I think I might have ADHD. What (if anything) should I do?

[ZotacRTX]

Heyho!

I relate to alot of the "symptoms" of the DSM-5 list for ADHD.

I can check off atleast 6x in the "Inattention part" and 7x in "Hyperactivity and Impulsivity"

I guess this does not necessarily mean I have ADHD, but I feel like maybe there is a slight chance I have it, and maybe it could explain some of my struggles and shortcomings 🤔

I figuered I would write a short summary of "me" below, just to see if someone relates and maybe to get some advice on what to do;

Growing up I did struggle alot with schoolwork and academics. For the first years I did great, up until the point where grades started to actually matter. Around the age of 14-15 my grades went from almost straight A's to rockbottom.

Somehow i still managed to get myself into a university, to pursue a career in IT. Unfortunately I found most of the subjects boring as hell, and could not manage to be focused one bit. After 2 years of mostly playing videogames in my dorm, smooking weed with friends and not doing my schoolwork, I dropped out.

Fast forward to today, I work with people who are intellectually disabled, and have ever since I dropped out of university. Colleagues at work joke about how I have adhd, because they see me as a stressed guy, always on the move. I am a restless guy, fidget with things or feel uncomfortable sitting still. I burst into conversations and interrupt people alot. I also used to do this when I was younger, especially in class at school.

I use my calender excessively to plan my days ahead because my memory is horrible. My wife tells me I have "early onset dementia". I hope she is wrong😆

My mind wanders easily, I can start doing one thing, but in the middle of the task I suddenly realise Im doing something different than what I was supposed to be doing.

This is only a small part of "me", but I cant think of more and writing this post is getting kinda tiring. So Il just repeat myself here at the end; I think I might have ADHD. What (if anything) should I do?

[GatsbyCat]

Hello, ZotacTRX~

Welcome, and thanks for your question.

A lot of these issues you mention, fidgety behavior, on the move, lack of attention and interrupting conversations are symptoms of ADHD. If you want to know if you actually have it, there are a couple of ways to determine this:

1) Online self test (just google ADHD self test and many will pop up on the internet)

2) Psychologist evaluation of your symptoms, etc

If you have it, the number one thing a psyc will help you with is:

Behavior modification

Medication

Working on the behavior modification can actually be the hardest, because it's all about changing your attitude and ways of doing things into a more "neuro typical" response.

Also, for you and your wife I recommend:

The ADHD effect on Marriage- excellent book by Melissa Orlov

and for yourself I like:

Taking Charge of Adult ADHD by Russell Barkley and Christina Benton (2nd edition) It helps break out all of the areas in our life that are affected by ADHD.

Hope these ideas help you out! Best of luck on this journey called life.

Regards~

GatsbyTheCat🐈

[Lost_InTranslation]

i am the same Without hiperactivity. I am not diagnosed but 95% sure i have adhd. I would suggest to get an appointment with a Professional