Is it ADHD or Autism? Or is it maybe both?

[Guitardude078]

Do I have ADHD or Autism? Or could it be both?

Hello, I've been suspicious about this question for a while now, and I never got a diagnosis. I hope to seek one soon, but at the moment I'm unable to due to certain things.

Anyway, here it is:

-I make hundreds of schedules and checklists, but I never end up following them

-I have dozens of unfinished notebooks because I wasn't satisfied with how I started them and instead of continuing I started from scratch all over again

-I have hyperfixations that change every 1-4 weeks, most things don't stick and the things that do I pour a large amount of energy into

-I tend to fidget a lot, be it my fingers making patterns on my jeans or an eye twitch, a lot of obsessive skin picking

-I daydream a lot, get easily distracted if I'm not invested. Have trouble falling asleep at night because I start planning out my entire day or just random stuff

-I have difficulty not interrupting people kid conversation due to seemingly random thoughts that came up because of a certain topic that made it's way to a different thought, so I have difficulty staying on the same subject for more than 5 minutes (unless it's something I'm really interested in)

-I can't maintain eye contact most of the time, sometimes I have both an over expressive face or stone cold, no in-between

-I'm indifferent to my appearance, I don't care how people perceive most areas of my life, but I react poorly to criticism.

-From an early age I was extremely picky with food, I lived off of potatoes for years because my parents couldn't get me to eat much else. Even now I have difficulty trying any new foods. I also had a liking to doing very repetitive tasks, though I think I've grown out of that.

-I'm usually very frightened by change and I like to do things in a very specific way

These are the main things I thought of off the top of my head. At this point I'm just confused on what I should do next. My parents never suspected anything was off because they say that they were similar to me when they were younger, so I'm not sure if this is just me or it's actually ADHD/Autism. If anyone has had a similar experience, I would love to hear your input.

Obviously I'm not necessarily trying to self-disgnose myself or receive medical advice,I'm mainly just curious on how you guys found out that you had ADHD and what you did.

[Learning101]

I was diagnosed by my therapist. If you’re looking to get diagnosed you could ask your regular doctor if he can diagnose you or if he knows somebody who can. Personally, your symptoms sound a little bit like both. And I think it’s possible for people to have a little bit of both. But I think you’re more likely to have ADHD than autism. If you do have autism, I think it’s pretty mild.

[ZimmyZimmy]

Yes!!! I did not know much about autism. This summer (I’m 45 F) I was diagnosed by a new psychologist with ADHD AND high functioning autism. (Autism spectrum) not knowing what autism really was, I started researching. There is a big overlap with ADHD comorbidity.

I asked the psych doctor why in 20 years of counseling, medications, depression and severe anxiety, WHY did no other professional catch this?! He said “you hide it really well.”

The autistic clues that gave me away were my social interactions and my extreme sensitivities to sound, light, touch, etc..

The more I read about it, the more I think autism is the more prominent diagnosis with ADHD complimenting it.

My parents and friends have asked if a “label” makes an difference.

YES, for me, yes. For the last few months, I feel like I can be myself more. I’m less embarrassed and ashamed of all the stuff I spend time hiding. I don’t feel as alone. It explained my need for isolation and quiet. I am extremely awkward. It cleared the background static of my emotions.

Go to a professional. Being your notes!!! I wrote 16 pages of notes to bring to my first 2 hour appointment.

I am being medicated correctly, monitored correctly, and finally on the right path!

[Pupluv7 in reply to ZimmyZimmy]

Hi Zimmy. I have also been diagnosed with ADHD for 20 years and have not had much therapy other than session every couple months with my psychopharmacologist. A couple years ago I had a traumatic incident which made my ADHD symptoms worse and particularly my social skills. Today I got on this site to find information on a therapist and happened upon the autism section. My symptoms mirror autism more than ADHD.

Funny thing is when I told my relative about my discovery, I received a similar response questioning why I would want to know wether this was ADHD or Autism. Of course it makes a difference if Autism treatment can resolve present symptoms that ADHD treatment cannot help. Its funny how the people who care about you can complain when you exhibit symptoms yet undermine efforts toward treatment. My question is what type of psych Dr. did you benefit from and do you have any suggestions for finding a good one?

[ZimmyZimmy in reply to Pupluv7]

Hi! (Isn’t it nice knowing your “quirks” are shared? It’s less lonely!)

I had been to counselors for 20+ years, and they were mental health nurse practitioners and students, etc. they were helpful and got me through tough times.

This summer, after getting another runaround with pay scales and insurances, I searched and found a place that my insurance takes, a very professional group, full of mental health doctors!

They set me up with someone, and he’s a psychologist (not just a student). Our first appointment was 2 hours. I brought with me a journal full of notes and examples of every weird thing I do and struggle with for as long as I can remember. I filled out their questionnaires.

He agreed with my suspecting of ADHD after the lengthy interview, and he threw out autism as another diagnosis.

I was honestly heartbroken for a short bit because I am 45, and I think back on how I could have been redirected and saved from a lot of depression issues, social problems, and anxiety earlier. How could this have been missed?! I got angry for a bit, too.

Then I just felt all the “aha!” moments, and I’m still getting them, but now it’s making so much sense! And that feels like relief!

And my meds are more fine-tuned….

As far as autism treatment, there really isn’t a treatment, but there are counseling techniques for coping. (This is what I plan on looking for beginning next year) Medication can curb anxiety and depression and make life manageable. I am on non-stimulant adhd meds (amoxitine) and colonidine (blood pressure meds used for anxiety…it’s very helpful for me)…as well as Effexor and buspirone. This combo has helped with my anxiety.

So! Start researching in your area for who your insurance recommends. If you don’t have insurance, look for county clinics, or even ask your go-to doctor who they could direct you to. It’s exhausting, I’m sorry to say, but finding someone who is a mental health professional to properly diagnose is worth it.

I hope this helps!

[Pupluv7 in reply to ZimmyZimmy]

Thank you for your response. This is incredibly helpful, especially knowing that you’ve had success with further treatment.

[F_RN_Dx_at_39]

Check out OCD. Reading your post made me think of it. My ex-girlfriend thinks she has OCD, and when I read more about it, I learned a lot. It's more than just washing your hands a lot. Obsessive behaviors and thoughts are exacerbated with anxiety. I have my own ADHD diagnosis, and can definitely hyperfocus and other typical ADHD stuff.