I am currently writing a book on adult adhd in the hope of helping others navigate its challenges. I was diagnosed two years ago after years of therapy for anxiety and depression. It was an “ah-ha” moment for me when my therapist had the epiphany this might be an underlying factor to my anxiety and depression, and a relief when I was diagnosed.
I have tried non-stimulant medications in the past, but abandoned them due to their side effects. Since then I have taken a more holistic approach and avoided medication, with the exception of my antidepressant.
If you want to talk about this process, I’m happy to do so. If you want to tell me your story I’d love to hear it.
Best,
T
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towen01a
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I was just diagnosed and am feeling very much like you did after your diagnosis. I am grateful to find that there is a real cause for so much of my behavior that I feel guilty or ashamed about. I am very focused on learning more (I bought books and workbooks, intend to attend a local support group, called my doctor about a prescription other than my antidepressant, listen to webinars, etc.) In some ways, I feel as if I'm learning how to walk in new shoes that are still uncomfortable, but will eventually be easier to walk in.. I am very fortunate to have lots of friends, but I can't really share these feelings with friends who don't have this experience. I do have a couple of people who know and are very supportive, however. I am glad to hear that you are writing a book about this. I feel I would also like to help others by sharing my story. I'm not a writer, but I have experience as a public speaker.
After going through this journey of “rediscovering” this side of myself through reading numerous books, scientific studies, journals and articles I realized there is a human element missing. Most of the various literature out there is written by clinicians discussing their insights based on research and subjective anecdotes of their patients. Unfortunately while I think most are well intentioned they feel to me like car mechanics discussing the intricacies of different vehicles they’ve worked on; most of these have good information on how something works and examples, but without the empathy of living with it. Hopefully this endeavor I’m trying to do brings a human element to folks looking for something different. I hope I can reach back out in the future to hear more of your story. If you have any material you think I should look at feel free to pass it along.
I'm just starting my discovery of me via ADD. It seems I find something relevant every day.....behavior I thought was normal (having a small anxiety attack if I perceive rejection ). I'll try to accumulate some examples and let you know later. Where are you in USA?
so grateful for your comment. I’m feeling the same. I was diagnosed less than a year ago and have been fumbling through medication. But the bottom line is the extreme shame I feel about how I acted in the past. My combination of anxiety and adhd has been like riding a roller coaster in the dark. Some days I’m not certain how i survived. I’m having to re-learn to how trust myself in different ways. My self-care path is radically changing.
I could use the exact same words to describe myself, although I have not started meds. (I have been on an antidepressant for years.)I will be starting on Ritalin next week. Hopefully it will help me to look forward to each day. I have so many things to attend to (because of procrastination) that each day feels like work without pleasure. I'm retired and in some ways, I feel like I'm retiring from life.
I think it’s great that you are writing a book about this! I am a 26 year old woman and was just diagnosed a couple of weeks ago after about three years of therapy and treatment for anxiety and depression.
I never would have suspected I had ADHD before this year. I have seen many people lately sharing on social media about their symptoms, and it made me realize that there is more to ADHD than hyperactivity and inability to focus. Many symptoms people shared resonated with me, so I did more research and talked to my psych NP and therapist about it and was diagnosed.
Even after I was diagnosed, I had a lot of doubts. I talked to my mom to see if I showed symptoms as a child and she didn’t think so. I think maybe I had enough structure that my symptoms didn’t show strongly. I didn’t struggle in school until college, especially when I took some self-paced online courses.
Despite my doubts, I did start medication and have been on it for a few days. It’s already helped me a lot. I feel like I might be able to go back to work full time after working part time for almost a year due to my job being too overwhelming. I also feel less social anxiety and feel like I will be able to make friends in my neighborhood and church (we just moved here a few months ago). I also have an assignment in church that I didn’t think I could handle, but I think I can now.
My problem now is that I’m not sure how to tell my friends and family. I’m afraid they will reject my diagnosis since I’m outwardly quiet and “calm.” I guess I don’t really have to tell anyone that I don’t want to. Maybe I’ll just take it on a case-by-case basis. We shall see!
I don’t know if you can see my response to Judi1234, but I mentioned this journey of “rediscovering” this side of myself was through reading numerous books, scientific studies, journals and articles I realized there is a human element missing. Most of the various literature out there is written by clinicians discussing their insights based on research and subjective anecdotes of their patients. Unfortunately while I think most are well intentioned they feel to me like car mechanics discussing the intricacies of different vehicles they’ve worked on; most of these have good information on how something works and examples, but without the empathy of living with it.
I can relate to having self-doubt about such a diagnosis; my brother is an ER doctor and questioned my diagnosis when I told him. When telling my parents and asking if they ever suspected such a thing, they said they never did and my mom was quite defensive as if she had done something wrong (which of course she hadn’t; hindsight is 20/20). From what I’ve read children who act out are those typically diagnosed, which I get because of their “rowdy” behavior. Others internalize everything, like myself who have always been quiet and shy, and experience long periods of inattention (think daydreaming). I decided to tell those close to me and the rest I try not to worry too much about.
Hopefully this endeavor I’m trying to do brings a humane element to folks looking for something different. I hope I can reach back out in the future to hear more of your story. If you have any material you think I should look at feel free to pass it along.
I have been dealing with my ADHD my entire life. One thing I can say I am grateful for was that i was diagnosed at such a young age. I was diagnosed at 13 years old when I was in 8th grade. To make my perspective unique, I was the youngest of 5, and I was the youngest of fraternal triplet boys. My mom was expecting twins, when they gave her C-section they found a third head. 2 of us had their own sack and one of us (me) was in a separate sack. They grew up identical looking like Makulay Culkin from home alone. I looked like Kevin James. I say this bc of the identity impact that we dealt with when we were told we weren’t triplets by the other kids once we were old enough to play and communicate with other kids. You can imagine the perspective and trials this caused me who was told he was different, before he knew what different was. You can imagine we were triplets until we learned that we weren’t. I was the milk man’s baby, and I played into this role for most of my life. This had an intense effect on my already extreme ADHD and being a black sheep after 35 years and years of educating myself about the baffling disease and the full impact it had in my life it is absolutely something that sharing is a passion of mine. I would like to talk more if interested.
I have just read your post and it sparked my interest. I love your idea of writing a book about adult ADHD. I do believe it is a subject that needs more awareness about how hard it is to get the help we need.
For example, I was a patient of Intergrated Mental Health for 16 years before my psychiatrist trialled me on a stimulant. I had exhausted all possibilities with anti-depressant medication.
If you would like to know more about the challeges I experienced I am happy to share. Right now I have someone here who I need to give my attention to.
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