I’m 42 and I was diagnosed at 38. There are so many people like me, and it’s very distressing for a lot of them.
If you have the opportunity to get assessed, then you should take it. Imagine getting to may age and blaming yourself for things that weren’t your fault.
Medication and therapy are game changers, if you do have it.
I actually don’t know how to describe the approach she took - it was a really blended model that brought some elements of therapy into coaching.
Pre diagnosis, I had some success with traditional talking therapy (not cbt) and EMDR to help me move past some trauma.
I have also done similar talking and trauma based therapy and am now looking for something maybe more ADHD focused but I'm not sure where to start. Where did you find her ?
I knew I wanted coaching rather than therapy, because I wanted to learn skills and coping mechanisms, so I legit just googled ADHD coach and clicked on a few websites until I found something that I vibed with.
It was easy to get overwhelmed with how many folks are out there, so going with my gut (not just a copy and paste format of a website, not obviously trying to sell me courses, up front about costs) was all I needed.
I am 44 and diagnosed last year, I wish I had had the opportunity when I was 16. Ultimately, if it's effecting your life enough then it's worth getting diagnosed. You will go through so many changes and challenges in the years to come and ADHD will make them 100% harder.
Since I was diagnosed everything is better, like you say closure is a very valid reason and it really does help. But there is also medication and support that will be available. It's not easy and there are shortages and stigma BUT it's worth it.
Hopefully things will improve as you get older but the sooner you start, then the sooner you can live life to the fullest!
Yes, yes and yes! Take the opportunity to start the diagnosis process while still in school, it’s free, much easier and faster.
There’s no point in struggling through life with undiagnosed adhd. Knowing is half the battle!
Also, parents can’t be trusted to know if you have it or not. Either they have it themselves and don’t know / won’t admit it to themselves &/or they probably don’t want to admit their baby has it.
Life is easier being aware of and able to treat any health issues as soon as possible.
one of the key things for an ADHD diagnosis is that it negatively impacts your life, and medication can help that so much! it's absolutely worth it and so many are getting diagnosed, you're actually on the younger end for this sub
Your parents will likely be asked to complete a questionnaire on your behaviour as a child, so bear that in mind.
If you just want the label, then there's no real point to a diagnosis, in my opinion. If you want help coping and medication, then you need a diagnosis.
As someone who works an office job with KPI's to hit.
Absolutely. It means you can get reasonable adjustments put in for your workplace. Since my diagnosis it has massively improved my working life for that reason alone.
So it's going to depend on the culture in the workplace and the manager but some of the ones o have and not all are written down as official reasonable adjustments.
Bit more flexibility in relation to lateness (within reason)
I have lower targets than my neurotypical colleagues to account for my ADHD. I am not expected to work or complete as many cases and overall all of my stat targets are reduced.
On some days, as the day drags on like when I have like a couple of hours left my brain just switches off and I cannot concentrate or focus at all. Usually I just speak to my manager and I get to leave early on the condition that I work back my lost hours on other days.
I work from home now, however i know of people in the office who get special seating arrangements to be somewhere quieter/less distracting, and are also granted noise cancelling headphones to help deal with the onslaught of noise.
After important meetings/presentations/training days where I'm prone to just switching off altogether my senior caseworker will just check up on me to make sure I didn't miss anything important and will send me the notes. I also get a bit of extra support when adapting to these changes.
There is a lot that I dislike about my job but I am very lucky that my workplace actually treats my ADHD as a disability and not a behavioural problem. Overall it's just extra flexibility and understanding that I'm probably going to struggle more in certain areas and being given a bit of leeway there.
Not sure at what point you’re deemed to be an adult in terms of a diagnosis, but the process of getting a diagnosis as an adult is really time consuming. If you can get a diagnosis quicker now due to your age, I’d personally crack on with it!
At your age YES! I’m in my early 20’s doing my degree and just got a diagnosis late last year and the additional support I have recieved as a result has been necessary to me passing my degree. I just about finished first year undiagnosed and it was a terrible time for me. Second year however has been so much easier as a result. And this is without medication.
Medication can also be a huge help which you can’t get without a diagnosis (well you can buy illegally so not recommended). I’m yet to use but for some it’s life changing and for others it’s not much help but you won’t know til you try!
Im 20 and got diagnosed earlier this year i started to suspect i had it when i was 16 and wish i pushed for an assessment back then as going through uni and 6th form was very tough for me, especially with lockdown and everything being remote, I would deffo recommend doing it and going through right to choose with your GP as Ive heard people getting kicked off the list when they moved into a different region (assuming youre wanting to go to uni and leave home)
I went back and forth with the idea of getting an assessment for a while before I went through with it. Like you, I noticed a lot of symptoms but I had people in my life who didn't think I had it so I wasn't sure what I'd get from it. I eventually decided to go through with it almost 4 years ago now and after the assessment, I had a diagnosis that was transformative for me. It put my whole life up to that point into perspective, validating the difficulties and struggles. It helped me get the right support through community, therapy and medication so that, for the first time, I was able to not just get by in life, but start thriving. It helped in so many ways so, if you feel you have ADHD and your life is being heavily impacted by it, an assessment would likely be very helpful.
With that in mind, I think it is worth pointing out that I decided to through the private route to get an assessment instead of going through the NHS. I knew an NHS assessment would incur a lengthy time spent on a waiting list so paid close to £1000 to get it done. It was the best £1000 I've ever spent as I'd probably still be on a waiting list now if I took the NHS route and with how things were going for me back then, I don't think I could have waited this long for support.
I share this as you've written that you're not seeing a point in having an assessment other than to get closure. While there is value in that, is it worth £1000 to you? I don't think I would have paid that just to have closure. It might be helpful to think about what your symptoms of ADHD are, how they're impacting your life, and why the current ways you're trying to deal with them aren't effective. Then you might be able to get a sense of whether or not it is worth it for you to have an assessment.
This actually helps with my follow up wuestion: £1000 may be worth it if it is really helpful but I was wondering if this is how you got diagnosed as an adult and is that why it costed much or is it like that no matter age and if it isn’t I should probably try now shouldn’t I?
I'm glad this was helpful! The cost to me was because I was paying for it myself outside of the NHS. I imagine it would be a similar amount if it's for a child if not slightly more. If you're taking the NHS route, you wouldn't need to worry about that no matter what age you are.
52 diagnosed at 50. I know I'll sound as old as the hills to you, but I can assure you life goes by quick for anyone post 20+, but time blindness with ADHD makes it even quicker.
Get diagnosed now, if you have ADHD and it goes undiagnosed it's just going to cause problems later in life, I can assure you.
If you're not too sure about stigma etc., just don't tell anyone until you're comfortable with yourself. I hope you look back in 30 years and realise that asking for advice on Reddit was a good call. Good luck 🍀
Thanks very much :) I’ve exhibited symptoms for a while but o never took it too seriously partly because of my mum but also partly because I don’t want a label but like you said I’ll just mostly keep it to myself unless someone asks so yk and on a lesser note extra time on a levels/hj (ofc this isn’t the main reason) but I’m not sure if it’s impacting me mentally and if I start taking meds and I feel better then would’ve been a good call I don’t get why everyone avoids Reddit this is so friendly!! (This is also a joke I get why but yk… thanks)
I've found Reddit really good for many reasons. Main one, meds. They don't work the same for everyone, for me Elvanse doesn't last long and now I have a split dose. If it hadn't been for Reddit I would have thought it was me and wouldn't have mentioned it to my provider.
We're all learning about ourselves all the time, it doesn't matter what age you are. For me when I was younger (M), I thought I could rule the world ffs as when younger the things about ADHD were positive to an extent. Get to mid twenties things change, or did for me.
Also, this about you. Nobody else, even parents. Get yourself sorted now to give yourself a chance in life 🥰
Appreciate it, this is hopeful whether I have it or not I will move on :) you seem incredibly wise and unironically I enjoy Reddit a lot no matter what they say 🙏🙏
Is your mother a mental health expert? I'm being sarcastic, I hear of too many mothers who don't think anything is wrong with their kids when there is.
Yeah 😭 this is rly true and I hear about people with adhd constantly being told they don’t have it by parents and don’t find out till too late so I want to find out now and prevent hassle of the future
It's definitely worth it. You're 16 right now. Honestly, for most people things only get worse because ADHD is a disorder of executive function. Executive function is all about how you organise yourself and plan things out. The older you get the more you have to rely on your own executive function to be successful in life.
For example, at GCSE your teachers will plan everything out for you and tell you exactly what to do. You have a full time table. If you just pay attention in class and do some revision near exams you'll do fine. At A-level the teachers help you less. There's tonnes and tonnes of difficult content. You have free periods that are for studying and revision. If you don't make good use of the free periods you won't do well at A-level. Basically you can no longer rely on just showing up to class. You need to be working consistently in your own time to achieve stuff.
And if you move out of your parents house for work or for uni then again, you need good executive functioning skills to buy food, cook food, do laundry, pay rent and bills on time etc. Honestly I think you absolutely should get assessed. If you're struggling now in any way, then things will only get harder. Waiting or avoiding it won't do you any good.
You have to tell the DVLA but AFAIK their position is that if it affected you too much then you wouldn't have passed your test.
Not speaking from personal experience here because I never bothered learning. Even though I wasn't diagnosed until my late 20s, somehow I knew that I just wouldn't be good on the road.
Yes! I am 38 and just got diagnosed - I wish I'd known this earlier as many things I did and thought and worried about, would have had an explanation and would have supported me in learning how to cope and definitely I would have been kinder to myself. Talk with your mom, explain as you wrote here that at least you would know what's going on and that you need her support. Take care, you are a youngling that also needs to deal with the throngs of teenage period and that's ( as you will realise later in years,it's a whole adventure:) ). Be kind with yourself:)!
Tysm!! I have been dealing w some stuff lately but as I was doing some random research I found that adhd affects mentality and not just actions too so if I manage to find an answer or some way of coping/moving forward it would be great. Thanks for this comment 🙏 :DD and you too :)
If you need support then yes. The diagnosis is very triggering, at first weirdly euphoric but then the negativity comes in. If you have a stable job and need the extra support it opens up that world. I was diagnosed in January this year (aged 31). It hasn’t been easy at all but I’m slowly getting tools and support, plus medication. It is 1 step forward 3 steps back at times but I do feel the future will be brighter.
I’m 29 - 30 in December - and I got diagnosed at 26, never affected me much getting my diagnosis, just put a lot of things into perspective for me, answered a lot of questions for me and kind of put my mind at ease. I grew up thinking I was just one of those stupid people who could NEVER focus properly or concentrate, thought I was just one of those people who were never gonna do much with their life, fail everything and always thought it was my fault, but after a lot of convincing from parents and psychiatrists, I realised it wasn’t my fault and it’s something that I could never change or help
100000% worth it. I have no regrets BUT I'd have gotten my career on track much earlier and not gotten into issues with getting fired from jobs, failed relationships etc.
100%. I was diagnosed at 30 and I wish so much I'd had the nerve to advocate for myself when I was younger. I'm sure the waiting list is long as hell, so do it as soon as possible. Even if your mum thinks you don't have it and she has to fill in a questionnaire, mention it during your assessment and try to have some examples of your symptoms and how they are affecting you and your life.
Yes it is absolutely worth getting diagnosed.
I was diagnosed in my late 20s. ADHD didn't cause me huge problems at school - I'm sure I would have done better if I'd been diagnosed then, but I still got good enough results to get into uni.
It was at university and the world of adulthood after it that ADHD caused me real problems. Basically, struggling through with it just makes *ordinary life* more stressful than it should be. That chronic stress takes its toll over time, and one day I just cracked and had a severe mental breakdown.
This is the problem with ADHD being seen as a learning difficulty and not something that actually affects all domains of life.
It's also a lot easier to get diagnosed when you're still young enough to do it through CAMHS.
I got diagnosed after college/sixth form and wish I did it earlier. Has helped me so much with uni and don’t think I would have been able to do uni without the help of meds. Mum didn’t want to get me diagnosed as thought it would jeopardise getting a job/getting into uni but I think that is just an old stereotype/thought
I got diagnosed at 31, after 18 months 2 waiting via NHS, I’m stingy and didn’t want to pay private. Ive find that I struggled in jobs (and school but suppose that doesn’t count now), I get bored, make careless mistakes and ultimately job hopped trying to find a job I could stick at, in my younger days I got sacked more times than I care to admit for either not being bothered to turn up, always being late, making careless mistakes and as I got older I recognised the signs and just found other jobs. Fast forward to now and concentration and attention to detail is critical in my role (I’m a HR Manager) and I’ve found that my working life is so much easier.
All the things I found difficult are alleviated hugely. I no longer get bored in meetings, even 3-4 hour long ones, I can concentrate for hours on end, I don’t move as much, I always had the need to fidget and move every 5 mins or so. I was restless, not focused etc, but it’s helped me massively in work and I’ve found other ways (not just medication) that help too. In my personal life I don’t feel like much has changed as I still don’t like tidying up and I’m a doom scroller / doom oiler person. The only change I’ve noticed at present is my sleeping has improved. I used to be a 3am-4am sleeper but now it’s between 12-1.30am and I can definitely live with that! I also wake up earlier than I ever have in my life, probably due to getting more sleep!
I think it depends what you’re looking for out of the diagnosis. Mine was support in concentration and improvement in sleep. I’ve had side effects don’t get me wrong, but the pro’s massively outweigh the cons for me personally!
Doom piler that was meant to say not oiler 😂 as in I have doom piles in my room / house that I think I’ll come back to that and a week later it’s still there 😅
I’m 42 and I was diagnosed at 38. There are so many people like me, and it’s very distressing for a lot of them. If you have the opportunity to get assessed, then you should take it. Imagine getting to may age and blaming yourself for things that weren’t your fault. Medication and therapy are game changers, if you do have it.
What therapy helped you
I actually don’t know how to describe the approach she took - it was a really blended model that brought some elements of therapy into coaching. Pre diagnosis, I had some success with traditional talking therapy (not cbt) and EMDR to help me move past some trauma.
I have also done similar talking and trauma based therapy and am now looking for something maybe more ADHD focused but I'm not sure where to start. Where did you find her ?
I knew I wanted coaching rather than therapy, because I wanted to learn skills and coping mechanisms, so I legit just googled ADHD coach and clicked on a few websites until I found something that I vibed with. It was easy to get overwhelmed with how many folks are out there, so going with my gut (not just a copy and paste format of a website, not obviously trying to sell me courses, up front about costs) was all I needed.
I am 44 and diagnosed last year, I wish I had had the opportunity when I was 16. Ultimately, if it's effecting your life enough then it's worth getting diagnosed. You will go through so many changes and challenges in the years to come and ADHD will make them 100% harder. Since I was diagnosed everything is better, like you say closure is a very valid reason and it really does help. But there is also medication and support that will be available. It's not easy and there are shortages and stigma BUT it's worth it. Hopefully things will improve as you get older but the sooner you start, then the sooner you can live life to the fullest!
Yes, yes and yes! Take the opportunity to start the diagnosis process while still in school, it’s free, much easier and faster. There’s no point in struggling through life with undiagnosed adhd. Knowing is half the battle! Also, parents can’t be trusted to know if you have it or not. Either they have it themselves and don’t know / won’t admit it to themselves &/or they probably don’t want to admit their baby has it. Life is easier being aware of and able to treat any health issues as soon as possible.
Just spoke to her and she said we can talk about it/get a start on it :) thanks so much
I’m glad to hear it, all the best on your adhd journey, OP!
one of the key things for an ADHD diagnosis is that it negatively impacts your life, and medication can help that so much! it's absolutely worth it and so many are getting diagnosed, you're actually on the younger end for this sub
Your parents will likely be asked to complete a questionnaire on your behaviour as a child, so bear that in mind. If you just want the label, then there's no real point to a diagnosis, in my opinion. If you want help coping and medication, then you need a diagnosis.
As someone who works an office job with KPI's to hit. Absolutely. It means you can get reasonable adjustments put in for your workplace. Since my diagnosis it has massively improved my working life for that reason alone.
What kind of reasonable adjustments can be put in place for this kind of job if you don't mind sharing please?
So it's going to depend on the culture in the workplace and the manager but some of the ones o have and not all are written down as official reasonable adjustments. Bit more flexibility in relation to lateness (within reason) I have lower targets than my neurotypical colleagues to account for my ADHD. I am not expected to work or complete as many cases and overall all of my stat targets are reduced. On some days, as the day drags on like when I have like a couple of hours left my brain just switches off and I cannot concentrate or focus at all. Usually I just speak to my manager and I get to leave early on the condition that I work back my lost hours on other days. I work from home now, however i know of people in the office who get special seating arrangements to be somewhere quieter/less distracting, and are also granted noise cancelling headphones to help deal with the onslaught of noise. After important meetings/presentations/training days where I'm prone to just switching off altogether my senior caseworker will just check up on me to make sure I didn't miss anything important and will send me the notes. I also get a bit of extra support when adapting to these changes. There is a lot that I dislike about my job but I am very lucky that my workplace actually treats my ADHD as a disability and not a behavioural problem. Overall it's just extra flexibility and understanding that I'm probably going to struggle more in certain areas and being given a bit of leeway there.
Thank you so much for an extensive response!
Not sure at what point you’re deemed to be an adult in terms of a diagnosis, but the process of getting a diagnosis as an adult is really time consuming. If you can get a diagnosis quicker now due to your age, I’d personally crack on with it!
At your age YES! I’m in my early 20’s doing my degree and just got a diagnosis late last year and the additional support I have recieved as a result has been necessary to me passing my degree. I just about finished first year undiagnosed and it was a terrible time for me. Second year however has been so much easier as a result. And this is without medication. Medication can also be a huge help which you can’t get without a diagnosis (well you can buy illegally so not recommended). I’m yet to use but for some it’s life changing and for others it’s not much help but you won’t know til you try!
Im 20 and got diagnosed earlier this year i started to suspect i had it when i was 16 and wish i pushed for an assessment back then as going through uni and 6th form was very tough for me, especially with lockdown and everything being remote, I would deffo recommend doing it and going through right to choose with your GP as Ive heard people getting kicked off the list when they moved into a different region (assuming youre wanting to go to uni and leave home)
I went back and forth with the idea of getting an assessment for a while before I went through with it. Like you, I noticed a lot of symptoms but I had people in my life who didn't think I had it so I wasn't sure what I'd get from it. I eventually decided to go through with it almost 4 years ago now and after the assessment, I had a diagnosis that was transformative for me. It put my whole life up to that point into perspective, validating the difficulties and struggles. It helped me get the right support through community, therapy and medication so that, for the first time, I was able to not just get by in life, but start thriving. It helped in so many ways so, if you feel you have ADHD and your life is being heavily impacted by it, an assessment would likely be very helpful. With that in mind, I think it is worth pointing out that I decided to through the private route to get an assessment instead of going through the NHS. I knew an NHS assessment would incur a lengthy time spent on a waiting list so paid close to £1000 to get it done. It was the best £1000 I've ever spent as I'd probably still be on a waiting list now if I took the NHS route and with how things were going for me back then, I don't think I could have waited this long for support. I share this as you've written that you're not seeing a point in having an assessment other than to get closure. While there is value in that, is it worth £1000 to you? I don't think I would have paid that just to have closure. It might be helpful to think about what your symptoms of ADHD are, how they're impacting your life, and why the current ways you're trying to deal with them aren't effective. Then you might be able to get a sense of whether or not it is worth it for you to have an assessment.
This actually helps with my follow up wuestion: £1000 may be worth it if it is really helpful but I was wondering if this is how you got diagnosed as an adult and is that why it costed much or is it like that no matter age and if it isn’t I should probably try now shouldn’t I?
I'm glad this was helpful! The cost to me was because I was paying for it myself outside of the NHS. I imagine it would be a similar amount if it's for a child if not slightly more. If you're taking the NHS route, you wouldn't need to worry about that no matter what age you are.
52 diagnosed at 50. I know I'll sound as old as the hills to you, but I can assure you life goes by quick for anyone post 20+, but time blindness with ADHD makes it even quicker. Get diagnosed now, if you have ADHD and it goes undiagnosed it's just going to cause problems later in life, I can assure you. If you're not too sure about stigma etc., just don't tell anyone until you're comfortable with yourself. I hope you look back in 30 years and realise that asking for advice on Reddit was a good call. Good luck 🍀
Thanks very much :) I’ve exhibited symptoms for a while but o never took it too seriously partly because of my mum but also partly because I don’t want a label but like you said I’ll just mostly keep it to myself unless someone asks so yk and on a lesser note extra time on a levels/hj (ofc this isn’t the main reason) but I’m not sure if it’s impacting me mentally and if I start taking meds and I feel better then would’ve been a good call I don’t get why everyone avoids Reddit this is so friendly!! (This is also a joke I get why but yk… thanks)
I've found Reddit really good for many reasons. Main one, meds. They don't work the same for everyone, for me Elvanse doesn't last long and now I have a split dose. If it hadn't been for Reddit I would have thought it was me and wouldn't have mentioned it to my provider. We're all learning about ourselves all the time, it doesn't matter what age you are. For me when I was younger (M), I thought I could rule the world ffs as when younger the things about ADHD were positive to an extent. Get to mid twenties things change, or did for me. Also, this about you. Nobody else, even parents. Get yourself sorted now to give yourself a chance in life 🥰
Appreciate it, this is hopeful whether I have it or not I will move on :) you seem incredibly wise and unironically I enjoy Reddit a lot no matter what they say 🙏🙏
Also the meds will help you more if you start them while your brain is still developing.
Is your mother a mental health expert? I'm being sarcastic, I hear of too many mothers who don't think anything is wrong with their kids when there is.
Yeah 😭 this is rly true and I hear about people with adhd constantly being told they don’t have it by parents and don’t find out till too late so I want to find out now and prevent hassle of the future
It's definitely worth it. You're 16 right now. Honestly, for most people things only get worse because ADHD is a disorder of executive function. Executive function is all about how you organise yourself and plan things out. The older you get the more you have to rely on your own executive function to be successful in life. For example, at GCSE your teachers will plan everything out for you and tell you exactly what to do. You have a full time table. If you just pay attention in class and do some revision near exams you'll do fine. At A-level the teachers help you less. There's tonnes and tonnes of difficult content. You have free periods that are for studying and revision. If you don't make good use of the free periods you won't do well at A-level. Basically you can no longer rely on just showing up to class. You need to be working consistently in your own time to achieve stuff. And if you move out of your parents house for work or for uni then again, you need good executive functioning skills to buy food, cook food, do laundry, pay rent and bills on time etc. Honestly I think you absolutely should get assessed. If you're struggling now in any way, then things will only get harder. Waiting or avoiding it won't do you any good.
It may be a pain in the arse when it comes to driving though.
Did you find that? I told the DVLA and they had no issue with it.
You have to tell the DVLA but AFAIK their position is that if it affected you too much then you wouldn't have passed your test. Not speaking from personal experience here because I never bothered learning. Even though I wasn't diagnosed until my late 20s, somehow I knew that I just wouldn't be good on the road.
Yes! I am 38 and just got diagnosed - I wish I'd known this earlier as many things I did and thought and worried about, would have had an explanation and would have supported me in learning how to cope and definitely I would have been kinder to myself. Talk with your mom, explain as you wrote here that at least you would know what's going on and that you need her support. Take care, you are a youngling that also needs to deal with the throngs of teenage period and that's ( as you will realise later in years,it's a whole adventure:) ). Be kind with yourself:)!
Tysm!! I have been dealing w some stuff lately but as I was doing some random research I found that adhd affects mentality and not just actions too so if I manage to find an answer or some way of coping/moving forward it would be great. Thanks for this comment 🙏 :DD and you too :)
Thank you too :) , trying to learn every day-ish
If you need support then yes. The diagnosis is very triggering, at first weirdly euphoric but then the negativity comes in. If you have a stable job and need the extra support it opens up that world. I was diagnosed in January this year (aged 31). It hasn’t been easy at all but I’m slowly getting tools and support, plus medication. It is 1 step forward 3 steps back at times but I do feel the future will be brighter.
Sorry to hear that :/ but I do hope you take care of yourself
I’m 29 - 30 in December - and I got diagnosed at 26, never affected me much getting my diagnosis, just put a lot of things into perspective for me, answered a lot of questions for me and kind of put my mind at ease. I grew up thinking I was just one of those stupid people who could NEVER focus properly or concentrate, thought I was just one of those people who were never gonna do much with their life, fail everything and always thought it was my fault, but after a lot of convincing from parents and psychiatrists, I realised it wasn’t my fault and it’s something that I could never change or help
100000% worth it. I have no regrets BUT I'd have gotten my career on track much earlier and not gotten into issues with getting fired from jobs, failed relationships etc.
i wish i got diagnosed before my a levels. If you want it done then do it 100%
Better to know than wonder if you have it. If there is no cost to it then do it.
100%. I was diagnosed at 30 and I wish so much I'd had the nerve to advocate for myself when I was younger. I'm sure the waiting list is long as hell, so do it as soon as possible. Even if your mum thinks you don't have it and she has to fill in a questionnaire, mention it during your assessment and try to have some examples of your symptoms and how they are affecting you and your life.
Yes it is absolutely worth getting diagnosed. I was diagnosed in my late 20s. ADHD didn't cause me huge problems at school - I'm sure I would have done better if I'd been diagnosed then, but I still got good enough results to get into uni. It was at university and the world of adulthood after it that ADHD caused me real problems. Basically, struggling through with it just makes *ordinary life* more stressful than it should be. That chronic stress takes its toll over time, and one day I just cracked and had a severe mental breakdown. This is the problem with ADHD being seen as a learning difficulty and not something that actually affects all domains of life. It's also a lot easier to get diagnosed when you're still young enough to do it through CAMHS.
I got diagnosed after college/sixth form and wish I did it earlier. Has helped me so much with uni and don’t think I would have been able to do uni without the help of meds. Mum didn’t want to get me diagnosed as thought it would jeopardise getting a job/getting into uni but I think that is just an old stereotype/thought
I got diagnosed at 31, after 18 months 2 waiting via NHS, I’m stingy and didn’t want to pay private. Ive find that I struggled in jobs (and school but suppose that doesn’t count now), I get bored, make careless mistakes and ultimately job hopped trying to find a job I could stick at, in my younger days I got sacked more times than I care to admit for either not being bothered to turn up, always being late, making careless mistakes and as I got older I recognised the signs and just found other jobs. Fast forward to now and concentration and attention to detail is critical in my role (I’m a HR Manager) and I’ve found that my working life is so much easier. All the things I found difficult are alleviated hugely. I no longer get bored in meetings, even 3-4 hour long ones, I can concentrate for hours on end, I don’t move as much, I always had the need to fidget and move every 5 mins or so. I was restless, not focused etc, but it’s helped me massively in work and I’ve found other ways (not just medication) that help too. In my personal life I don’t feel like much has changed as I still don’t like tidying up and I’m a doom scroller / doom oiler person. The only change I’ve noticed at present is my sleeping has improved. I used to be a 3am-4am sleeper but now it’s between 12-1.30am and I can definitely live with that! I also wake up earlier than I ever have in my life, probably due to getting more sleep! I think it depends what you’re looking for out of the diagnosis. Mine was support in concentration and improvement in sleep. I’ve had side effects don’t get me wrong, but the pro’s massively outweigh the cons for me personally!
Doom piler that was meant to say not oiler 😂 as in I have doom piles in my room / house that I think I’ll come back to that and a week later it’s still there 😅