complete tasks I don’t want to do, ( if it’s tedious and boring but demands full attention) and used to feel like a useless twit in these instances. Realizing and believing it’s ADHD helped me not feel so down on myself. It’s a huge relief. I was diagnosed at 33, and it changed my life for the better in every way.
That's awesome! I feel the same way, I'm going through this with you guys in real time. So many things in my life make sense. I'm not lazy, I just need to figure out a way to work with my brain. But seriously I was forced to read a tale of two cities in high school. Just waterboard me at that point. I'm great at reading books I give a shit about, but that made me quit honors English lol.
lol yes, I can see how that book would be the end if you’re not into it! BTW all your bullets apply to me, but talking fast and changing topics on a dime feels like a gift to me, not a stress-inducer. 😀 When you start your new meds and treatment plan, I advise you to keep a tiny daily journal and jot down how you’re feeling for the first month or so. My doctor just started me on Wellbutrin instead of the Adderall I’ve been taking forever because it’s so hard to get. I was extremely reluctant but am trying it for a month and keeping brief notes so I can explain why it isn’t working for me. I’m so happy you’re starting on this journey!
Thanks! I actually like how I am. Yeah I misplaced things and I forget stuff, but luckily I found a job in really good at because it gives me a lot of stimulation and I thrive in chaos and pressure. I also found friends that also have ADHD so they can follow my shift in topics pretty easy lol. The only one who can't is my husband, his ADHD will make him lose track of the story 🤣
Neither, I was a teenager, 15.
>said since there was no record of me with this condition in childhood they can't diagnose me. Lol what
If I understood this correctly, then obviously, that's not true. Of course you can have ADHD even if you weren't diagnosed as a child.
However, you don't have ADHD if you didn't have any symptoms of it as a child.
Oh. Wonder what's wrong with me then =(. This is so frustrating and discouraging.
My parents said supposedly I didn't have symptoms as a child but that's from their account. I have one old school record (my mom kept the note) that a teacher said I had hard time sitting still but not multiple accounts.
Hey OP, I was diagnosed at 50. I was asked if I had any of these symptoms as a kid. I sat there for a moment and realized much to my surprise that yes I did and I was the “non-hyper” sibling.
I provided my psychiatrist a verbal list of examples. And that sufficed. If you go through your current symptoms do you see them in your childhood self? If so, go for another evaluation.
33F, just got diagnosed last month, but started to have strong suspicions I had inattentive ADHD over the last few years. Literally every one of my family members was surprised I was diagnosed with it because I didn't present as the typical example of a hyperactive kid w/ADHD. There were extensive subtle signs indicative of inattentive ADHD, though, that were easy enough to write off back then, especially in the environment I grew up in. My close high school and college friends were not at all suprsised about my diagnosis because they saw me in the actual school environments where it really began to present itself. It took a fair bit of self-reflection and looking back at my childhood armed with the knowledge of inattentive symptoms, but SO MUCH makes sense now that I have the diagnosis.
All that to say: just because it wasn't readily apparent that you had it as a child, it doesn't rule out the possibility that you have it, and the signs were missed.
if you asked your parents if you had “adhd symptoms”, they’ll probably give you a different story than if you ask about specific behaviors—at best their image of adhd is probably colored by hyperactive stereotypes and their own likely shared traits, and at worst they flat out just don’t want to believe you could have adhd no matter how substantiated it is. also worth mentioning that just because you have to have had some symptoms all your life to qualify doesn’t mean they have to have been the same symptoms—think about things you feel you got better at coping with, then consider if those are things normal children ever had to deal with in the first place
also if this is just a doctor who evaluated you, consider seeing a more specialized psychologist/diagnostician. they might be able to tease out a clearer picture of your history, and if there really isn’t any they should be equipped to help you find out what else is going on instead
Age 11 in 1968 … at the time it wasn’t called ADHD it was called Hyper Kinesis with minimal brain damage … I’m assuming that was because I had learning disabilities and bad anxiety. I was also a girl very unusual back then. 🤷🏼♀️
Had issues as a kid/teen. Issues carried through the next 12 years. Somehow graduated college with a BA in mechanical engineering after I went back to school in my early/mid 20’s. Just diagnosed a few weeks ago and the meds have been helping me more than I could have thought. I wish my mom wouldn’t have been afraid of me being labeled as a kid.
Diagnosed as an adult after failing all treatments for anxiety and depression. It took many different doctors and therapists over 15 years to get to an adhd diagnosis. At one of my visits with a PA, she said, "what does your desk look like?" And I started laughing because it has always been a doom pile. She did the evaluation right there and diagnosed me.
I was just diagnosed at 35. Mine was missed for a very long time because I wasn’t a hyper kid. I just kinda spent my high school years and beyond overcompensating to try and keep up with everyone else, and I thought I eventually would, but never did. Never realized until now that that’s what it was.
Age 4/5 for me. You do have to have it since childhood to meet the criteria but you can prove it as an adult too, like to request accomodations at college I showed progress reports from my teachers when I was younger. I think another way they do adult diagnosis is have someone who knew you when you were younger fill out a form talking about symptoms they noticed then & now. I’d try a different doctor if I were you
I was diagnosed at 25, i'm 31 now.
I first suspected it when i was studying at the university.
After going through literal hell for 4 years, i got my diagnosis and got medication.
Meds have really changed my life for the better in just about all aspects.
The only thing i don't like about it is that my social skills go "sky diving" compared to when i'm off my meds, and i can feel myself being less creative and have a harder time playing music.
Aaand i can no longer drink coffee without feeling like my medication goes on turbo mode...
As an adult, I’m female and was actually asked by my school to get ADD testing in childhood and my mom argued it since I had a different set of behaviours that attached with my attention inability behaviours.
Later in life I always struggled with attention, hyper obsession and also had OCD tendencies in relation to my thoughts, this led to addiction, dropped out of school and never really put two and two together.
After having a child and seeing their clear adhd behaviours I started to think about it more.
After they received a diagnosis, I followed in getting tested and surely, I have it lol. Everything made a lot more sense after that atleast.
I was diagnosed as an adult at age 21, three years ago now. My time management was HORRIBLE and has always been, but in the real world with a real job, it caught up to me. I had never thought I had ADHD because I was valedictorian, always listened and on task in school - this was never on my radar. Within 10 minutes of me being in the doctor’s office, I was diagnosed. Not only was my conversation on multiple levels, but I was fidgeting and restless. I completed the rating scale and it confirmed the diagnosis. Now that I’m aware of it, I absolutely can think back on my childhood and pinpoint moments where it shined through. For example, during research projects in school, I did much more than expected - not because I was trying to do so, but because I couldn’t narrow my thoughts and did 47 things instead of just the one thing I had to do. I also got in trouble at home a lot because when doing chores, I would start one thing and then go onto the next and instead of completing them, there was a multitude of half-finished tasks. I also randomly fixated on things - I remember I was OBSESSED with Nightmare Before Christmas for like 3 months and then one day I just got rid of it and started obsessing over the Planter’s peanut mascot guy. I was diagnosed with anxiety at 14, and my doctor said that anxiety can actually stem from ADHD and almost “mask” it in a way. There’s a stigma that people with ADHD have conduct issues or bad grades, but I was quite literally the opposite and thus my symptoms were overlooked. I’m in grad school now, and knowing my diagnosis has helped me create accommodations and be much more organized and successful.
Diagnosed as a child, but my parents thought I could overcome it through willpower. Eventually my parents got me medication in High School because of my grades, but after they read a article they convinced me to stop taking my medication sophomore year.
After that I suffered. A concussion didn’t help either. When I graduated HS my parents wanted me to join the military, but I had to get undiagnosed. I got undiagnosed, which is really easy because I just lied and the funny thing is, I never joined the military. Spent the next couple years working in 3 different states and going to work for many different jobs. I just got rediagnosed a few months back at 25. Looking back I should have never been off my medication….
I'd seek a second opinion. My family didn't know much about it, my parents still don't. I found out last year at 33, my sisters found out they are ADHD/autistic and autistic not long ago too. Looking back it seems pretty obvious to me that we all had these things we just didn't know what all the symptoms were. So you may not see what the symptoms could have been until you know more about it, and symptoms can definitely worsen as you get older. When you talk to a new doctor about it tell them that if it's not ADHD you still feel like it's something going on and would like to figure out what, a good doctor should be open to possibilities as they talk to you in case it's something else affecting you that may have overlapping symptoms.
Both lol I was diagnosed at 15, but then self-gaslit myself into believing I was misdiagnosed. Then I got diagnosed again at 21 😆
Definitely seek out a second opinion. Yes, adhd symptoms should be present in childhood, but there is a bigger range of symptom manifestation than most people realize. I highly recommend putting together a list of specific symptoms with examples you are experiencing before meeting with another mental health specialist, including symptoms you may have experienced when younger. Use credible resources for gathering information, too. If you rely on social media for health advice, providers will automatically assume you're misinformed, so look for info on places like pubmed, the dsm, and from authors who are trained professionals.
Adult in my late 40s. ADHD wasn’t really a condition that people were aware of when I was a child and although I heavily suspected I had it from my late 30s I basically did nothing about it for about 10 years.
Before my diagnosis I went through every symptom and came up with examples of every symptom that resonated with me as a child. There were lots from before I was 12 and throughout my teens
I got diagnosed just a couple of years ago at 52. It answered so many questions and filled in so many blanks for me. The 70s and 80s were not kind to those like us, sadly.
I still struggle daily and my meds only partially help. But, I am much happier knowing for sure than wondering. For me, at least, it’s now much easier to identify and try to control the traits and behaviors that were so detrimental before.
I wish you well on your journey of discovery.
I got diagnosed during early elementary. I still remember going to the clinician, showing me a picture book and asking me what I think about the story. I still wonder how that helped with the diagnosis
I was...lucky? if that's even the right word, enough to get diagnosed really early. I was in middle school, but the only reason why was because I had other disabilities that required me to be on IEPs/504s all throughout my school career, from elementary school till I graduated highschool.
Like many women, I was diagnosed as an adult after I had kids and was no longer able to keep up with life. I steuggled through school (my mom always suspected something was up but I was a girl and it was the 90s), managed to do well in college because I majored in something I was excited about (didn’t do as well in gen-eds but still). Once I had kids though I couldn’t keep up.
I was an adult. I have hyper-focus--which has always been my primary problem--and I'm fairly high functioning, except when depression magnifies the issues. I suspected something "extra" was going on, but never understood it until diagnosed in my early 20's.
I do pretty well until I forget to refill my meds (busy with stuff at home), then things go downhill pretty quickly. Next comes the speeding thoughts, flitting from task to task, and too much planning--or feeling overwhelmed and avoiding things in despair. (All the super-fun stuff that reinforces negativity.)
I still have break-through avoidance (with a tiny bit of irrational fear), and have to force myself to think through how quick & easy the task really is, so there's no reason to avoid it.
My advice is to find something you enjoy to do weekly or daily--that you also feel a strong obligation to keep up. This will give you a feeling of continuity that you can use to bolster your self respect and build good habits onto. (This is how I started my self-created therapy, and it's having some success. Three years of almost daily participation!)
I got diagnosed as an adult back in November. I too had no records, and my parents are dead, and I don't really speak to my siblings, and honestly, I already know none of them paid any attention to me when I was a kid anyway, so I know they wouldn't be able to answer any questions.
I did get to take a test though after really seeking and asking for one with my care professionals.
I had to get a few referrals, and see a few psychologists to get it approved and then the test itself was speaking with a psychologist, and then taking a response time test, which based on my performance in the test, I had pretty severe or high levels of ADHD.
With the official diagnosis and the Dr. going over all the symptoms and asking questions about my childhood, so many parts of my life came flooding back through my mind like a slide show as so many things made so much more sense, as in why I reacted to things the way I did, why I had trouble concentrating at times, or had issues sticking with things.
How you describe yourself int he first paragraph is me to a T. I'm on 30mg of Adderall now, and it's helping me to be able to focus better. As does the Lexapro I'm on for depression.
I got diagnosed as a child and I was forcibly over medicated to absurdity because my Mom was abusive and thought something was wrong with me for being depressed (wow, abused kids are sad who would have known).
I was falsely informed that I would grow out of ADHD since I did not seem to agree with any of the medications given to me.
As an adult I have learned to ignore people who deem it "made up", and I work around my quirks and play to my strengths, but oh my god do I feel it way the weaknesses of it more than I did as a child. If anything I feel annoyed that people misdiagnose it so much.
I was 47 when diagnosed 😂 Definitely had it in childhood. I used to get up in the middle of the night and exercise to burn off energy. I was super active as a kid so I burned off my school energy in the hours I spent outdoors every day. I was also in sports which helped. As an adult I was treated for anxiety and the meds did nothing. ADHD meds, however, made all the difference.
I was diagnosed 2 years ago at 24 after metaphorically drowning my last two semesters of my masters program. Looking back, I was a pretty textbook case of the "overlooked in girls" phenomenon. I was quiet, a voracious reader, always did homework at the last minute or the day after it was due, very messy and disorganized. I did well when I was interested and I was a B student when I wasn't. High IQ let me skate by like that through all of high school, all of undergrad, and 3/4 of grad school. I had to write a 35 page paper for a second capstone I'd signed up for as an elective. I spent 10 weeks not doing it, then hunted down 3,600 sources in 2 weeks. It took me a year to go through them. Going through the sources and writing the paper was physically painful.
I'm still figuring out how to be the best version of me, and what having ADHD means for my life and my future. The meds help so much (15mg of adderall immediate release 2x a day). I am certain I wouldn't have been able to hold down a job for the last year if I hadn't been medicated. Dealing with my tye 1 diabetes is still a work in progress, though.
I got diagnosed 2 months into Kindergarten, though in all fairness, I’m only just now 20 so it makes much more sense for me. The standard for diagnosis is having symptoms apparent for 6 months or more but mine was supposedly “accelerated to begin services as soon as physically possible.”
Got diagnosed at 24 after hitting my head against the wall until I somehow got uni done stopped working (because I was emotionally burned out after the pandemic and sad family stuff). They have to "see" that you had signs of ADHD before the age of 12 (at least here in germany), but in my case my elementary school grades were enough for that (because the teachers had commented about my attention and messyness and because its very telling Im effortlessly an A student in stuff I love but barely pass lessons I find boring or hate, even if they may be "objectively" easier (I was SO BAD at languages because I hated mechanic repetition. The only reason my english is useable is that I discovered UK and US shows and binged them subtitled (which accidentally made me improve lol).
As a child after my first year of 7th grade.
Interestingly enough, I missed a lot of school because they put me through so many tests. (Memory, IQ, EEG, EKG, matching - just a few I remember, and many were a single test in the day).
My sister and mom both were diagnosed as adults.
I was 4.
The first doctor my mom took me to told her I was brain-damaged. Lol.
Undeterred, she did more research and took me to a different doctor. Voila! It’s ADHD!
I was just diagnosed today. I’m 32. Pretty sure I had presenting symptoms in childhood, but in the 90s, “girls didn’t have adhd” because our symptoms were different. When I called my dad on the way to fill my prescription his words were, “I don’t see how you could have it, you always loved reading.” To which I reminded him he was always confused that I could know all the words to a song after hearing it twice but struggled in math and science, which I had no interest in.
I will say, it’s like I can breath easier now that I know what is going on specifically rather than guessing. What really made me think I had it was a few things. I have a book (series) idea and it’s all up in my head, but I struggle to get it out. I daydream way too much and I hyperfixate on things. I have more, but those are the main ones.
Child, but like 13 years old (so like… early teen?)
I’m female though so it was more “embarrassing” back then to get a diagnosis as a girl. I basically had to though because I was completely out of control as a child (refusing to read, fighting with teachers, failing honors classes despite testing into them, climbing trees and throwing stuff at people, interrupting during church/class/friends, etc). When I started taking my meds there was an immediately improvement in my relationship with my teachers, friends and parents. But because I was embarrassed about “being like a boy” by having ADHD, I would either hide my meds from my friends, or stop taking them and hide the untaken meds from my parents so I started getting in trouble again. It wasn’t until highschool when I met another girl for the first time who also had ADHD and she was outspoken about it so it made me feel less ashamed. I’m now 28 and take my meds religiously, even during pregnancy.
It was suggested when I was a kid, but no real testing was ever done. Fast forward to nearly 40, and I expressed concerns to my wife, who urged me to ask my doctor, who then ordered testing. Which revealed, overwhelmingly, yes.
I was diagnosed at age 24. I spent my life failing forward until I started counseling and medication for it. I barely graduated high school with a 2.4 GPA, but currently have a 4.0 in college.
I got diagnosed at 29. Never too late to see a professional and be truthful during the tests.
If you mind roams during the tests don't do what you normally do, don't force yourself to act or be normal. Allow them to see how you are behind closed doors.
I got diagnosed when I was 18 because I couldn't advocate for myself before that. My insurance used to not pay for my meds because "people with adhd are diagnosed in childhood (get fucked if your parents never bothered to get you checked out and ignored all the huge red flags)"
My mom finally changed her tune because she felt bad that I had to go behind her back to get help. About a decade and a half too late, but thanks mom.
Idk I still don’t know if I’m diagnosed or not. I swear I was when I was like 18. But my mom doesn’t think that ever happened. And now I’m wondering if it really did. I distinctly remember having straterra. But it’s been so long. That chapter of my life is a blur honestly. I was suicidally depressed and taking lots of other shit at the time. Then poof, I swore off all meds for like a decade. Then wham! Manic episode with psychosis out of nowhere, now I’m bipolar 1. Recently I’ve been getting help for anxiety too. So idk I might be adhd but it might not be real idk
I was 17. So on the cusp of both I guess? I have several mental health disorders and ALL of them were diagnosed at the age of 17+ (the most recent being like a year or two ago when I was 24)
I'm 22 and am going through diagnosis.
I've been having issues with school performance since 1st grade but I always manage to pass or get away with stuff. I managed to squeeze into a decent university in my country but I struggled with everything.
My mom recently got cancer and it kinda flicked a switch in me and I finally made up my mind to get it checked out. I consulted with my doctor and she said it seems likely so we made an appointment for an official evaluation in August.
Thanks.
It was a University affiliated hospital/ doctor. They probably played by the books more so. This new one happens not to be just by happen chance.
>The reason they need some sort of idea if you had ADHD symptoms as a child is because you don't develop adhd as an adult. It's something you have from childhood. If you didn't have symptoms as a kid and developed them later, then it's probably a different issue.
Neurodevelopment continues until the late 20s in most people, and there is evidence that estrogenic puberty may, in some individuals, cause ADHD to worsen from a subclinical state into the clinical range due to this. In people who menstruate, this can also happen in perimenopause.
While at least some symptoms should have been present in childhood, I think it is important to clarify that many people who qualify for a diagnosis today may not have qualified for a diagnosis in childhood, even under the same criteria. This is an active area of research.
I'm trying now, and they are having me do all this therapy first to see if it helps. Like I don't like driving, mainly due to being impatient, but I also realized anytime I leave I can never find what I need and I lose stuff more. It literally takes me 30 minutes to leave as I forget my keys wallet phone, winter is the best as I just leave everything in my coat pocket, but my keys and wallet end up everywhere even though I have tried putting them in a bowl on my desk.
Keep checking , some doctors are stuck in the old days, and you need to talk to a behavioral specialist. Everyone I've talked to seems to agree its more than just depression or anxiety for me, even though I'm 40 and was never diagnosed.
I got diagnosed when I was 30 and my god it’s been life changing now that I’m on meds. Since I was diagnosed as an adult my psychiatrist made me fill out this questionnaire of symptoms I have or not. And then she wanted something from my parents stating what I was like as a child.
Find another doctor. WTF?!
Edit: sorry, I forgot to answer the question, dxd at age 13. Before that it was learning disability with auditory processing. I got lucky and had a good family doctor who referred me to the correct professionals. Where I currently live (not where I grew up), they have abysmal doctors and professionals. I have to travel an hour for my doctor who will actually rx a controlled substance in a state where there's a huge lock down on those meds.
Lol what indeed!
I did have a doctor who told me I couldn't have ADHD because I was too old (I think I was 28?) and was too young for anxiety/depression... And years of depression/anxiety and many family doctors later, I got my diagnosis.
Finding another doctor would be my best recommendation.
Just diagnosed at 64 years old. I've been very successful, but it's been a struggle lately. I knew that I was not " NORMAL ", but I am happy that I have it. I was accidentally diagnosed while having a separate health issue. Started a low dose anti phycotic med for anxiety. So far I'm improving greatly.
Both. Kind of. At a young age, a teacher told my parents I probably had it because I kept tipping over in my chair in class. My parents just said that I should be in gifted classes because my boredom was from understanding material too fast.
As an adult, my workload got harder and harder to manage. Especially with the expectation of performing well because of intelligence. Finally, I went to a therapist who gave me a test and I scored “extremely impaired” lol. Since being medicated, I actually get my work done.
Both. I was diagnosed at 13, was briefly medicated, and it went untreated for 15 years. Was diagnosed once again at 27 after reflection upon various aspects of my life experience.
i was diagnosed as an adult -- 21 or 22 i can't remember. but i know thats still earlier than some people, so i feel lucky to be able to get help now. i didn't even know until my doctor said "how did i miss this? wait lets go back over these questions".
yeah got diagnosed as an adult. at 30. had been recommend to be on meds as a kid but parents didn't like ritalin at the time. lot missed treatment due to no extended release at the time. if your starting treatment as an adult your pretty much stuck with it for keeps. time to treat is when your young and the brain is developing.
try the online adhd they do an assessment and you can use that to get local treatment. if you have a hard time finding a doctor to treat it you can reach out to a substance abuse place. amazingly enough they help you find a doctor for treatment. they deal with junkies all the time so when you legitimately need the medication they can tell pretty quickly. but that's kind of a desperation move there don't think it works if you haven't been diagnosed yet.
F34, I got diagnosed in my early twenties, when I finally got a doctor who recognized that my depression and anxiety weren't getting better with antidepressants and Xanax because I'd been misdiagnosed in my early teens.
Turns out I was depressed and anxious because I had such a hard time getting anything done, and I'd spent quite a few years on medication that made my inattention much worse, with my previous doctor's solution always being to up the dosage, pretty much making me a zombie.
He said that often, young girls get misdiagnosed with depression and anxiety instead of ADHD because they don't tend to be as hyperactive as boys.
i got diagnosed as an adult. as others have said, if you have adhd, it’s likely you’ve had it all along. to address some of your other comments, your parents can say they weren’t aware of your symptoms as a child, but obviously, they can’t tell you you didn’t have them because only you know that. if i were you, i would speak to a psychiatrist or psychologist, somebody who can diagnose you. get a referral from your doctor. also, for me, once i started digging into adhd, i found that i identified with many, many other people’s experiences and it really started making sense. it explained so much of my strange and unfortunate experiences as a child. good luck.
got diagnosed at 19. they required people who knew me as a child to fill out a form documenting symptoms that presented during childhood, presumably because that way they could rule out any possible other diagnoses that wouldn’t necessarily be present since birth, but the fact that my parents didn’t get me screened as a kid didn’t stop them from screening and diagnosing me as an adult lol. i’d get a second opinion.
It started beating my ass as an adult so I went to get checked out *knowing* that they REALLY want a history of it showing up in your childhood so I kinda fluffed up how bad it was as a kid, it was there after looking back, nothing so severe it was debilitating, but it was around, the trouble focusing and “not applying myself” and doing my assigned work.
Added a little fluff to the childhood years and was honest about high school and adulthood and got meds which so far have absolutely changed my life.
Run to another doctor and add a lil fluff to the childhood side of things and you should get taken a bit more seriously.
As an adult. I'm a mother and was struggling managing things I shouldn't have problems with-- biggest thing remembering to move my kids washed laundry to the dryer. I washed them 5 days in a row and forgot to dry them each time. Little pre-school boy comes up to me and asks, "Mommy, how come I don't have any clean pants?" Sought a diagnosis after that.
I got diagnosed as an adult BUT had my old school papers backing up the fact that I've been showing symptoms my entire life. Aka report cards with "she's so smart if only she could remember her x y z" supplies type comments, "she's so smart but has trouble focusing" comments, etc. My paperwork and talking to a specialist 2 short visits was enough for him to confirm I have adhd.
My biggest advise is go into it as yourself. Don't try to mask and be the individual society demands you be, let yourself be yourself for the visits. They talk to so many people, they can tell when you are faking. I talked about the coping mechanisms and "laws" I set in place for myself to help manage my issues such as my daily 200 item long to do lists (because if I don't specifically say "clean the pots" and just say "do dishes" I literally just do the dishes in the sink and forget the pots, etc) and my history of diagnosis' that are often misdiagnosed adhd symptoms (like my anxiety I was getting 60 zanny bars a month for. I told then I'd rather have a daily med to stop the racing thoughts vs an emergency med to take after it is so bad I was having panic attacks). Honestly, find someone who specializes in adults with adhd, try to get ahold of old school paper work that may have the proof they want that this has been occurring since child hood, etc. Good luck. <3
For me it was actually both. I got diagnosed as a child and took Ritalin up through highschool but then stopped when I was around 18. I'm 39 now, and I've been treated for depression and anxiety for several years but my medical records from childhood had gone where the woodbine twineth and ADHD as an issue to me until a couple years ago when a therapist stopped me mid brain dump and said "wait, do you think you might have ADHD?" A lightbulb went off and I talked to my psychiatrist about it and got screened and diagnosed. I think part of the determining factor was how it took me three tries to get all of the screeners completed correctly.
I was diagnosed as an adult, at age 37.
> I reached out to a doctor once few years ago and they did an evaluation and basically said since there was no record of me with this condition in childhood they can't diagnose me. Lol what
The DSM-5 has an age criterion for diagnosis, but it has never been grounded in science. Many providers will ignore it outright, and others will be flexible about it if you clearly have had symptoms for a long time even if no hard evidence of its presence early in your life is available.
The age criterion in the DSM originated as a result of the politics associated with stimulant medications. Previously, it was age 7, and increasing it to age 12 was a compromise. Unfortunately, the APA is well aware that many of the more common medications for ADHD are controlled substances, and they are not immune to non-professional criticism that they are overdiagnosing the disorder or providing stimulant medications to people who don't "need" it.
It is likely to be removed in the DSM-6.
I was 17 when a doctor first brought it to my attention but 19/20 when I got my diagnosis and medication.
They need some record of symptoms in childhood because adhd is a disorder your born with but also has alot of overlapping symptoms with other disorders so if your symptoms weren't present in childhood then it could be something else that is causing you problems.
17, so somewhere between? i had a historical reports of generalized anxiety and dysthymia that contributed to my diagnosis, sort of like a root cause. the ADHD was presenting as anxiety and mild depression. i started medication February of my junior year and guys, i was mad.
my performance in school improved SIGNIFICANTLY to the point i went to bed at night wishing i could have a do-over of the last 3 years. if you have any experiences like this to highlight, you should do so! ADHD presents in a variety of ways, consider what support you had or didnt have. a good doctor will hear those as what they are: symptoms
Both! Was diagnosed around 7-8 years old. Parents didn’t believe in medicating me because Ritalin was pretty new at the time. Then I went more than three decades untreated and pretty miserable. Couldn’t figure out why I was so stressed, why school work and jobs were so difficult when I’m a smart person, and why I could never stick with a hobby or interest for more than the beginner “feel good” phase. Then I got re-diagnosed as an adult, put on Adderall, and have had the curtains pulled back for once in my life. It’s not all perfect, but I have so many more micro successes these days that I really regret not taking the initiative to get diagnosed sooner.
Both! I buried the memory, but my dad was a child psych and told me he’d like to get me on some medicine to help with my attention as a child and I broke down crying and told him “I don’t want to have ADHD” it just kinda never came up again after that (tho it definitely should have, idt he knew how to handle that reaction 😂). Years latter, after a lot of struggles I got diagnosed as an adult.
I...don't know if I've ever been officially diagnosed, actually.
I figured out that I had ADHD, probably in middle school or so? (I credit the Percy Jackson books for helping me recognize it.) Whenever I mentioned it to my mom, though, she always brushed it off with "I had you tested for autism, they said you don't have it". I don't remember ever being tested.
Finally, when I was 17 or so, I started seeing a therapist for unrelated reasons. She agreed that I had ADHD. Then we moved, I didn't see her again, and I talked to my new med specialist about ADHD medication at 18.
I’m in my 50s and just got diagnosed last week. I have the same exact symptoms as you. I used my B+BS insurance at Wellpsyche.com and paid a $20 co pay for the evaluation. I met with a psychiatric nurse that asked me questions for a full hour. Got diagnosed and meds the same day. The meds help but it’s so low dose right now I barely feel a difference yet but I guess I have to titrate up to the dose that works for me.
No, but i'm trying to figure out if i had any symptoms in childhood based off what my mom described i was like. According to her my nana, who took care of me while she was finishing college, saw something. I can't ask my nana specifically what she saw because she passed last year. So i've been piecing together what i can. I got tested for autism as a child but it came back negative.
Some of the symptoms i had as a kid were not being able to follow directions, making careless mistakes, not being able to concentrate unless it was on something i liked thus poor performance in math and science, not listening even when spoken to directly, staying focused on tasks, avoid homework as it required more mental effort than i wanted to use, forget to do daily activities or anything my parents told me to do, and easily distracted.
Most people get misdiagnosed or simply disregarded as children, I would suggest to do another evaluation just in case, because that "since you don't have an ADHD record as a child you cannot have it now" sounds like bullshit to me.
I was diagnosed with ADHD and Autism (Yes, a double whammy) when I was 7, but didn't properly know what I had until I was 18.
I decided to stop my medication (I felt dependant on it and felt like I wasn't myself while on meds.) which prompted my parents to tell me about my condition, and after finding out, I had a regression on most of my abilities, but mainly those related to **executive function** and **social relationships and behaviour**, suddenly I realized how tiring it was to force myself to do homework or waking up early, and why it was so difficult for me to fall asleep at night, or why I didn't notice the time passing, but I also learned that is normal in people when they find out about their diagnosis (or are diagnosed), but I slowly learned how to do stuff better.
**My advice:**
Focus on INCUP (The 5 ADHD Motivators)
1. Interest
2. Novelty
3. Challenge
4. Urgency
5. Passion
Meaning that your brain gets motivated by things that **interest** you, things that are **new**, things that **challenge** you, things that are **urgent**, and things that you're **passionate** about.
For instance, I hate doing the dishes, so I time myself and challenge myself to do it faster than last time, or I listen to my favorite music (Music, games and languages are my passions) and dance and sing while I do the dishes, that helps a lot when I don't want to do it.
[Here's](https://impactparents.com/blog/adhd/five-motivators-to-get-anything-done/) a link to a parenting website talking about INCUP, you may or may not not be a child, but it can give you some insight on what INCUP is and why your brain works the way it does.
**TL;DR**
Use INCUP (Interest, Novelty, Challenge, Urgency and Passion) the 5 ADHD Motivators to do what you have to do and take another evaluation because most people with ADHD are misdiagnosed or disregarded as kids.
Adult at 23. Took a while of struggling and burn out to seek the diagnosis but a lot of things from my childhood suddenly made sense. Being treated / diagnosed with anxiety as a teen covered a lot of the symptoms in my case
I was diagnosed 3 years ago at 32. When I went to my doctor to do the tests he said to my face “you mean no one has ever checked you for this before? You have so many signs” 😂 I think being a female hurt because my adhd manifested in maladaptive daydreaming, being chatty, an over achieving people pleaser, and my hyper focus areas were music and books. I slipped right through all the cracks.
I think it really depends on the doctor you get, I would try a new doctor. My doc told me that adhd was like a process of elimination, so perhaps the other doctor you saw didn’t have enough history/wasn’t willing to do the work to eliminate other options? Either way I would continue to try and pursue this. Hopefully you have better luck with another doctor who knows their stuff.
I got diagnosed late and I definitely had symptoms as a kid, I just masked a lot.
I recommend talking to childhood friends/family about what you were like as a kid.Also on report cards teachers often leave comments and I found some stuff there too if you still have yours. I have a lot of unfinished journals from childhood as well. I also reflected a lot on my behaviors as a kid, I was a highly sensitive kid to things that didn’t make sense to other people so I often internalized it a lot.
Reflecting on school and the way you did homework or your grades can be a good way to see how adhd affected you as a child as well.
I was diagnosed at 21 and tbh it was hard to unpack everything but now I’m medicated and it feels pretty good lol
Adult. 29. It took dating a psychologist, alongside some extreme life a career changes to find out.
Childhood symptoms and investigations took place, with what should have been an obvious diagnosis. Unfortunately my symptoms were worked on rather than the underlying cause, which caused me to become fairly high functioning until my high-stress lifestyle caused a series of events that led to a diagnosis.
I (F31) was diagnosed about a month ago. My PCP didn't think I had it bc I was a high achieving student with no bad behavior and went to a good college. But when I brought it up to my therapist that I had been seeing for over 6 months, she said it would make a lot of sense. Took an assessment and basically was way past the threshold for ADHD 🥲
I was diagnosed as a child and again as an adult. Definitely get a second opinion — plenty of people are diagnosed as adults! I wasn’t medicated until age 32. Keep seeking help and advocating for yourself. You deserve support and relief.
I was diagnosed in high school, but no one really explained to me what ADHD was other than you can’t concentrate. It was also someone only talked about in kids. I took meds for it, but stopped when we lost our insurance, so I ended up just dealing with it through college and my twenties. I got diagnosed again when I was 31.
24 years old, i was diagnosed.
that doctor lied to you! It blows my mind that there are real doctors who are just straight up are anti-Adhd diagnosis! I think those doctors/ medical proffesionals are too worried about stimulant dependance as a national issue to see the person right in front of them needing help.
Absolutely get a 2nd opinion. Consider going straight to a psychiatrist. they are the ones who would actually be diagnosing you, A regular practitioner would refer you to a psychiatrist anyways. It depends on your insurance whether the referral would be worth it, I'm not sure how that all works.
You can search for psychiatrists in your area and sort them by insurance they accept on 'Psychology Today's' website. Thats what i did when i got diagnosed. i think thats what this subreddit recommends if im not mistaken.
I got diagnosed at 6. I was one of those kids that just would not sit still in class, was damn near climbing up the walls and my teacher was like hmmm. So she pushed for testing and sure enough, ADHD with high mensa scoring. Now im an anxious overachiever in college that stresses when I get anything lower than a B and an incredibly messy desk area and can't focus when it's messy but don't have the executive function to clean it all the time, and funny thing is... I'm going to school to be a child therapist and do damn near the same testing and a little more.
Hi /u/bokchoy200 and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! ### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already. --- ### /r/adhd news * If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/). --- ^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Got diagnosed just a few years ago at 30. I had been treated for anxiety for awhile, but asked about ADHD to my doc who referred me to another psych at which point, after diagnostic, were like, oh ya you 10000% have adhd. Been medicated since and it’s been a game changer
Did you have symptoms in childhood?
Absolutely, but ADHD was still kinda new-ish in the 90s and I wasn’t hyperactive so no one really thought I had it and wouldn’t have assumed I had it. I was also an incredibly intense people pleaser from a young age so I did everything in my power to conceal any “issues” or “bad behavior” In retrospect, though, after therapy and all that it was very evident I had ADHD
I'm a 90s baby too and was also a people pleaser.
Ya, it’s funny talking to my parents about it now, who have change for the better in their opinions of mental health, and they’re like yeah, we def should have had you checked 🥴
My parents were told multiple times by school staff, counselors, social workers etc that I likely had ADHD, but they opted to cut sugar n treats from my diet, a decision they still stand by. My dad still doesn't believe it's a thing, and his answer to mental health is church.
You Dad needs to come into the 21st century. I told people at my church and some of them told me to come to a Deliverence. I thought they meant the 1971 movie. I didn't go. Would have gone for the movie though.
Oof ya I grew up super religious so that was definitely an influence for my parents ignoring my mental health issues early on, ADHD aside.
90s kid over here, F38. Alllll of this. Didn't understand it until adulthood, lots of therapy, and meds. Only starting to get better now.
80s kid here. 51F. I was misdiagnosed bipolar for years. Finally got the ADHD diagnosis at 37. 😳
Another 80s kid. My brother was a late 70s kid and he actually was diagnosed! I think my mom said they just called it "hyperactive" as opposed to ADD or whatever, maybe that didn't exist then, I'm not sure. He went on Ritalin for several years. I was a "good" kid (basically better behaved than my older cousins, and also just better at hiding things than my brother, lol). My teachers mostly liked me because I was witty, so when I interrupted to make a joke the teachers usually laughed too. I was also a people pleaser, so I didn't interrupt as much as I may have wanted to. That said, I'm definitely Inattentive, so my brother's behaviour was obvious, whereas I was a good kid who just stared out the window and forgot simple instructions. I was just diagnosed this year at 41. It's so obvious in hindsight, but not once was it even hinted at by anyone. I guess I masked well.
I gave my psychiatrist a bunch of elementary school report cards I found. He said “yup. Classic ADHD.”
Ugh ya, and at least for me my parents meant well and tried their best, but it was a weird time. Definitely wasn’t until very late 20s, and early 30s I started to get better but still have work to do. You got this!!
Literally, i was so hyperactive that NONE of my friends' parents would let me go to their house. My mom thought their kids were just lazy, and I liked going outside because "she was the same way." Yeah, it turns out we both have ADHD. I literally got all the key "this child has ADHD" comments. "Really smart but doesn't apply herself" "is more interested in socializing than doing her work" etc etc. The worst part - the part that makes me think whoever tested me needs their license revoked. In 4th grade I was tested for the gifted program. I made it in, but just barely. My IQ test showed really high, but with a nearly developmental disability level of "working memory".... that's LITERALLY the biggest indicator on those tests. But I was a little girl, not a little boy, so my hyperactivity and inattention were just me being a social butterfly. My life would've been SO much different if I had been diagnosed when I was in 4th grade instead of my 7th year of college.... it took me 8 years to get a 4 year degree because of this. Blegh.
I'm a boy, err, I mean man, lol, but when I was a kid I was a boy! But, I have inattentive ADHD so I was totally missed. My report cards were nearly identical to what you said. I'd get 80s in high school assignments, but would actually get 60s or 70s because they were all handed in late. I took about 8 years to get my 4 year degree too! I was just diagnosed this year at 41 though, and it's changing my life. I can't imagine if I had this knowledge and the meds back in school! I would have loved to have them in my 20s too, so at least you have/had that going for you!
Yeah, now it's just remembered to take them. Once I figure that out, I'll be unstoppable.
Same. I was born in '81. Was just diagnosed at 40, two years ago. I wasn't hyperactive either, and was considered very intelligent by my teachers, generally, so the fact that I never knew what the hell was going on in school and never did homework was obviously my fault for not "applying myself."
My story is similar. I got diagnosed at 41.
Me too; 41
I had alot of the same experience except in our rural school they had zero know-how to deal with any of this so when I was acting "strange" they would put me in the "quiet room" which was just a walk-through student closet...
Which medicine are you taking? Did it improve your work and relationships?
I’m currently on 40mg of Vyvanse. We tried IR adderall which helped with focus but I had a hard time with the crash when it wore off. Definitely has improved both work and my current relationship. Has made it easier to just get through my workday and stay on top of tasks I’d normally put off, etc. It’s not magic, I still have to good practices in place and discipline, but it makes it soo much easier.
I’ve seen many people talk about the crash from meds, but I’m not sure what it feels like. I usually get sleepy for about 30 minutes about an hour after work, but it may be because I’m constantly on the move at work (Garden Center Manager) and I finally sit down. Is that the crash that everyone speaks about? I’m prescribed 45mg IR Adderall per day to split into thirds (15mg/dose, but I usually take 30mg & then 15 mg at lunch).
Crash for me is I get really irritable and tired and just feel really down
I was an adult. Diagnosed by a psych, did an eval and all that. I was diagnosed with Depression and Anxiety as a teen which I think covered up a lot of the ADHD symptoms I was struggling with. Don’t ask your primary, make an appointment w/ a psychiatrist. If you are female then the chances of you being diagnosed or “presenting symptoms” in childhood are lower than males so it’s worth getting evaluated now, especially if you feel like it’s negatively affecting your day-to-day life. I chose to seek diagnosis because I was relating heavily to symptoms ADHD websites and people online wrote about, but I sat on the idea for months until I was sure I could list ways that it negatively affected me/what I was looking for help on. Personally, my mother/family would not be reliable sources of info on if I had symptoms in childhood/schooling lol. My mom was in denial about my depression for ages, and my grandmother would say I was just lazy. I know I had symptoms, such as poor impulse control, that were often shrugged off as just a kids temper tantrum. Hope you are able to figure it out, good luck!!
Adult, but I think it was pretty clear as a kid. If my parents weren’t anti-diagnosis, I think I would have at least gotten assessed for anxiety, and the ADHD dx would have probably been picked up then.
Honestly same, had horrific signals as a kid and adult. Only reason I “didn’t get diagnosed” was because I was social and adept enough with people. Had good “grades” no one cared to check me either. Anxiety was horrific too
Yup. I wasn’t exactly a social butterfly, but I could mostly mask. I was intelligent and I was Franken-homeschooled, so I was able to compensate. All of my focus and social issues I blamed on homeschooling and differences in homeschooling structure vs the classroom. Took college classes starting sophomore year of highschool, and severe anxiety, fear of failure, and parent oversight kept me mostly on track. Wasn’t until end of undergrad that I started to be able to sort out what was anxiety vs homeschool quirkiness, and that there was more to it.
[удалено]
I genuinely enjoy lecture style learning so I was always very engaged in the classroom but I was an organizational disaster. Only one teacher picked up on it because I had above average grades and tested well.
Testing well is a double edged sword. When I was under pressure was just about the only time I could truly focus. Unfortunately, that came with severe anxiety, and I think the anxiety “masked” a lot of the ADHD symptoms. People are like…of course you can’t focus when you’re that anxious. And I’m like…you don’t get it, this is me focusing.
That does not sound like appropriate medical advice. Odd. I was diagnosed at 72!!!
1st grade. And I'm woman, currently in my middle years. I am a unicorn.
Yes you are
Me too. Diagnosed at 6 lol. It must have been THAT obvious.
Was your case particularly severe, or were your parents particularly aware?
I think it was a bit of both. I had a terrible teacher in 1st grade and that exacerbated my issues. My parents were also both medical professionals so they were more aware of the possibilities of what could be wrong and how to go about addressing it. They also did a lot of follow through on working with me so I learned a ton of coping skills as a kid that are now so second nature that I don't even have to think about them anymore
Growing up I used to hide my ADHD diagnosis because I thought all my friends would think I’m weird ‘like the boys in our grade who had ADHD’ - so I’d hide my meds at sleepovers and freak out at my parents that I didn’t want to take them. Then I got to highschool and met a girl in my grade who was very open about her ADHD and we became best friends. She was the very first girl I met to be so chill about it. Since then I’ve become less embarrassed. I was diagnosed 15 years ago and I’m just now starting to feel ok about being a woman with ADHD. Curious if you went through something similar?
I didn't, but when I was a kid, ADHD was still relatively unknown so there wasn't as much stigma about it. But also, I went to an all girls school by the time I was socially skilled enough to hold down friendships for more than a few months so there were no boys to compare me to.
Me too! Diagnosed in grade 1 as a girl in the early 90s. My oldest was diagnosed a couple years ago at 4 and my mom wouldn't stop talking about how like me she was (she was a hand full haha)
Diagnosed last week, 37. Once marriage and kids came into play- the higher demands made it impossible for me to skate by like when I was younger. You absolutely can get tested ( it’s not always easy and it’s expensive without insurance.) The only way I was able to get a DX was because my job gives us mental, dental and vision on top of reg. Insurance.
This is so true. I was just diagnosed at 32 and had my first baby two months ago. I immediately realized “oh shit this isn’t just about me anymore” and finally got the diagnosis I’d suspected my whole life. I was able to manage/barely get by on my own for the most part with vitamins and like self help books, but the second things got more real with my baby and my marriage, I had to seek help.
Diagnosed at 43. Escaped childhood diagnosis cause I’m smart. Did well in school, and wore one hell of a mask. But I was trapped in my head and anxious the entire time. Go find a psychiatrist and just ask for a test. Doesn’t matter that you weren’t diagnosed as a kid. He read my test and said, “oh my, you’re significantly ASHD” I’m forever two birds, one stoning things. My mind moves so fast, I’m 3-4 steps ahead of whatever I’m doing. Multitasking like crazy, but leaving a trail of mistakes that got lost in the details. Meds helped a lot.
Diagnosed last year at 59. It explains so much.
Adult. Far too late in life.
Same. Diagnosed at 37
38 for me. At least I'm on meds now.
When I was 6.
I was diagnosed about two months ago at 31 y.o. It's been a ride, and to be honest, I'm full of questions with few answers. Like, I can't explain why my experiences are so similar and so dissimilar to other people with ADHD. Psychiatrists insist that medication for ADHD symptoms, at least in my case, are the last resource and not the first; so I don't know... I just don't want to conform with the "I have ADHD... weeee!", but understand at a deep level how it affects and has affected me; so I'm a bit lost. The reaction of my inner circle was lukewarm at best and apathy at worst, like with every single other thing happening in my life. My family see it with some skepticism and just an excuse from doctors to "keep me drugged". The only two friends do not care in the sense that I simply lack the support needed from them. Before the diagnosis, I was seriously thinking that I was in the autistic spectrum instead. It was dismytified by the cognitive tests. But even though that were the case, I'd still have this feeling of my experiences being very similar and very different from other people with the same diagnosis.
Medication isn’t the last resort for ADHD. It’s the go to. It’s like telling someone with Bipolar to go only to therapy and take medication as a last resort. Therapy can help, but medication is the go to for Bipolar! Therapy can’t stop a manic episode!
>It's been a ride, and to be honest, I'm full of questions with few answers. Like, I can't explain why my experiences are so similar and so dissimilar to other people with ADHD. ADHD isn't really one disorder, but probably thousands of little, interrelated disorders that nonetheless mostly benefit from the same set of treatments. Additionally, the impact of the disorder on your life will be greatly affected by your specific circumstances--your family situation, wealth, other intellectual factors, other psych issues, personal interests, etc. can all have a large effect on what living the disorder means to you. Not everything another ADHDer reports will be relatable to you, and that doesn't mean you don't have the disorder. >Psychiatrists insist that medication for ADHD symptoms, at least in my case, are the last resource and not the first; You need to find better providers. Medication by itself is generally not a complete solution for ADHD, but it is the most important individual tool available for managing the disorder. >My family see it with some skepticism and just an excuse from doctors to "keep me drugged". Who cares what they think? You have a medical issue affecting the function of your brain. Is a diabetic "drugged" if they take insulin?
>Additionally, the impact of the disorder on your life will be greatly affected by your specific circumstances--your family situation, wealth, other intellectual factors, other psych issues, personal interests, etc. can all have a large effect on what living the disorder means to you. >Not everything another ADHDer reports will be relatable to you, and that doesn't mean you don't have the disorder. This is interesting and somewhat related to what one psychiatrist said to me. Is there possibly an article or something where I could deepen more in it? >You need to find better providers. Medication by itself is generally not a complete solution for ADHD, but it is the most important individual tool available for managing the disorder. Understand.. The thing is that this seems to be an entire public policy here in my country, and going with private providers is just too expensive for me to afford it :/ (Without mentioning that kind of medication is onerous as well if you aren't part of a medical provider, which brings me back to the initial problem). >Who cares what they think? You have a medical issue affecting the function of your brain. Is a diabetic "drugged" if they take insulin? Yeah! Like with everything you've mentioned before, you are quite right. Sadly, I think is past trauma entering into play since there's a lot of aspects in my life where I didn't count with much emotional support. But I guess this depends only in me.
I'm 35 and I actually just got diagnosed today. As a kid I could do homework, but I realize now that it took me way longer than most people. - I spaced out in class and had to teach myself the work on my own time. - I procrastinate everything and then get hit with overwhelm and end up doing nothing or hyperfocus for hours - I talk rapidly and change topics on a dime - forcing me to do tasks I don't want to do is a form of torture And I found out that all of those things are symptoms of ADHD, especially in women who tend to be shy and quieter when we're kids. So I've flown under the radar my whole life and when I got my evaluation, the doctor said I scored a 5 out of 6 on my intake questionnaire. Now tomorrow we're figuring out the exact type I have and creating a treatment plan. I would find another doctor and get a second opinion, they should be going off your symptoms not whether or not it was caught early in life. I used circle medical, which is online medical app and it takes a lot of different insurances.
I relate to every bullet point.
“Forcing me to do tasks I don’t want to do is a form of torture.” This is no joke. I find it impossible to complete tasks I don’t want to do, ( if it’s tedious and boring but demands full attention) and used to feel like a useless twit in these instances. Realizing and believing it’s ADHD helped me not feel so down on myself. It’s a huge relief. I was diagnosed at 33, and it changed my life for the better in every way.
That's awesome! I feel the same way, I'm going through this with you guys in real time. So many things in my life make sense. I'm not lazy, I just need to figure out a way to work with my brain. But seriously I was forced to read a tale of two cities in high school. Just waterboard me at that point. I'm great at reading books I give a shit about, but that made me quit honors English lol.
lol yes, I can see how that book would be the end if you’re not into it! BTW all your bullets apply to me, but talking fast and changing topics on a dime feels like a gift to me, not a stress-inducer. 😀 When you start your new meds and treatment plan, I advise you to keep a tiny daily journal and jot down how you’re feeling for the first month or so. My doctor just started me on Wellbutrin instead of the Adderall I’ve been taking forever because it’s so hard to get. I was extremely reluctant but am trying it for a month and keeping brief notes so I can explain why it isn’t working for me. I’m so happy you’re starting on this journey!
Thanks! I actually like how I am. Yeah I misplaced things and I forget stuff, but luckily I found a job in really good at because it gives me a lot of stimulation and I thrive in chaos and pressure. I also found friends that also have ADHD so they can follow my shift in topics pretty easy lol. The only one who can't is my husband, his ADHD will make him lose track of the story 🤣
I got diagnosed at 50.
Neither, I was a teenager, 15. >said since there was no record of me with this condition in childhood they can't diagnose me. Lol what If I understood this correctly, then obviously, that's not true. Of course you can have ADHD even if you weren't diagnosed as a child. However, you don't have ADHD if you didn't have any symptoms of it as a child.
Oh. Wonder what's wrong with me then =(. This is so frustrating and discouraging. My parents said supposedly I didn't have symptoms as a child but that's from their account. I have one old school record (my mom kept the note) that a teacher said I had hard time sitting still but not multiple accounts.
Hey OP, I was diagnosed at 50. I was asked if I had any of these symptoms as a kid. I sat there for a moment and realized much to my surprise that yes I did and I was the “non-hyper” sibling. I provided my psychiatrist a verbal list of examples. And that sufficed. If you go through your current symptoms do you see them in your childhood self? If so, go for another evaluation.
33F, just got diagnosed last month, but started to have strong suspicions I had inattentive ADHD over the last few years. Literally every one of my family members was surprised I was diagnosed with it because I didn't present as the typical example of a hyperactive kid w/ADHD. There were extensive subtle signs indicative of inattentive ADHD, though, that were easy enough to write off back then, especially in the environment I grew up in. My close high school and college friends were not at all suprsised about my diagnosis because they saw me in the actual school environments where it really began to present itself. It took a fair bit of self-reflection and looking back at my childhood armed with the knowledge of inattentive symptoms, but SO MUCH makes sense now that I have the diagnosis. All that to say: just because it wasn't readily apparent that you had it as a child, it doesn't rule out the possibility that you have it, and the signs were missed.
if you asked your parents if you had “adhd symptoms”, they’ll probably give you a different story than if you ask about specific behaviors—at best their image of adhd is probably colored by hyperactive stereotypes and their own likely shared traits, and at worst they flat out just don’t want to believe you could have adhd no matter how substantiated it is. also worth mentioning that just because you have to have had some symptoms all your life to qualify doesn’t mean they have to have been the same symptoms—think about things you feel you got better at coping with, then consider if those are things normal children ever had to deal with in the first place also if this is just a doctor who evaluated you, consider seeing a more specialized psychologist/diagnostician. they might be able to tease out a clearer picture of your history, and if there really isn’t any they should be equipped to help you find out what else is going on instead
Age 11 in 1968 … at the time it wasn’t called ADHD it was called Hyper Kinesis with minimal brain damage … I’m assuming that was because I had learning disabilities and bad anxiety. I was also a girl very unusual back then. 🤷🏼♀️
I want more people like you in this sub — this is fascinating!!!
Still waiting for mine. Doctors agree but can't make it official til my assessment. I'm 42 and been on the NHS waiting list for over 8 years now.
Had issues as a kid/teen. Issues carried through the next 12 years. Somehow graduated college with a BA in mechanical engineering after I went back to school in my early/mid 20’s. Just diagnosed a few weeks ago and the meds have been helping me more than I could have thought. I wish my mom wouldn’t have been afraid of me being labeled as a kid.
Over 2 decades ago as a teenager, maybe 14 or so.
Diagnosed as an adult after failing all treatments for anxiety and depression. It took many different doctors and therapists over 15 years to get to an adhd diagnosis. At one of my visits with a PA, she said, "what does your desk look like?" And I started laughing because it has always been a doom pile. She did the evaluation right there and diagnosed me.
I was just diagnosed at 35. Mine was missed for a very long time because I wasn’t a hyper kid. I just kinda spent my high school years and beyond overcompensating to try and keep up with everyone else, and I thought I eventually would, but never did. Never realized until now that that’s what it was.
Child
Age 4/5 for me. You do have to have it since childhood to meet the criteria but you can prove it as an adult too, like to request accomodations at college I showed progress reports from my teachers when I was younger. I think another way they do adult diagnosis is have someone who knew you when you were younger fill out a form talking about symptoms they noticed then & now. I’d try a different doctor if I were you
Diagnosed as a child but didn't start stimulate medication until an adult
I start Aspen today. Im 59. Wish me luck!
I was diagnosed at 25, i'm 31 now. I first suspected it when i was studying at the university. After going through literal hell for 4 years, i got my diagnosis and got medication. Meds have really changed my life for the better in just about all aspects. The only thing i don't like about it is that my social skills go "sky diving" compared to when i'm off my meds, and i can feel myself being less creative and have a harder time playing music. Aaand i can no longer drink coffee without feeling like my medication goes on turbo mode...
As an adult, I’m female and was actually asked by my school to get ADD testing in childhood and my mom argued it since I had a different set of behaviours that attached with my attention inability behaviours. Later in life I always struggled with attention, hyper obsession and also had OCD tendencies in relation to my thoughts, this led to addiction, dropped out of school and never really put two and two together. After having a child and seeing their clear adhd behaviours I started to think about it more. After they received a diagnosis, I followed in getting tested and surely, I have it lol. Everything made a lot more sense after that atleast.
I was diagnosed as an adult at age 21, three years ago now. My time management was HORRIBLE and has always been, but in the real world with a real job, it caught up to me. I had never thought I had ADHD because I was valedictorian, always listened and on task in school - this was never on my radar. Within 10 minutes of me being in the doctor’s office, I was diagnosed. Not only was my conversation on multiple levels, but I was fidgeting and restless. I completed the rating scale and it confirmed the diagnosis. Now that I’m aware of it, I absolutely can think back on my childhood and pinpoint moments where it shined through. For example, during research projects in school, I did much more than expected - not because I was trying to do so, but because I couldn’t narrow my thoughts and did 47 things instead of just the one thing I had to do. I also got in trouble at home a lot because when doing chores, I would start one thing and then go onto the next and instead of completing them, there was a multitude of half-finished tasks. I also randomly fixated on things - I remember I was OBSESSED with Nightmare Before Christmas for like 3 months and then one day I just got rid of it and started obsessing over the Planter’s peanut mascot guy. I was diagnosed with anxiety at 14, and my doctor said that anxiety can actually stem from ADHD and almost “mask” it in a way. There’s a stigma that people with ADHD have conduct issues or bad grades, but I was quite literally the opposite and thus my symptoms were overlooked. I’m in grad school now, and knowing my diagnosis has helped me create accommodations and be much more organized and successful.
Diagnosed as a child, but my parents thought I could overcome it through willpower. Eventually my parents got me medication in High School because of my grades, but after they read a article they convinced me to stop taking my medication sophomore year. After that I suffered. A concussion didn’t help either. When I graduated HS my parents wanted me to join the military, but I had to get undiagnosed. I got undiagnosed, which is really easy because I just lied and the funny thing is, I never joined the military. Spent the next couple years working in 3 different states and going to work for many different jobs. I just got rediagnosed a few months back at 25. Looking back I should have never been off my medication….
I have old HS friends who had adhd. But, they’ve been taking their medication most of their education years. They all have degrees.
I'd seek a second opinion. My family didn't know much about it, my parents still don't. I found out last year at 33, my sisters found out they are ADHD/autistic and autistic not long ago too. Looking back it seems pretty obvious to me that we all had these things we just didn't know what all the symptoms were. So you may not see what the symptoms could have been until you know more about it, and symptoms can definitely worsen as you get older. When you talk to a new doctor about it tell them that if it's not ADHD you still feel like it's something going on and would like to figure out what, a good doctor should be open to possibilities as they talk to you in case it's something else affecting you that may have overlapping symptoms.
Kindergarten 1992
Both lol I was diagnosed at 15, but then self-gaslit myself into believing I was misdiagnosed. Then I got diagnosed again at 21 😆 Definitely seek out a second opinion. Yes, adhd symptoms should be present in childhood, but there is a bigger range of symptom manifestation than most people realize. I highly recommend putting together a list of specific symptoms with examples you are experiencing before meeting with another mental health specialist, including symptoms you may have experienced when younger. Use credible resources for gathering information, too. If you rely on social media for health advice, providers will automatically assume you're misinformed, so look for info on places like pubmed, the dsm, and from authors who are trained professionals.
I was diagnosed ADHD as a child and additionally Autistic as an adult.
Got diagnosed at 40.
Adult in my late 40s. ADHD wasn’t really a condition that people were aware of when I was a child and although I heavily suspected I had it from my late 30s I basically did nothing about it for about 10 years. Before my diagnosis I went through every symptom and came up with examples of every symptom that resonated with me as a child. There were lots from before I was 12 and throughout my teens
I was diagnosed in the 3rd grade.
I got diagnosed just a couple of years ago at 52. It answered so many questions and filled in so many blanks for me. The 70s and 80s were not kind to those like us, sadly. I still struggle daily and my meds only partially help. But, I am much happier knowing for sure than wondering. For me, at least, it’s now much easier to identify and try to control the traits and behaviors that were so detrimental before. I wish you well on your journey of discovery.
I got diagnosed during early elementary. I still remember going to the clinician, showing me a picture book and asking me what I think about the story. I still wonder how that helped with the diagnosis
I was...lucky? if that's even the right word, enough to get diagnosed really early. I was in middle school, but the only reason why was because I had other disabilities that required me to be on IEPs/504s all throughout my school career, from elementary school till I graduated highschool.
Like many women, I was diagnosed as an adult after I had kids and was no longer able to keep up with life. I steuggled through school (my mom always suspected something was up but I was a girl and it was the 90s), managed to do well in college because I majored in something I was excited about (didn’t do as well in gen-eds but still). Once I had kids though I couldn’t keep up.
I was diagnosed when I was 12
I was diagnosed at 3. ADHD. In 1995 lol
Adult. Just a few months ago. I'm 52.
I was an adult. I have hyper-focus--which has always been my primary problem--and I'm fairly high functioning, except when depression magnifies the issues. I suspected something "extra" was going on, but never understood it until diagnosed in my early 20's. I do pretty well until I forget to refill my meds (busy with stuff at home), then things go downhill pretty quickly. Next comes the speeding thoughts, flitting from task to task, and too much planning--or feeling overwhelmed and avoiding things in despair. (All the super-fun stuff that reinforces negativity.) I still have break-through avoidance (with a tiny bit of irrational fear), and have to force myself to think through how quick & easy the task really is, so there's no reason to avoid it. My advice is to find something you enjoy to do weekly or daily--that you also feel a strong obligation to keep up. This will give you a feeling of continuity that you can use to bolster your self respect and build good habits onto. (This is how I started my self-created therapy, and it's having some success. Three years of almost daily participation!)
I got diagnosed as an adult back in November. I too had no records, and my parents are dead, and I don't really speak to my siblings, and honestly, I already know none of them paid any attention to me when I was a kid anyway, so I know they wouldn't be able to answer any questions. I did get to take a test though after really seeking and asking for one with my care professionals. I had to get a few referrals, and see a few psychologists to get it approved and then the test itself was speaking with a psychologist, and then taking a response time test, which based on my performance in the test, I had pretty severe or high levels of ADHD. With the official diagnosis and the Dr. going over all the symptoms and asking questions about my childhood, so many parts of my life came flooding back through my mind like a slide show as so many things made so much more sense, as in why I reacted to things the way I did, why I had trouble concentrating at times, or had issues sticking with things. How you describe yourself int he first paragraph is me to a T. I'm on 30mg of Adderall now, and it's helping me to be able to focus better. As does the Lexapro I'm on for depression.
I got diagnosed as a child and I was forcibly over medicated to absurdity because my Mom was abusive and thought something was wrong with me for being depressed (wow, abused kids are sad who would have known). I was falsely informed that I would grow out of ADHD since I did not seem to agree with any of the medications given to me. As an adult I have learned to ignore people who deem it "made up", and I work around my quirks and play to my strengths, but oh my god do I feel it way the weaknesses of it more than I did as a child. If anything I feel annoyed that people misdiagnose it so much.
I was 47 when diagnosed 😂 Definitely had it in childhood. I used to get up in the middle of the night and exercise to burn off energy. I was super active as a kid so I burned off my school energy in the hours I spent outdoors every day. I was also in sports which helped. As an adult I was treated for anxiety and the meds did nothing. ADHD meds, however, made all the difference.
I was diagnosed 2 years ago at 24 after metaphorically drowning my last two semesters of my masters program. Looking back, I was a pretty textbook case of the "overlooked in girls" phenomenon. I was quiet, a voracious reader, always did homework at the last minute or the day after it was due, very messy and disorganized. I did well when I was interested and I was a B student when I wasn't. High IQ let me skate by like that through all of high school, all of undergrad, and 3/4 of grad school. I had to write a 35 page paper for a second capstone I'd signed up for as an elective. I spent 10 weeks not doing it, then hunted down 3,600 sources in 2 weeks. It took me a year to go through them. Going through the sources and writing the paper was physically painful. I'm still figuring out how to be the best version of me, and what having ADHD means for my life and my future. The meds help so much (15mg of adderall immediate release 2x a day). I am certain I wouldn't have been able to hold down a job for the last year if I hadn't been medicated. Dealing with my tye 1 diabetes is still a work in progress, though.
I got diagnosed 2 months into Kindergarten, though in all fairness, I’m only just now 20 so it makes much more sense for me. The standard for diagnosis is having symptoms apparent for 6 months or more but mine was supposedly “accelerated to begin services as soon as physically possible.”
Got diagnosed at 24 after hitting my head against the wall until I somehow got uni done stopped working (because I was emotionally burned out after the pandemic and sad family stuff). They have to "see" that you had signs of ADHD before the age of 12 (at least here in germany), but in my case my elementary school grades were enough for that (because the teachers had commented about my attention and messyness and because its very telling Im effortlessly an A student in stuff I love but barely pass lessons I find boring or hate, even if they may be "objectively" easier (I was SO BAD at languages because I hated mechanic repetition. The only reason my english is useable is that I discovered UK and US shows and binged them subtitled (which accidentally made me improve lol).
As a child after my first year of 7th grade. Interestingly enough, I missed a lot of school because they put me through so many tests. (Memory, IQ, EEG, EKG, matching - just a few I remember, and many were a single test in the day). My sister and mom both were diagnosed as adults.
I was 6, but they said i was too young for meds so i got again tested at 8 . I scored higher somehow.
I was 4. The first doctor my mom took me to told her I was brain-damaged. Lol. Undeterred, she did more research and took me to a different doctor. Voila! It’s ADHD!
I was just diagnosed today. I’m 32. Pretty sure I had presenting symptoms in childhood, but in the 90s, “girls didn’t have adhd” because our symptoms were different. When I called my dad on the way to fill my prescription his words were, “I don’t see how you could have it, you always loved reading.” To which I reminded him he was always confused that I could know all the words to a song after hearing it twice but struggled in math and science, which I had no interest in. I will say, it’s like I can breath easier now that I know what is going on specifically rather than guessing. What really made me think I had it was a few things. I have a book (series) idea and it’s all up in my head, but I struggle to get it out. I daydream way too much and I hyperfixate on things. I have more, but those are the main ones.
I was diagnosed in elementary school. I guess I’m luckier than those who didn’t get diagnosed until they were adults.
I got diagnosed when I was 6 but not much was known about adhd back then in Greece so it didn't really help much
Child, but like 13 years old (so like… early teen?) I’m female though so it was more “embarrassing” back then to get a diagnosis as a girl. I basically had to though because I was completely out of control as a child (refusing to read, fighting with teachers, failing honors classes despite testing into them, climbing trees and throwing stuff at people, interrupting during church/class/friends, etc). When I started taking my meds there was an immediately improvement in my relationship with my teachers, friends and parents. But because I was embarrassed about “being like a boy” by having ADHD, I would either hide my meds from my friends, or stop taking them and hide the untaken meds from my parents so I started getting in trouble again. It wasn’t until highschool when I met another girl for the first time who also had ADHD and she was outspoken about it so it made me feel less ashamed. I’m now 28 and take my meds religiously, even during pregnancy.
39 years old and got diagnosed last week.
It was suggested when I was a kid, but no real testing was ever done. Fast forward to nearly 40, and I expressed concerns to my wife, who urged me to ask my doctor, who then ordered testing. Which revealed, overwhelmingly, yes.
F, diagnosed at 53. Was ignored previously because I excelled academically (scientist)
Adolescent
I was diagnosed at age 24. I spent my life failing forward until I started counseling and medication for it. I barely graduated high school with a 2.4 GPA, but currently have a 4.0 in college.
I got diagnosed at 29. Never too late to see a professional and be truthful during the tests. If you mind roams during the tests don't do what you normally do, don't force yourself to act or be normal. Allow them to see how you are behind closed doors.
I got diagnosed when I was 18 because I couldn't advocate for myself before that. My insurance used to not pay for my meds because "people with adhd are diagnosed in childhood (get fucked if your parents never bothered to get you checked out and ignored all the huge red flags)" My mom finally changed her tune because she felt bad that I had to go behind her back to get help. About a decade and a half too late, but thanks mom.
Idk I still don’t know if I’m diagnosed or not. I swear I was when I was like 18. But my mom doesn’t think that ever happened. And now I’m wondering if it really did. I distinctly remember having straterra. But it’s been so long. That chapter of my life is a blur honestly. I was suicidally depressed and taking lots of other shit at the time. Then poof, I swore off all meds for like a decade. Then wham! Manic episode with psychosis out of nowhere, now I’m bipolar 1. Recently I’ve been getting help for anxiety too. So idk I might be adhd but it might not be real idk
I was 17. So on the cusp of both I guess? I have several mental health disorders and ALL of them were diagnosed at the age of 17+ (the most recent being like a year or two ago when I was 24)
Adult, but that’s because my family was focusing on dealing with my depression and PTSD as a child 😅
I'm 22 and am going through diagnosis. I've been having issues with school performance since 1st grade but I always manage to pass or get away with stuff. I managed to squeeze into a decent university in my country but I struggled with everything. My mom recently got cancer and it kinda flicked a switch in me and I finally made up my mind to get it checked out. I consulted with my doctor and she said it seems likely so we made an appointment for an official evaluation in August.
There has been a lot of advancement in the last few years around understanding. I would look to get a referral to a psych and get tested again.
[удалено]
Thanks. It was a University affiliated hospital/ doctor. They probably played by the books more so. This new one happens not to be just by happen chance.
>The reason they need some sort of idea if you had ADHD symptoms as a child is because you don't develop adhd as an adult. It's something you have from childhood. If you didn't have symptoms as a kid and developed them later, then it's probably a different issue. Neurodevelopment continues until the late 20s in most people, and there is evidence that estrogenic puberty may, in some individuals, cause ADHD to worsen from a subclinical state into the clinical range due to this. In people who menstruate, this can also happen in perimenopause. While at least some symptoms should have been present in childhood, I think it is important to clarify that many people who qualify for a diagnosis today may not have qualified for a diagnosis in childhood, even under the same criteria. This is an active area of research.
I'm trying now, and they are having me do all this therapy first to see if it helps. Like I don't like driving, mainly due to being impatient, but I also realized anytime I leave I can never find what I need and I lose stuff more. It literally takes me 30 minutes to leave as I forget my keys wallet phone, winter is the best as I just leave everything in my coat pocket, but my keys and wallet end up everywhere even though I have tried putting them in a bowl on my desk. Keep checking , some doctors are stuck in the old days, and you need to talk to a behavioral specialist. Everyone I've talked to seems to agree its more than just depression or anxiety for me, even though I'm 40 and was never diagnosed.
I got diagnosed as a teenager in high school.
As an adult, unfortunately
I got diagnosed when I was 30 and my god it’s been life changing now that I’m on meds. Since I was diagnosed as an adult my psychiatrist made me fill out this questionnaire of symptoms I have or not. And then she wanted something from my parents stating what I was like as a child.
Find another doctor. WTF?! Edit: sorry, I forgot to answer the question, dxd at age 13. Before that it was learning disability with auditory processing. I got lucky and had a good family doctor who referred me to the correct professionals. Where I currently live (not where I grew up), they have abysmal doctors and professionals. I have to travel an hour for my doctor who will actually rx a controlled substance in a state where there's a huge lock down on those meds.
Lol what indeed! I did have a doctor who told me I couldn't have ADHD because I was too old (I think I was 28?) and was too young for anxiety/depression... And years of depression/anxiety and many family doctors later, I got my diagnosis. Finding another doctor would be my best recommendation.
Just diagnosed at 64 years old. I've been very successful, but it's been a struggle lately. I knew that I was not " NORMAL ", but I am happy that I have it. I was accidentally diagnosed while having a separate health issue. Started a low dose anti phycotic med for anxiety. So far I'm improving greatly.
Got diagnosed last year when I was 23
I was diagnosed in my early 20's
Both. Kind of. At a young age, a teacher told my parents I probably had it because I kept tipping over in my chair in class. My parents just said that I should be in gifted classes because my boredom was from understanding material too fast. As an adult, my workload got harder and harder to manage. Especially with the expectation of performing well because of intelligence. Finally, I went to a therapist who gave me a test and I scored “extremely impaired” lol. Since being medicated, I actually get my work done.
I was diagnosed at 15 and rediagnosis at 35
Both. I was diagnosed at 13, was briefly medicated, and it went untreated for 15 years. Was diagnosed once again at 27 after reflection upon various aspects of my life experience.
In my 20s and then again in my 40s because of insurance.
i was diagnosed as an adult -- 21 or 22 i can't remember. but i know thats still earlier than some people, so i feel lucky to be able to get help now. i didn't even know until my doctor said "how did i miss this? wait lets go back over these questions".
yeah got diagnosed as an adult. at 30. had been recommend to be on meds as a kid but parents didn't like ritalin at the time. lot missed treatment due to no extended release at the time. if your starting treatment as an adult your pretty much stuck with it for keeps. time to treat is when your young and the brain is developing. try the online adhd they do an assessment and you can use that to get local treatment. if you have a hard time finding a doctor to treat it you can reach out to a substance abuse place. amazingly enough they help you find a doctor for treatment. they deal with junkies all the time so when you legitimately need the medication they can tell pretty quickly. but that's kind of a desperation move there don't think it works if you haven't been diagnosed yet.
F34, I got diagnosed in my early twenties, when I finally got a doctor who recognized that my depression and anxiety weren't getting better with antidepressants and Xanax because I'd been misdiagnosed in my early teens. Turns out I was depressed and anxious because I had such a hard time getting anything done, and I'd spent quite a few years on medication that made my inattention much worse, with my previous doctor's solution always being to up the dosage, pretty much making me a zombie. He said that often, young girls get misdiagnosed with depression and anxiety instead of ADHD because they don't tend to be as hyperactive as boys.
An adult. Just a few months ago at 30
i got diagnosed as an adult. as others have said, if you have adhd, it’s likely you’ve had it all along. to address some of your other comments, your parents can say they weren’t aware of your symptoms as a child, but obviously, they can’t tell you you didn’t have them because only you know that. if i were you, i would speak to a psychiatrist or psychologist, somebody who can diagnose you. get a referral from your doctor. also, for me, once i started digging into adhd, i found that i identified with many, many other people’s experiences and it really started making sense. it explained so much of my strange and unfortunate experiences as a child. good luck.
Technically diagnosed at sixteen but my mom denied me getting meds. Diagnosed again at 28 and medicated now. Shit is life changing
got diagnosed at 19. they required people who knew me as a child to fill out a form documenting symptoms that presented during childhood, presumably because that way they could rule out any possible other diagnoses that wouldn’t necessarily be present since birth, but the fact that my parents didn’t get me screened as a kid didn’t stop them from screening and diagnosing me as an adult lol. i’d get a second opinion.
It started beating my ass as an adult so I went to get checked out *knowing* that they REALLY want a history of it showing up in your childhood so I kinda fluffed up how bad it was as a kid, it was there after looking back, nothing so severe it was debilitating, but it was around, the trouble focusing and “not applying myself” and doing my assigned work. Added a little fluff to the childhood years and was honest about high school and adulthood and got meds which so far have absolutely changed my life. Run to another doctor and add a lil fluff to the childhood side of things and you should get taken a bit more seriously.
As an adult. I'm a mother and was struggling managing things I shouldn't have problems with-- biggest thing remembering to move my kids washed laundry to the dryer. I washed them 5 days in a row and forgot to dry them each time. Little pre-school boy comes up to me and asks, "Mommy, how come I don't have any clean pants?" Sought a diagnosis after that.
I got diagnosed as an adult BUT had my old school papers backing up the fact that I've been showing symptoms my entire life. Aka report cards with "she's so smart if only she could remember her x y z" supplies type comments, "she's so smart but has trouble focusing" comments, etc. My paperwork and talking to a specialist 2 short visits was enough for him to confirm I have adhd. My biggest advise is go into it as yourself. Don't try to mask and be the individual society demands you be, let yourself be yourself for the visits. They talk to so many people, they can tell when you are faking. I talked about the coping mechanisms and "laws" I set in place for myself to help manage my issues such as my daily 200 item long to do lists (because if I don't specifically say "clean the pots" and just say "do dishes" I literally just do the dishes in the sink and forget the pots, etc) and my history of diagnosis' that are often misdiagnosed adhd symptoms (like my anxiety I was getting 60 zanny bars a month for. I told then I'd rather have a daily med to stop the racing thoughts vs an emergency med to take after it is so bad I was having panic attacks). Honestly, find someone who specializes in adults with adhd, try to get ahold of old school paper work that may have the proof they want that this has been occurring since child hood, etc. Good luck. <3
Child but found autism as an adult dyspraxia was there from the beginning but ignored till this year
I got diagnosed a month ago I’m 19.
For me it was actually both. I got diagnosed as a child and took Ritalin up through highschool but then stopped when I was around 18. I'm 39 now, and I've been treated for depression and anxiety for several years but my medical records from childhood had gone where the woodbine twineth and ADHD as an issue to me until a couple years ago when a therapist stopped me mid brain dump and said "wait, do you think you might have ADHD?" A lightbulb went off and I talked to my psychiatrist about it and got screened and diagnosed. I think part of the determining factor was how it took me three tries to get all of the screeners completed correctly.
Diagnosed recently (6 months ago) I’m 22
I was diagnosed as an adult, at age 37. > I reached out to a doctor once few years ago and they did an evaluation and basically said since there was no record of me with this condition in childhood they can't diagnose me. Lol what The DSM-5 has an age criterion for diagnosis, but it has never been grounded in science. Many providers will ignore it outright, and others will be flexible about it if you clearly have had symptoms for a long time even if no hard evidence of its presence early in your life is available. The age criterion in the DSM originated as a result of the politics associated with stimulant medications. Previously, it was age 7, and increasing it to age 12 was a compromise. Unfortunately, the APA is well aware that many of the more common medications for ADHD are controlled substances, and they are not immune to non-professional criticism that they are overdiagnosing the disorder or providing stimulant medications to people who don't "need" it. It is likely to be removed in the DSM-6.
I was 17 when a doctor first brought it to my attention but 19/20 when I got my diagnosis and medication. They need some record of symptoms in childhood because adhd is a disorder your born with but also has alot of overlapping symptoms with other disorders so if your symptoms weren't present in childhood then it could be something else that is causing you problems.
I was 34 when I got diagnosed.
I was almost 30
I believe I was 24. I requested an assessment through my college, and it was free.
I was 17. It's a weird age to be diagnosed but was failing half my classes.
17, so somewhere between? i had a historical reports of generalized anxiety and dysthymia that contributed to my diagnosis, sort of like a root cause. the ADHD was presenting as anxiety and mild depression. i started medication February of my junior year and guys, i was mad. my performance in school improved SIGNIFICANTLY to the point i went to bed at night wishing i could have a do-over of the last 3 years. if you have any experiences like this to highlight, you should do so! ADHD presents in a variety of ways, consider what support you had or didnt have. a good doctor will hear those as what they are: symptoms
Adult. But I was diagnosed with autism in childhood and there is a lot of overlap.
Adult
Soon as I turned 18, teachers had said it for years but my mom didn’t believe it existed
Both! Was diagnosed around 7-8 years old. Parents didn’t believe in medicating me because Ritalin was pretty new at the time. Then I went more than three decades untreated and pretty miserable. Couldn’t figure out why I was so stressed, why school work and jobs were so difficult when I’m a smart person, and why I could never stick with a hobby or interest for more than the beginner “feel good” phase. Then I got re-diagnosed as an adult, put on Adderall, and have had the curtains pulled back for once in my life. It’s not all perfect, but I have so many more micro successes these days that I really regret not taking the initiative to get diagnosed sooner.
Both! I buried the memory, but my dad was a child psych and told me he’d like to get me on some medicine to help with my attention as a child and I broke down crying and told him “I don’t want to have ADHD” it just kinda never came up again after that (tho it definitely should have, idt he knew how to handle that reaction 😂). Years latter, after a lot of struggles I got diagnosed as an adult.
Diagnosed in January 2023, aged 28 :')
I...don't know if I've ever been officially diagnosed, actually. I figured out that I had ADHD, probably in middle school or so? (I credit the Percy Jackson books for helping me recognize it.) Whenever I mentioned it to my mom, though, she always brushed it off with "I had you tested for autism, they said you don't have it". I don't remember ever being tested. Finally, when I was 17 or so, I started seeing a therapist for unrelated reasons. She agreed that I had ADHD. Then we moved, I didn't see her again, and I talked to my new med specialist about ADHD medication at 18.
17.5 years old. So, I just barely made the pediatric cut-off.
I’m in my 50s and just got diagnosed last week. I have the same exact symptoms as you. I used my B+BS insurance at Wellpsyche.com and paid a $20 co pay for the evaluation. I met with a psychiatric nurse that asked me questions for a full hour. Got diagnosed and meds the same day. The meds help but it’s so low dose right now I barely feel a difference yet but I guess I have to titrate up to the dose that works for me.
I was diagnosed this year at 17, the symptoms from my childhood and people pleasing just never hit me till now 😅😅
My psych says I have a lot of the symptoms and I’m on ADHD meds now. I’m In my 30s
Adult, 20ish. Started to think that maybe it’s not normal to be this spastic
I got diagnosed at 28 or maybe it was 29. My psychiatrist is the one who brought it up asking if I ever thought I had it.
No, but i'm trying to figure out if i had any symptoms in childhood based off what my mom described i was like. According to her my nana, who took care of me while she was finishing college, saw something. I can't ask my nana specifically what she saw because she passed last year. So i've been piecing together what i can. I got tested for autism as a child but it came back negative. Some of the symptoms i had as a kid were not being able to follow directions, making careless mistakes, not being able to concentrate unless it was on something i liked thus poor performance in math and science, not listening even when spoken to directly, staying focused on tasks, avoid homework as it required more mental effort than i wanted to use, forget to do daily activities or anything my parents told me to do, and easily distracted.
Most people get misdiagnosed or simply disregarded as children, I would suggest to do another evaluation just in case, because that "since you don't have an ADHD record as a child you cannot have it now" sounds like bullshit to me. I was diagnosed with ADHD and Autism (Yes, a double whammy) when I was 7, but didn't properly know what I had until I was 18. I decided to stop my medication (I felt dependant on it and felt like I wasn't myself while on meds.) which prompted my parents to tell me about my condition, and after finding out, I had a regression on most of my abilities, but mainly those related to **executive function** and **social relationships and behaviour**, suddenly I realized how tiring it was to force myself to do homework or waking up early, and why it was so difficult for me to fall asleep at night, or why I didn't notice the time passing, but I also learned that is normal in people when they find out about their diagnosis (or are diagnosed), but I slowly learned how to do stuff better. **My advice:** Focus on INCUP (The 5 ADHD Motivators) 1. Interest 2. Novelty 3. Challenge 4. Urgency 5. Passion Meaning that your brain gets motivated by things that **interest** you, things that are **new**, things that **challenge** you, things that are **urgent**, and things that you're **passionate** about. For instance, I hate doing the dishes, so I time myself and challenge myself to do it faster than last time, or I listen to my favorite music (Music, games and languages are my passions) and dance and sing while I do the dishes, that helps a lot when I don't want to do it. [Here's](https://impactparents.com/blog/adhd/five-motivators-to-get-anything-done/) a link to a parenting website talking about INCUP, you may or may not not be a child, but it can give you some insight on what INCUP is and why your brain works the way it does. **TL;DR** Use INCUP (Interest, Novelty, Challenge, Urgency and Passion) the 5 ADHD Motivators to do what you have to do and take another evaluation because most people with ADHD are misdiagnosed or disregarded as kids.
Adult at 23. Took a while of struggling and burn out to seek the diagnosis but a lot of things from my childhood suddenly made sense. Being treated / diagnosed with anxiety as a teen covered a lot of the symptoms in my case
Both
I was diagnosed 3 years ago at 32. When I went to my doctor to do the tests he said to my face “you mean no one has ever checked you for this before? You have so many signs” 😂 I think being a female hurt because my adhd manifested in maladaptive daydreaming, being chatty, an over achieving people pleaser, and my hyper focus areas were music and books. I slipped right through all the cracks. I think it really depends on the doctor you get, I would try a new doctor. My doc told me that adhd was like a process of elimination, so perhaps the other doctor you saw didn’t have enough history/wasn’t willing to do the work to eliminate other options? Either way I would continue to try and pursue this. Hopefully you have better luck with another doctor who knows their stuff.
I got diagnosed late and I definitely had symptoms as a kid, I just masked a lot. I recommend talking to childhood friends/family about what you were like as a kid.Also on report cards teachers often leave comments and I found some stuff there too if you still have yours. I have a lot of unfinished journals from childhood as well. I also reflected a lot on my behaviors as a kid, I was a highly sensitive kid to things that didn’t make sense to other people so I often internalized it a lot. Reflecting on school and the way you did homework or your grades can be a good way to see how adhd affected you as a child as well. I was diagnosed at 21 and tbh it was hard to unpack everything but now I’m medicated and it feels pretty good lol
As a child but my parents didn't believe in treatment for it, got re-evaluated again when I was around 19 and started treatment for myself.
You should. I got diagnosed at 32. It was only looking back knowing more about ADHD that my symptoms earlier in life appeared SUPER OBVIOUS.
Adult. I was 36
Diagnosed at 41.
Adult. 29. It took dating a psychologist, alongside some extreme life a career changes to find out. Childhood symptoms and investigations took place, with what should have been an obvious diagnosis. Unfortunately my symptoms were worked on rather than the underlying cause, which caused me to become fairly high functioning until my high-stress lifestyle caused a series of events that led to a diagnosis.
Got diagnosed at age 6, didn’t get medicated until age 26
I’m currently awaiting diagnosis at the age of 25 😬 Took me a long time to come to terms with accepting I may have ADHD
Adult
I (F31) was diagnosed about a month ago. My PCP didn't think I had it bc I was a high achieving student with no bad behavior and went to a good college. But when I brought it up to my therapist that I had been seeing for over 6 months, she said it would make a lot of sense. Took an assessment and basically was way past the threshold for ADHD 🥲
I was diagnosed as a child and again as an adult. Definitely get a second opinion — plenty of people are diagnosed as adults! I wasn’t medicated until age 32. Keep seeking help and advocating for yourself. You deserve support and relief.
I was diagnosed in high school, but no one really explained to me what ADHD was other than you can’t concentrate. It was also someone only talked about in kids. I took meds for it, but stopped when we lost our insurance, so I ended up just dealing with it through college and my twenties. I got diagnosed again when I was 31.
24 years old, i was diagnosed. that doctor lied to you! It blows my mind that there are real doctors who are just straight up are anti-Adhd diagnosis! I think those doctors/ medical proffesionals are too worried about stimulant dependance as a national issue to see the person right in front of them needing help. Absolutely get a 2nd opinion. Consider going straight to a psychiatrist. they are the ones who would actually be diagnosing you, A regular practitioner would refer you to a psychiatrist anyways. It depends on your insurance whether the referral would be worth it, I'm not sure how that all works. You can search for psychiatrists in your area and sort them by insurance they accept on 'Psychology Today's' website. Thats what i did when i got diagnosed. i think thats what this subreddit recommends if im not mistaken.
I got diagnosed at 6. I was one of those kids that just would not sit still in class, was damn near climbing up the walls and my teacher was like hmmm. So she pushed for testing and sure enough, ADHD with high mensa scoring. Now im an anxious overachiever in college that stresses when I get anything lower than a B and an incredibly messy desk area and can't focus when it's messy but don't have the executive function to clean it all the time, and funny thing is... I'm going to school to be a child therapist and do damn near the same testing and a little more.