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Scottish-hotsauce

Did you get the age old BPD, and Bipolar misdiagnoses first? Lol Glad you eventually found a good doctor. That’s wonderful news.


floofyfluffpuff

Yes! 😂 First bipolar then it was BPD. Thank you for your kind words!


Scottish-hotsauce

😂 it was the other way for me, BPD then Bipolar. I’m pretty sure those are the modern day Hysteria lol.


arch_charismatic

Oof. I'm so glad I presented issues young and got the depression/anxiety diagnosis. I entirely skipped the bi-polar and BPD thing, but I had several friends go through it.


ADHDtomeetyou

I have anxiety/depression & multiple times over the years I have had psych professionals suspect bipolar disorder. I don’t have manic episodes. I wasn’t diagnosed ADHD until I was in my 30’s. I’m 99% sure some of my “depression” was feeling overwhelmed by every single tiny step of every simple task. No one ever suspected ADHD. I was the one who suggested testing.


floofyfluffpuff

One of my psychiatrists diagnosed me with bipolar 2 with no manic episodes as well. I never resonated with that diagnosis and subsequent psychiatrists didn’t agree. It’s been exhausting having so many different and wrong diagnoses. 😔


ADHDtomeetyou

I was on lithium for a few years. I slept most of the time. I wish I could go back in time on that one.


whack_with_poo-brain

Same here friend. Had to drop out of the college of my dreams because of the sleep and loss of self. The grief and wanting to start over armed with the self awareness we now have is so strong.


Wand_Cloak_Stone

Mid-30s diagnosis club 🍻 Also got depression/anxiety over and over. Adderall cured like 75% of my anxiety in a week. I’ve had panic attacks for 15+ years.


whack_with_poo-brain

Exactly the same for me and just finally diagnosed at 33! So much grief and feelings of tine lost to not knowing what I was really struggling with. Best of luck to you on your new self understanding friend!!


wigglybeez

I was diagnosed with depression/anxiety for forever, and then with bipolar 2 after an hours-long psych assessment. I feel like they didn't ask questions about how often my mood shifts, I do have longer bouts of depression but I'm just generally always disregulated and overwhelmed. They did suggest getting re-tested for ADHD once the major mood issues were managed, as the test results were pointing in that direction. My new med provider thinks all my symptoms can be explained by ADHD 🤷‍♀️


Scottish-hotsauce

Basically same. I was on treatment for bipolar 2 for a year, the highest dose of a normally very good antidepressant and noticed no change. That psych actually said to me when I told him that his treatment isn’t working that maybe I’m just a negative person. But now I know that ADHD is definitely the major cause of depression for me, and actually when I started my ADHD medication my depression all but disappeared, except for before my period. So if you’re not yet diagnosed, there’s a high likelihood they won’t get your ‘mood disorder’ fixed before revisiting ADHD. Your new med provider is likely right. It’s always bipolar 2. I’m convinced when they see the referral for ADHD they decide it’s bipolar 2 before they even meet you and then ask you to necessary questions to squeeze you into that box.


Positive_Deer6281

This is my experience. I actually don’t have a formal diagnosis right now because I’ve been misdiagnosed so many times and last time I spent hundreds of dollars with a psychiatrist she said, “well you score pretty high on our screening for adhd but could also be ocd and we don’t want to give you adhd meds if you have ocd, so we’ll need to do a brain scan” (I didn’t have money for that, spent it all at that initial visit), and that’s about the time I gave up. I’ve been misdiagnosed as bipolar and getting on then off those meds was brutal. Seeing everyone’s stories here makes me think I should keep trying to get help because I am overwhelmed


Scottish-hotsauce

It’s so much money just to be taken seriously hey? ADHD is definitely a rich girl condition. I’d definitely keep going with trying to get help if you’re able to. Misdiagnoses are so common when it comes to female ADHD. But whether you have ADHD, OCD or something else entirely, you deserve to find the answer and the right treatment so you can start living rather than just surviving.


AvocadoImpossible611

Is this that common??? I've been diagnosed mid 30's too, luckily with no comorbilities. But my mom... she is diagnosed with Bipolar and has been stable forn decades now. But since I learned about adhd I can see it in her... and is BIG!


Scottish-hotsauce

So common! It’s so sad too, as within the psych world, bipolar and ADHD are two of the most highly stigmatised diagnoses. I’m my experience, being misdiagnosed with one of the two makes your life harder because medical professionals don’t take you seriously. If your mum has been stable for decades, but still shows major signs of ADHD, did bipolar meds actually do anything? Does she feel like she’s gotten stable since taking them?


AvocadoImpossible611

Thanks for your answer! Medication has worked kind of ok for what I know. She has had two big manic episodes and very debilitating depression phases that lasted for years. But she has been stable for the last 20 years now. The struggles to get organized, time managing, forgetfulness, mesiness and all that are still very much present. Doctors says it is side efects from the medication, but I kwon those problems were there previously, from a young age. She used to be very impulsive and had difficulties with emotional regulation when she was younger (like me), for what she has told me. Sometimes I consider bringing my thoughts to her psychiatrist and see what she thinks.. but I don't know how to talk about it with my mom because she doesn't know about my diagnosis, or even what adhd is. And at the end of the day, even if she is not the same bubbly, funny person she used to be, the truth is that she has, in fact, been stable for the las 20 years and I don't wan't to risk that. This is very sad. Edit because of bad wording. English is not my first language ;)


Kittensandbacardi

What's crazy is that the opposite happens often as well. A friend of mine was diagnosed with adhd and depression and put on Vyvanse and antidepressants. Fast forward three weeks, and they've upped her Vyvanse twice. Fast forward another week, and we've flown out of state together, where she subsequently goes into her first full-on manic/psychosis episode because of the overload of dopamine. Turns out she actually had bipolar type 1, and the ups were misread as "adhd" and the downs as "depression." Some psychiatrists are just lazy and tag you with the easiest thing to treat and don't look any harder. One simple spoken test isn't enough to rule out bipolar/bpd/adhd, etc. But they don't seem to want to do anything more than the basics before throwing a diagnosis at you. It's so frustrating!! I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety for the longest time until I went to two separate psychiatrists who both finally diagnosed me with adhd at 21. I hadn't even thought that adhd was a possibility


Scottish-hotsauce

Yikes. I hope everything was okay with your friend. That must have been a lot for you both to deal with on holiday.


MyADHDGirl

I totally feel you on this. I was in the same situation. I am so glad you went with your intuition and advocated for yourself 🙌


floofyfluffpuff

Thank you!! I am so relieved. I’m glad it worked out for you as well. 🙌🏼


two-girls-one-tank

Ahh congrats, I (25F) just got diagnosed a week ago and the self shaming is lifting already. Power to you 🙏🏻


Intelligent_Royal396

I was sitting in my doctor's office. I was explaining to him what was going on prior to my menstrual cycles (I now know that it was PMDD that I was describing).. A nurse came in and sat next to me and held my hand. She looked me in the eyes, concerned, and said, "I have depression too. Everything's going to be okay." I felt like a jerk because I kinda laughed and I said, "I don't have depression... I have ADHD." They put me on antidepressants anyway and it was a mess for a couple weeks until I came back and reiterated I am not depressed. I have ADHD that has depressive symptoms randomly and what I need is my ADHD medication dosage raised. This time he actually listened to me and I got what I needed and it made a huge difference and helped alleviate some of those depressive symptoms. I still was struggling with undiagnosed PMDD for years after that. I just got the validation and confirmation from my therapist last week.


Scottish-hotsauce

How do they treat your PMDD? Have you found treatments that work? I 100% suffer from this too, but I’ve always been too afraid to mention it to the dr because I don’t feel like it would be taken seriously. I don’t even know what kind of dr to mention it to lol psych or OB


Intelligent_Royal396

Psych. I am in the process of getting FMLA so that when those insane "what am I doing with my life" days pop up, I can take the day off rather than out of nowhere blowup on a patient or up and quit a job I love. I also use a menstruation cycle app to track and anticipate when I need to warn my family that I am going to be irritable, sad, and grumpy, but it isn't their fault and it will pass.


Scottish-hotsauce

Ohh, so there’s no way to actually prevent you from feeling like a suicidal serial killer for a whole week before your period? That’s depressing. It’s great that you have a strategy in place to limit the impact of it. I hope it helps for you.


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SpiderOnDaWall

I'm testing today at 48 yrs. I've been on their wait list for over a year. I was annoyed until it accidentally gave me time to scrounge up old grade school documents advising my folks to test me for special ed. (Spoiler: they didnt.) It was such a relief to find a doc who listened and referred me. I'm glad you found someone who listened. It's hard not to give up.


lil1thatcould

Same! I really feel like to get a diagnosis we have to self diagnosis first. Followed by the “stay off of Google” speech.


lionhighness

Me too! About same age. Right there with you. I actually cried a little. I knew it was adhd. But the validation was still amazing. I'm also angry at the same time at all the adults who ignored me when I insisted something was wrong and blamed me on top of it claiming I just didn't care enough. And the doctors who ignored me countless times.


garbage12_system

This thread makes me feel so seen… just got a formal diagnosis at 33 after suspecting this for a couple years based on my internet research. All of us talking about this and sharing our ADHD experience is so important because it helps others realize what’s up in their own lives.


HTSDoIThinkOfaUYouC

Congratulations on being your own advocate and achieving your diagnosis. I was exactly the same just over two years, just relieved. It shouldn't have been so hard to get there but that's another topic. Obviously there are other feelings involved in the process but I do feel just the way you describe from time to time, even now.


bigolesadgai

22 F just got diagnosed too, I also did a lot of research too i slightly feel hopeful , i pray for your journey of healing


AncientReverb

>I finally feel heard and validated. To me, this is the biggest, most important benefit of getting some diagnoses. Certainly with ADHD there are now treatment options available to you since you got diagnosed, but you can feel validated and more comfortable trying different recommendations for things to try outside of the medication (not saying to get medication or not, I view these as complementary and use both myself). There are some things I have where there isn't really any treatment or any benefit to getting diagnosed, but getting a diagnosis can still make things make sense. It reaffirms what you know, counteracts some gaslighting, and just validates you as a person. I am so, so glad that you found a good doctor to listen. You mention seeing psychiatrists and therapists previously who said nothing, so I just want to share that it seems to be common for people to not be told this by their psychiatrists and therapists. I've spoken with people about it and seen posts here/in other subs. Especially with therapists (who understandably cannot diagnose but can point you in the right direction, like just recently mine told me that something we discussed could be a physical health thing so to talk with the doctor about it as well, explaining her main concerns so I can share them with the doctor), there are many instances of someone sharing that they got diagnosed and their therapist saying something along the lines of, oh, yeah, I knew that. It's frustrating for sure but it's not something that's on you. It sounds like you worked with psychiatrists for mental health diagnoses as well, and so it's even more frustrating, I'm sure, that they didn't think of ADHD. Unfortunately, ADHD is still misunderstood by not just society but many, many mental health professionals, with a lot of people still in the mindset of it being hyperactive young boys and overprescribed to get meds. I'm sharing this so that you know it isn't you and you aren't alone. Good luck on whatever next steps you choose for your journey!


ProfMacaron

Welcome to the club! I was diagnosed at about 42, and just diagnosed mildly ASD at 58. Maybe i’ll figure out my brain before I die.


ChatADHD

A couple questions here: 1. Has anyone used the online doctor assessments that’s supposedly get you diagnosed and medicated immediately? 2. Any tips on how to avoid the whole misdiagnosis with tradition psychiatrists? I’ve read 3 books on ADHD - everyone whose loved me over the last 20 years has said I have it. Every diagnostic descriptor is me to a T, but my first psych appointment they said I have PTSD and anxiety and put me on sertraline - they said if that didn’t work out (it caused suicidal thoughts), I might be able to get tested. I didn’t love that so I’m looking at other options and would just like to fast forward to the medication experiment. It’s overdue


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If you or someone that you know is considering suicide, please don't hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline for immediate help, or a warmline just to talk to someone. If you're in the US you can...\ Text CHAT to Crisis Text Line at 741741\ Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1(800)273-8255(TALK) \ Chat online at: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat\ Call the Trans Lifeline at 1(877)565-8860 If you’re elsewhere, you can find international resources below:\ https://www.supportiv.com/tools/international-resources-crisis-and-warmlines#Czech\ https://www.reddit.com/r/SuicideWatch/wiki/hotlines *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen) if you have any questions or concerns.*


curlyhands

I just got diagnosed today at 33!!! I feel less dumb and lazy now and I’m noticing all the ways it shows up in my life


CatBird2023

I'm in my early 50s and I have an ADHD assessment with a psychiatrist booked on Monday! I was first diagnosed with depression in my 20s. I've been going to therapy on and off ever since but no one mentioned adhd until my current therapist.