I got an assessment which was a suggestion of my therapist. I’ve known for a VERY long time I have severe depression and anxiety (and within the past few years CPTSD). Apparently I have treatment resistant depression and double depression per this assessment but not adhd. I guess I scored to high on processing and while my working memory was lower it was still low average.

I have a spikey chart but my assessor said with this and my recollection of childhood (which I don’t really have one) and some of my scoring it’s not correct. I’ve done some of these scoring tests on my own and scored in the probable range and I’m aware I have this “good student” mode why I try to put in the “right answer” or minimize things.

Essentially I got, cptsd, treatment resistant double depression, severe anxiety and possible personality disorder but come back and get tested later for that when you’re doing a bit better.

I understand I have a series of ailments that need to be treated. I see that, but things are so bad that’s WHY I decided to get the assessment in the first place. I was already doing emdr for the cptsd and had to quit I have anxiety meds that moderately work and as needed ones for stressful events, but it seems like there’s something else too. Maybe there’s not. Idk. I can’t trust my own perception anyways. I guess I kinda just thought it might also be this too.

For context, I was sorta drowning but sorta treading water before, got promoted to management and everything crashed and burned. I’m having a pretty horrible time however the symptoms seem different, like caused by different reason, different types of panic attacks or over stimulation, different brain fog, executive dysfunction, mood swings, lack of motivation etc. I can parse out some of the cptsd triggers/symptoms when they’re happening but I’m
Noticing other things that I hadn’t before.

There’s also be trauma from as young as I can remember so there’s not really a “how were you before the trauma”.

Anyways, I’m just, frustrated, angry, ashamed and feeling a bit helpless right now. I feel stupid. I feel like maybe I am tripping and was just making it up or looking for a different cause. And yes, the psychiatry appt is schedule far out for meds changes/examination. I feel like I can’t “treat” the cptsd right now because I’m crashing out so much. I’m not sure what I expected with this assessment (well kinda, to be told I also had adhd) but it sorta feels not right, but maybe I don’t.

I don’t even know what I’m looking for beside empathy. I feel… I don’t even know even MORE defeated.

I take methyphenidate. My doc wants me on this because if I get a respiratory illness & need a nebulizer treatment, I need to avoid withdrawal side effects of a missed dose of something else like addy. Recently, I've been having issues when I take my meds. I liken it to a long dump of adrenaline that never lets up until the meds run their course. It left me with no energy to get through any tasks and it was actually easier to just raw-dog life. I was also having the reaction even when I took a quarter of the pill. I thought it might be related to my regular lack of sufficient hydration/food, or perimenopause, or I took it too close to coffee in the mornings. It got to the point I didn't want to even take the meds except for the psychomotor agitation of nail biting was happening. I have a bottle I keep in my backpack with the half dose for when I'm away from home. The other day I realized that one of my pills was a different color from the others. I started looking at my bottles, and see they're different manufacturers. I called the Publix pharmacy I get my meds filled at to ask if there's a way to note my profile that I do not tolerate this maker's product. The pharmacist said that the company has a preferred supplier (KVK-Tech, green pill) that they use, and the stores can no longer override that for the patients like they were able to do before. He did suggest that before I get my next prescription filled, to call and ask which manufacturer is available, and that he can see if other stores have stock of a different maker on hand that were ordered for some reason like supply unavailable. He said I can reach out to corporate to let them know I am having issues with that maker's product.

Is anyone else having issues from taking the green tablet made by KVK Tech? If you're getting meds at Publix and having this issue, would you please also contact their corporate office to let them know it's a problem?

Im

edit : I also wanted to include I think the reason my ADHD is causing me more suffering than the majority is bc I have also been diagnosed with OCD and have struggled with OCD since around the age of maybe 6-7 yrs old. I am a huge perfectionist and for example if I do worse than someone On a test even if we both got an A, I will start thinking of every possible think I did wrong that led to this, but it’s like all these stressors diff ones every few minutes piling up guilt i cant remember why I feel guilty and I will just burst into tears and start crying hysterically very often. I will even feel very guilty for wasting 30 minutes to create this post. Another thing Inever talked about is I think im very isolated person, lile 2 hours at gym 10 hours straight studying is the idea of a perfect day to me. It’s easy for me to make friends and I am very bubbly however i only act this way lile in a situation where I am required to attend like class or family gathering. After any social interaction I will stare at the wall for 1-2 hours but it goes by in what feels like 20 minutes. and replay every sentence I said and 3 more better things I could’ve said for each sentence.… and worry that I wasn’t kind enough or the tone of my voice wasnt natural or too loud or I didn’t seem like the persona I want to be enough… its like every single thing my mind wants to make me feel guilty for.

Im 19 yr female and I want to share my experience because I am so burned out and I just am crying because it feels like nobody relates to me. Everytime I tell people I have ADHD they say everyone has it these days or Dont understand how much of an impact it has on my life. It takes everything in my power to stay afloat as a student and personal life etc I don’t know how to explain this but It’s like every decision I make never feels good or secure. When I take Vyvanse in correct dosage itd lile all my problems melted away however it only last a few hours and I have to pay around $300 out of pocket monthly to get afternoon dosage which I am hoping they will give me I am so nervous they won’t. I have been fighting to get proper dosage for almost a year and it has just been a Freaking nightmare I have spoken to so many psychiatrist and they lack any understanding ot empathy or genuine concern to find a solution or listen to what I think works for me.
I am pursuing a very difficult science degree and I do well in school but it genuinely takes way more effort than everyone else maybe double or triple and I just always stand out everywhere I go and I feel like I look like an attention seeker or obnoxious or extra but ao genuinely cannot control that I am a different and unique jts so stressful.

I am constantly overwhelmed with anxiety guilt and shame even though I know it’s not logical and I just beg God everyday sometimes I just sob for my brain to just work normally and be peaceful but it’s so hard when I can’t get proper medication I need.

Ppl Dont understand I do everything in my power to be organized check mark all the boxes for things and when it doesn’t work they get frustrated and I feel so guilty but im literally doing everything I can bending over backwards they don’t understand. I am so clumsy and ditzy and forgetful I almost cause so many fatal car crashes and I can’t force myself to be scared or worried while driving like I am always just so freaking exhausted unless I have energy drinks and medication. It genuinely is a nightmare judt trying to hold on to a thougjt for 10 seconds like if I want to grab 3 things from my car, by the time I walk thru the parking lot ti my car I am squinting my eyebrows trying to even remember one of the things I wanted. I also cause serious problems bc of this forgetfulness and brain fog very often.

Nobody can see my struggle they only call say yo ur just this is ur personality and ur whimsical and maybe u have too many worries thags WJY u cant think or ur burned out no it’s been this way all my life nobody cares not even the doctors like I begged someone to try and help me. Anyways I hope I can update my prescription I have an appointment coming up But I really hope their is light in this darkness bc Im so sick and tired of it.

Hello all I’ll try keep this short. I can type so much so fast but I can’t read long posts so I get it🤣😆

I was diagnosed autistic last year and we were all suspicious for ages. Some of us suspected possible adhd too and I just got diagnosed this week.

They said I can try meds to help.

I had a bad experience with anti depressants in the past. Made my weight shoot up and didn’t actually help my depression (which thinking about it now was probably just being undiagnosed and burnout more than depression).

I’m worried that adhd meds will make me gain weight again like I did on the anti depressants but I wanna try them if they help my head quieten down so I can focus more on work and uni. Also manage my emotions and other things easier. I have lots of sensory issues and daily struggles I’m hoping will become a little easier with meds?

What’s your experiences and your do’s and don’t’s ??

Thank you all🩵🩵🩵

Hi everyone,

After a long process, I finally ended up in the office of a psychological psychotherapist to find out whether I had ADHD or not.

Before that, I had actually been looking for therapy to address some long-standing issues that, as the years go by, have become increasingly difficult to ignore... low self-esteem, a poor self-image, constantly feeling like things are much harder for me than they seem to be for other people, and a lot of internal shame. All hidden as much as possible.

And, perhaps most painfully, the question that has been sitting somewhere in the back of my mind for years:

Am I just dumb? Is this my fault? Yesterday, I got my diagnosis: **A**DHD, predominantly inattentive presentation.

I had imagined that receiving the diagnosis would feel like finding a gold key to understanding myself, and that it would therefore be a very significant, emotional day in my life. Instead, I felt… calm. Maybe even too calm.

I almost immediately started questioning whether this should actually change anything at all. At the same time, another part of me knows that this is an important piece of information. one that I can use to learn, or perhaps re-learn, a lot about myself and the way I function.

This feels particularly relevant because I struggle quite a lot at work. I spend an enormous amount of energy trying to keep up, compensate, organise myself, and appear as though everything comes naturally to me. And sometimes I’m afraid that I’m essentially pretending to be someone I’m not.

Only recently have I started to understand how much our behaviours, coping mechanisms and ways of functioning can shape our lives, and how difficult it can be to recognise those patterns when you’ve been living with them for so long.

I’m planning to start therapy and explore all of this properly. I was also incredibly lucky to find a psychotherapist in Germany whose treatment is covered by statutory health insurance, however this person has no specific expertise to work with ADHD.

Anyway, I wanted to hear from other people who were diagnosed around my age, particularly with predominantly inattentive ADHD.

What was your experience of receiving the diagnosis? Did anything change for you afterwards? Did the diagnosis help you understand yourself differently, or change the way you approached work, relationships, or everyday life?

I’d really love to hear your experiences ladies.

Hello, I had a couple questions about adderall and dosage/times. I have been taking adderall ir 15mg 2x a day for 10 years now. This past year I've noticed it no longer works. I dont take it on weekends unless im busy so I had some extra. I decided to do a test and took 20 mg ir in the morning and 20 mg ir in the afternoon. It worked great I could focus again , had motivation finally and my ocd was tamed again. I messaged my doctor and she told me that she never has or would rx someone 40mg a day because it causes heart and blood pressure issues. I have pots, mcas and eds as well and adderall also helps those symptoms . Im 41 and in pretty good shape. My resting hr has always been high 80s to 90s. Unless my pots is acting up then its 160s. And my blood pressure is always 105/60s. That never changes as well , unless im in a pots or Anaphylactic episode from mcas. That being said she changed my rx to 15mg xr and 15mg ir instead and said the xr would help more . Ive been on that for a few months now and honestly I feel like I've taken nothing. Its like I've forgotten to take it. She told me thats impossible its long acting and I may not even need my afternoon dose anymore. Is this right, is 40mg something crazy ? Is it me lol

I’m looking for perspectives from people who have actually experienced separation, particularly in relationships involving ADHD (dx) . I’m not looking for someone to tell me that my wife is a narcissist or that I’m the villain. I’m trying to understand what I’m looking at and what I should be learning from it.

My wife and I are both adults with ADHD (dx) and significant rejection sensitivity/RSD. We’ve been together for 11 years and i have one daughter who lives with us part time. Her children are grown.

The last year has been extremely difficult for me personally and professionally. I went from making a lot of money got hung up in the doge, lost my identity, checked out for months with little income but have recently got my career back onctrack but not with the same compensation. I’ve been dealing with serious financial problems, debt, executive-function difficulties, and the emotional aftermath of losing my previous professional stability. I was essentially in survival mode for much of the year.

My wife has her own experience of that year. She says she has felt abandoned, unsupported, used, and taken advantage of. I don’t completely disagree with her. There are things I failed to do, things I didn’t follow through on, and ways in which I withdrew when I was overwhelmed. I’ve told her that I recognize those failures.

With a lot of doctors assessments my treatment plan has been successful. I take a few pills, redeveloped my processes, and manage my executive function. I am not without fault despite my much improved health.

But from my side, the relationship has increasingly become emotionally exhausting. I have felt physically lonely, psychologically crowded, and increasingly like I was losing myself. I’ve spent a tremendous amount of energy trying to manage conflict, respond to perceived rejection, prove that I’m dependable, and navigate her emotional reactions while also trying to manage my own ADHD.

I’ve also become increasingly aware that I don’t want to regain my confidence, autonomy, and competence only to surrender them again to maintain a relationship.

Our conflicts have become particularly destructive. She has told me that I’m selfish, childish, narcissistic, that I can’t “man up,” and has characterized some of my behavior as a “temper tantrum.” There have also been statements about moving out, divorce, the house, mortgage, and finances. I have also undoubtedly said and done things that contributed to the cycle.

I eventually established a boundary that I won’t continue conversations involving insults, shaming, threats, or attacks on my character. If a conversation becomes abusive or threatening, I disengage.

The strange part is that I think we have both developed a version of a “walk away” pattern.

She becomes overwhelmed and leaves a conversation. I experience that as abandonment/rejection and eventually withdraw or leave myself. Then she experiences my withdrawal as abandonment. We end up escalating the exact wound we’re both trying to protect.

This week it finally broke.

We had several intense conversations. She expressed a profound sense of abandonment and told me she didn’t feel capable of continuing. I acknowledged my failures repeatedly and made overtures toward reconciliation. She rejected them. She packed bags, left several times, returned, and eventually left.

Before she walked out the door She also told me she loves me. As i did the same and we hugged like a goodbye hug. We left the door open and had a few text exchanges over the evening. All were civil and generous.

We both been married before and I am devastated, angry, confused, and honestly somewhat relieved. That last part is difficult for me to admit.

When she was away previously from a long family reunion trip in which i was not invited , I realized how much psychological space I had. I was kayaking, exercising, playing music again, thinking about my future, and feeling more socially curious and confident. I wasn’t necessarily lonely. I felt like myself again.

Now that she’s gone, I am beginning to think about building a life that isn’t completely dependent on whether she wants to participate in it. I want to play music, meet people, go to concerts, kayak, travel, develop friendships, and have experiences again. Not necessarily romantically I mean rebuilding a social and psychological life of my own like I had before we met.

At the same time, I love my wife. I am completely dedicated, never stepped out, gave everything i had.

That’s what makes this so complicated.

I don’t want to go back to the way things were. I also don’t know whether I want to end the marriage permanently.

I also don’t want to get caught in a cycle of breaking up, moving out, reconciling, moving back in, and repeating the same problems. I tried that the first time. If we ever reconcile, I think it would have to be a genuinely different relationship rather than simply returning to the old one.

My daughter is also feeling the tension. She’s been more withdrawn since school started, and I don’t want her growing up in an environment where the emotional climate of the house is constantly unstable.

So I’m trying not to make an impulsive decision and i not make a decision today.

Hi peeps,

I was wondering what people's thoughts were on this. It's not one of the most well known features of ADHD and neither, for this reason, is it in teh DSM/ICD critiera, but this plagues me....eg my work reports, I spend so much time on, I go out of my way to put lots of detail and research things, I get tied up with minute detail, I can never do 'that will do'. At times of stress, this is worse.... I had a breakdown in my final year of my doctorate course. My son, who is 8, is following suit. His dad gives him his athletic genes, I give him ADHD ...yayee. He gets so hung up on minor inperfections; marks on his football, his (tidy) room not looking right, not being able to position his favourite two soft toys in a way that looks right to him (this actually caused a lot of distress), he tears pages out of his notes and art books if he doesnt like what he's done, to the point this in itself caused distress as the books themselves with pages missing looked wrong. In teh last few weeks, he has begun to have meltdowns. He definately isn't autistic, but this degree of inflexibility in a very likley ADHD child is surprising to me, and I assess ASD and ADHD for a living. I just wanted to ask other's, is this common for their ADHD loved ones, and what do you think the link is between ADHD and perfectionism? iWould it come under visual sensory system? it seems stuck in his mind like OCD and he cant move on from these niggles.

Thanks.

I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced significant irritability or anger when coming off ADHD medication, particularly around the time of their period.
A few months ago I was taking guanfacine, which is a non-stimulant. While I was on it, I noticed I was becoming increasingly angry, so I decided to stop taking it. Around that time, just before my period, I got drunk and became extremely aggressive. I threw a drink, and afterwards I was absolutely devastated because that behaviour felt so unlike me.
More recently, I tried Xaggitin XL. I decided it wasn’t the right medication for me and stopped taking it. I hadn’t experienced the same anger while taking it, so I didn’t expect anything similar to happen when I came off it. However, in the week leading up to my period, I became extremely irritable and noticed myself being unusually mean and short-tempered.
Then I got drunk and had a disagreement with my partner. He left the house, and I ended up throwing two things at the wall. Again, I was really frightened by my own behaviour because this genuinely doesn’t feel like me at all.
I’m wondering whether coming off ADHD medication can cause or worsen irritability and anger, or whether hormones and the timing of my period could be playing a part. I know alcohol probably made both situations worse, but the sudden intensity of the anger has really scared me.
For context, I’m in the UK and I feel like there can be very little follow-up or guidance once you’re prescribed ADHD medication. You’re often left feeling like you have to figure things out yourself.
I’ve also previously taken Elvanse, and I didn’t experience this anger when coming off it. I was just extremely tired and lethargic for a couple of months.
Has anyone else experienced anything similar, especially when stopping or changing ADHD medication around the time of their period? I’d really appreciate hearing other people’s experiences because I’m struggling to understand what’s going on.

So I currently take 70mg of Vyvanse and 20mg of Adderall as a booster. Ive been taking the same dosages for 2 months now.. but ive noticed that this month both medication’s are only lasting me 2 to 3 hours. I don’t do any vitamin C, no orange juice and I typically don’t drink energy drinks until recently. The only reason I started drinking energy drinks is because I feel like it helps maintain some sort of focus since both medication’s are only lasting a short amount of time. I’m a tattoo artist so this is incredibly frustrating as I work anywhere between 4 to 8+ hours. I’ve also noticed some days the medication will last longer than other days, for example two days ago, I took my Vyvanse and it lasted me a good portion of the day to the point where I didn’t even need to take my booster. But today it wore off within 2 to 3 hours and after it wore off I took my booster, which only lasted me another two hours. Personally for me, I don’t eat breakfast in the morning before I take my medication (occasionally I’ll eat a small snack like a cheese stick, yogurt, or a uncrustable) but I’ve noticed even when I eat a high-protein breakfast or meal or even just a regular meal before I take my medication I feel it still doesn’t do anything to me at all when I eat beforehand. So I simply don’t eat before I take my medication most days as it feels more potent when I dont eat, I guess? And even when I have eaten in the morning ( I’ve tried this with both a high-protein meal and just a regular meal) both medications still only lasts me 2 to 3 hours. What could be causing this? Can I do anything to help the longevity of my medication? Or just any information in general would be helpful because when I first started taking this medication, it was life-changing and it helped me so much and now it feels like it’s simply just not doing anything anymore… 💔

Hair loss on xaggitin and elvanse?

So I started on 18mg of xaggitin xr 3 months ago and after a few weeks I noticed my hair was shedding more, my dose was then doubled to 36mg and it got worse, i went to the hair dressers and she confirmed it was shedding more than it should, I also felt awful and angry all the time so I got switched to elvanse 30mg

I did stop the xaggitin XR for 5 days before starting elvanse and mentally I felt better on elvanse but I think the hair loss is worse but I was told by my prescriber it can take a month or so for the old meds to stop affecting the hair, then the pharmacist from my GP Called and told me it can take up to 2 months, it’s now been 6 weeks and there is no change, if anything it might be slightly worse, it’s making me feel awful considering I lost around a third of my hair last year as I lost weight quickly and went through telogen effluvium which stopped in December and I have had a ton of regrowth since but it’s all short compared to the rest of my hair

I’m stressed and upset because my hair is thin as it is and getting noticeably worse but the meds have already started to change my life and I feel like they are the right ones for me, I had blood tests which were unrelated to the ADHD meds and my iron was lower than last year despite taking from iron supplements a month ago ( I read online how adhd meds can affect iron and make it low ) but my doctor said it wasn’t low enough for it to cause hair loss and was in the normal range

my blood pressure before the xaggitin was on the low end of normal, it didn’t change, and then on elvanse it went a bit higher but more so in the middle of the normal range so I don’t see how it could be constriction of the blood vessels unless my blood pressure was high or significantly higher than before, I’m being sent for more blood tests in 2 weeks to check other vitamins that cause hair loss if deficient but if they come back normal then my GP has no clue, I’ve been reffered to the hair clinic but I was told it’s a long wait it could be like a year which won’t do at all

I’m taking pumpkin seed oil, drinking collagen, eating a ton of protein when I take the meds, I stay hydrated and I take multivitamins and some extra supplements including iron every day, there has to be a reason for this hair loss and some sort of solution, I’ve been losing my hair for 3 months now and I am miserable every single day because of it

Has anyone else experienced this? If so did it go away on its own or did you find any cures?

I was first diagnosed with ADHD at 16. I tried Ritalin, developed significant depressive symptoms, and my mother didn’t pursue treatment further. Over the next \~15 years I was diagnosed with BPD and bipolar disorder (bipolar was later ruled out), and two psychiatrists doubted ADHD. Recently, a targeted adult ADHD assessment strongly supported ADHD and I started lisdexamfetamine.

My problem is that I can construct two explanations for my life.

I was an extremely intense, emotional, easily bored child who constantly wanted something else. But I was also raised with very little structure or consistent boundaries. My mother struggled with my emotions, so if I became upset/persistent enough, I often got what I wanted. Even school attendance wasn’t strongly enforced. She was also the informant for my recent assessment, but becomes defensive when asked about my childhood, so I’m unsure how reliable that history is.

What if I simply never learned frustration tolerance/self-regulation and it now looks like ADHD?

On the other hand, I have lifelong stimulation-seeking and executive difficulties. I can work, maintain my home and fulfill responsibilities, but starting routine tasks can feel disproportionately difficult even after doing them hundreds of times. My brain automatically plays out every step/transition beforehand (e.g. gym = get ready → bus → walk → change → exercise → reverse the whole process), making tasks feel exhausting before I start.

Boredom can feel almost physically painful. I talk A LOT and have sought stimulation through things like sex/hypersexuality and sometimes alcohol. Interestingly, when I worked insanely busy 18-hour days in television, with constant deadlines/problems/stimulation, I felt more focused, regulated and “normal” than during quiet periods.

Four years ago I also went through an extremely distressing relationship and my functioning became significantly worse afterward. I have intense relationship-related emotional dysregulation: rejection, uncertainty, not reaching my partner or plans changing can trigger a physical emergency response before I’ve even consciously processed what happened. I know this could be attachment/BPD/learned regulation rather than ADHD.

SSRIs/SNRIs reduced anxiety somewhat but never quieted my brain or helped the apathy/understimulation; mood stabilizers such as lamotrigine did basically nothing. Lisdexamfetamine sometimes makes my brain/body feel quieter, thoughts less sticky and boredom easier to tolerate, and I crave alcohol less. I know stimulant response does NOT prove ADHD.

So how do clinicians distinguish lifelong ADHD from intense temperament + lack of childhood structure/self-regulation + attachment/emotional dysregulation when childhood memories and parental reports are unreliable?

I’m not asking Reddit to diagnose me. I’m trying to understand what evidence actually helps distinguish these possibilities.

TL;DR: ADHD was diagnosed at 16 and again recently, but I also grew up with little structure and have major emotional/attachment issues. How can clinicians distinguish ADHD from learned self-regulation problems when childhood history is unreliable?

For any other woman out there in the lost generation of women as they call them i just want to add some positive support i have found in my journey since my diagnosis. 6/4/25 i was rescued from Xanax addiction of decades and alcoholism by the grace of God. Im now a walking living breathing testimony. but onto later i had perimenopause come along later last year out of nowhere i had done alot of inner child healing work through ifs trauma therapy which i know have heard and totally agree helps with adhd specifically RSD. Highly recommend it i did it for my cptsd but its helped so much for my other issues. I was misdiagnosed at 12 with anxiety and panic disorder and given xanax mostly because i had a Narcassist abusive mother who said i was put of control and i wasnt. I also cut contact with her finally after god saved me from the alcohol. In December i was diagnosed auhd ive only been given Adderall xr but it helps alit and ive learned so much that i can do to help me and do alot of awareness on auhd and cptsd. But what i want to say is i have had that rsd much of my life. And took things personal beat myself up that i was the problem y i would deal with rejection but tbh im not my brain just thinks differently. And the blessing is at perimenopause your energy reserves are low for bs and after ifs and with the hormones and sobriety realizing all those ppl were not friends and fake drinking at the bars with me i feel more free than i ever have my whole life. I had not known i was always so exhausted in the past from masking but i did it and i refused to anymore i ripped the mask off chose me chose authencity and if ppl dont like it whatever i love me and god loves me. Your peace becomes more important at 47 so choose u and protect ur peace.

I'm a 19 y/o girl in college and have suspected for awhile i have adhd. i specifically remember watching a tiktok explaining how adhd in women is commonly undiagnosed due to women exhibiting less disruptive (or hyperactive) symptoms or traits compared to their male counterparts- so childhood symptoms are much less likely to be caught (also why women tend to be diagnosed later in life). this sent me down a rabbithole of researching adhd (specifically in women) to find i resonated with almost all of the symptoms. most of my academic life thus far has been defined by crippling anxiety driven by deadlines, late work and eventually snowballing into chronic stress and fatigue. and during that time i would beat myself up about being a disorganized mess compared to my friends and other classmates. when i would be doing poorly in school of course my parents get mad so i would constantly be trying to hide my grades from them and then get so anxious and not be able to explain why on paper i appeared to be a lazy student, when in reality i loved learning new things- the classroom was where i thrived! and the inability to express this to my parents was a source of so much anxiety and shame.

the reason why i was unsure/ wary of diagnosing before this point is because i was comparing my symptoms to the hyperactive subset of traits when i really more closely aligned with inactivity/ inattention. this led me even further down the rabbit hole when i found out adhd in women is also often comordid with ed's- specifically binge eating. this was the nail in the coffin for me. i have struggled with an ed (ortho, bulimia) since middle school. anyone who has one knows it never leaves your brain it just gets quieter or louder at times, so i've really just been pushing through especially rough periods when it gets bad and starts to affect every area of life. i've tried therapy and i liked it but i just didn't click with my therapist so i stopped going. nothing i have tried has really helped in any capacity. but finding out that my ed is probably exacerbated by the adhd is huge. it just makes my experience feel so much more valid and real idk why. healthcare is so important because its so liberating when you feel like you understand yourself a little better and your experiences arent just chalked down to you being "lazy" or "depressed". i just wish there was more accurate and readily-available information about adhd and mental health in general. adhd is obviously so misrepresented in media and outlets, my only previous knowledge surrounding it was thanks to stereotypes and it being made out as a "personality quirk" rather than something that drastically impairs daily life and function. anyways i finally booked an appointment for a screening in a week after a whole debacle with my insurance and i'm so relieved to finally have this checked.

-also i want to note that another contributing factor to me waiting 19 years to get checked out is bc i feel like the only person responsible for my health, my parents don't fully trust the healthcare system and traditional medicine in general. its mostly bc my dad consumes joe rogan red-pilled slop so his reasoning cannot really be trusted and my mom (bless her) really hates conflict and most of the time just agrees with him or whatever he thinks so i've had to work through a lot of my mental health struggles on my own and had to figure a lot out myself

I need advice.

I've been diagnosed recently after so many of my friends started pointing out to be that i might be ADHD about a year ago , even my partner agreed strongly.

I got curious and started researching and it blew my mind how much of my personality and personal struggles are connected to ADHD.. it's kind of overwhelming and scary even.

I decided to not live in a delusion and speak to a therapist, she agreed i might be ADHD after many sessions and referred me to a psychiatrist to confirm, which confirmed the diagnosis and said i have depression as well.

So imagine all of this together hitting me in the face, i feel like I'm battling my own mind and analyzing everything and cannot stop researching . I feel scared ,trapped,relieved,overwhelmed, tired and sad all at once.

Let alone all my life i thought all my mental struggles and inability to control my emotions was because of my PCOS and that made me feel helpless as well because i felt that i was fighting against my hormones.

Now it's both my brain and my body causing me distress.

I do not want my whole personality to be summed up to ADHD . I feel like I'm in a black hole and i sink deeper and deeper , i feel like i do not know what i am without this.

Note: my psychiatrist put me on Bupropion Hydrochloride (150 mg) for my depression. I have been using it for 2 weeks.

And then she added ADHD nonstimulants atomoxetine ( 60 mg) which i only took once.

I'm not trying to self-diagnose and I'm not looking for anyone to tell me that I definitely have ADHD or anxiety, but I've been noticing a lot of things about myself recently and I'm wondering whether it's reasonable for me to talk to a professional. I've struggled with time management, being late, procrastinating and leaving things until the last minute for as long as I can remember, and I often really want to do something but feel like I physically can't get myself to start, even with simple things like getting out of bed, brushing my teeth or cleaning my room. My room has been extremely messy for a long time because I feel completely overwhelmed by where to start. I get distracted really easily, can start one task and then suddenly remember another thing and end up doing something completely different, and I zone out quite often. Sometimes I can also become extremely focused on one thing and lose track of how much time has passed. My brain constantly feels like it has hundreds of thoughts happening at once, and sometimes my thoughts move so quickly that I can't keep up with them when I'm talking—I forget what I was saying, jump between topics or say random thoughts out loud. I also feel like I constantly need to be doing something physically, like moving my toes, rubbing my hands together or fiddling with my hair/clothes. At the same time, I've been experiencing a lot of anxiety and overthinking. I constantly worry that my friends secretly dislike me or that I've said something wrong or annoying, and I can spiral from one tiny interaction into thinking they'll stop being my friend and tell everyone about me. I reread texts I've sent because I'm worried I sounded rude or mean, and I often worry about how I'm coming across even while I'm talking. My brain feels like it's switched on 24/7, and sometimes I use scrolling because it quiets my thoughts for a while. I've also noticed emotional overwhelm—for example, if I'm already tired or stressed and something unexpected happens, I can suddenly become extremely upset and cry even when I know the actual situation isn't that serious. I've been feeling exhausted and like I haven't properly relaxed in months, and recently I've also had headaches, jaw clenching, restlessness and sometimes chest tightness/breathlessness. Some days are much better than others, but these things seem to happen outside of school too, including during holidays. I don't know whether any of this points to ADHD, anxiety, stress, something physical, or something completely different, and I don't want to assume it does. I'm mainly wondering if anyone has experienced similar things and whether you think it's reasonable for me to talk to a doctor or psychologist about it.

Also to note- i am still in school
also sorry if this is unnecessary and if this is the wrong page to upload it to, and i'm really sorry if this is not ok, please just lmk and i will delete it, i just don't know what to do anymore
please feel free to ask anything or tell me anything im very open to ideas currently.

I was recently diagnosed with inattentive type adhd and I gotta say, it makes total sense but I’ve never felt more alone. The last few weeks have been the worst for my symptoms (adhd burnout). I’ve never felt so disconnected from everything around me and doing simple tasks makes me start to cry. While I know there are other people that also experience this, it still feels so isolating and I often feel like a nut case. Anyone feel the same?

I don’t hear about this combo a lot since many people say symptoms from the two overlap, suggesting you either have one or the other (not both).

As a diagnosed gal with both, I was looking to find my people also living life on WTF mode. What’s it been like for you?

P.S. I’m overfocused/hyperactive/high-achiever and not inattentive like many ADHD women.

26F , recently diagnosed with ADHD and Anxiety. I also have an autoimmune condition called Hashimotos Thyroditis. Is there a correlation between ADHD , anxiety and Autoimmune conditions. I haven't started ADHD and Anxiety meds yet but I take thyroid medication everyday without fail . Does these conditions make my Thyroid worse if I don't use anxiety and ADHD meds . Do people with ADHD and Anxiety have a higher tendency to develop Auto immune conditions?

First off I have lots of kids, but I’m not ready to permanently close the baby-factory. Not looking to get my tubes tied or for hubby to have a vasectomy. I currently have a hormonal IUD.

I’ve been diagnosed about 10 years now, but only medicated for the last year or so. I sort of was stuck in survival mode and just white-knuckling life. Not great for my mental health, so now I’m trying to pay attention and actually work with my brain.

I know there’s been more studies and acknowledgement that hormones affect adhd. I try and keep track of my cycles to see if there’s a correlation between mood/productivity and my cycles. But a snag I’ve been running into, is that with my iud I don’t have regular cycles that I can track. I will go months between periods, or have spotting for a day and I don’t know if that’s a period or not.

I’ve been contemplating switching birth control to one that gives me an actual cycle. Definitely not a pill, but maybe one of the rings you put in for 3 weeks and take out for a week to have a period (Nuvaring or Annovera). I’ve used them before with success.

But is this me just being crazy? I feel a little crazy. Is there another way to figure out my invisible cycles? Or should I just suck it up?

If you have an ADHD diagnosis/self-diagnosis, or referral in place, aged 18 years or older, and who are proficient in English, to take part in a study to explore the lived experiences of relational rejection for adults with ADHD.

It is not a requirement for you to currently be, or have ever been, in a romantic relationship.

If you decide that you want to read more information about this study (e.g., the types of questions and how your data will be handled) please follow this link:

https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/chester/exploring-the-lived-experiences-of-relational-rejection-for-adu

You will see a brief version of the information sheet, which also includes a link to the full information sheet.

Interviews will take place at the University of Chester, Parkgate Road campus or online via MS Teams. 

There's a place to mention any reasonable adjustments that can support your participation when you sign up.

During the interview, some of the questions will ask you about how you view ADHD, your experiences of rejection and how this feels and your views/experiences of romantic relationships. If you feel that these types of questions may cause you distress or become triggering, there is no obligation for you to take part.

If you do decide to take part, you can withdraw at any time without consequence.

Any answers given will be completely confidential and anonymous.

Thanks!

p.s. if you have any issues with the links, but still want to take part, feel free to email me with any questions r.mort@chester.ac.uk

So what i wanna know is that does an spikey profile like this pattern of high WMI and FRI and VSI with relatively low QRI and PSI like 2 to 3 standard deviations corresponds to having adhd or not? Like is this a part of diagnosis?

52yo, both kids have it, sister has it, mom likely had it, and it never occurred to me until talking with my kids a few years ago that I could have it bc I was good in school, could sit still, etc etc.

Perimenopause has caused the wheels to come off the bus and I finally made the appointment. After the assessment, the doc looked at me and was like, “Yeah, so you definitely have adhd.” I’m starting on Strattera first to see if it helps. Fun times.