ADHD Weekly -- When ADHD is Missed in a Diagnosis

[KarenADHDWeekly]

Was ADHD your first diagnosis, or did it come after another, or more than one other, diagnosis was made first?

Read "When ADHD is Missed in a Diagnosis" at bit.ly/nrcmisdx. What was your experience in receiving the correct diagnosis?

[whirlwindgal]

I started group therapy for an eating disorder when I was a freshman in college (I've read that eating disorders and ADHD aren't uncommon to occur together). Since then I've been on and off going to therapy for my diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder. A few months back I let my cousin know how I had been feeling lately (difficulty focusing, high anxiety) and she suggested I get tested for ADHD (she had been diagnosed when she was young, as well as 2 of her brothers, so the genetic link is there). I just got diagnosed right before Christmas 2020. I'm 24 years old. The doctor who tested me explained to me that I very likely was able to compensate as a child due to a high IQ (which they also tested for) which is why I haven't been diagnosed until now. Since getting the diagnosis, I'm anxious to start treatment because I feel like I don't even know who I am yet and I'm 24 years old. Who will I be when I'm not constantly distracted/trying to get my next dopamine fix? I guess I'm just hopeful that maybe these things about myself that I just thought were bad are maybe my ADHD and not a choice or a product of laziness or lack of self control.