Looking For Support in my 50's

[MatureCreativeL]

I slid through the cracks and barely got by for most of 52 years. I have only tried ridalin, didn't feel any effects from it so quit 30 years ago. Once I was on Wellbutrin which partially helped me. But I had a terrible mental health care experience where doctors clearly mistook acute fear from being a recent domestic violence victim and ADHD symptoms(talking fast to get thoughts/info. out), as mania and I was really overwhelmed and mistreated/controlled as if I was a criminal. It changed my entire life, I was looked at as if I were in a petri dish or a lab rat. It took a little while for them to admit their mistake, by then a lot of damage had been done on top of the domestic violence stuff(was never offered any help for at all).

[wtfadhd]

hello, yes lots of us women get mis diagnosed with bipolar and borderline personality disorder. i have very little respect for the entire medical field n think their info and education is basically trash. unless its a broken bone- i have no use for our western doctors, lol

i was bitter n rageful after finally getting the right dx of adhd with high IQ. i think the high IQ thing got dropped off bc society decided it wasnt inclusive so i think they call it high expectation now. ridiculous lol. i hope that improved society in some way lol lol

obvi im just being sarcastic, that is just a trauma response from reading your post n i recalled when i was misdiagnosed for all those years. total hell. ugh

but now im properly diagnosed, i have a private pnp that i pay for out of pocket, n live well. so, all that is behind me- still a part of my personal narrative but i use it as proof of my resilience vs being a testimony of our crappy mental health system.

i spent a year in therapy with a therspist who didnt know much about adhd and it was FANTASTIC bc she didnt put me in an adhd box, didnt assume anything due to my diagnosis, she just empathized with how powerless n pissed off i was n helped me find a way to empower myself n find my place in the world vs waiting for the world to sprinkle some good fortune my way, im grateful for that experience. it wasnt an end all be all. but it put me on the right path🍀

[Mamamichl]

I totally get the feeling of people seeing your panic as mania. I act this way over a lot of things, unfortunately. This is why I do t usually get along with supervisors. My partner understands though. I learned that stimulant meds don’t work well for me, so I’m on stratera, which helps a lot better for my baseline.

[LifeAfterDiagnosis]

I slid through the cracks, as well. I feel your frustration in mistreatment by doctors. I've been through similar things. And I find a lot of bias, as a woman, in the medical field.

I have many diagnoses, and there's so little the doctors tell me about them, that I have to do research to understand. One conclusion I've come to, is that all these extraneous diagnoses (including ADHD) seem to stem from trauma, that trauma is the core issue and it manifests itself in all these other diagnoses - at least for me, I believe. They're great at categorizing symptoms, but not always so great at treating them.

I've only tried Ritalin and Adderall - which work fairly well for depression (that's the condition for which it was prescribed to me) - but don't do a thing for the ADHD.

It's frustrating all around. But don't give up! Get 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th opionions if you have to. There are good doctors out there. Good luck to you!

[wtfadhd in reply to LifeAfterDiagnosis]

“ trauma informed care” is becoming all the hype. however, like DV n other really sensitive big topics, what defines trauma is so wide now ( to be inclusive) that it literally means nothing again. and as a social worker, that makes me very frustrated.

gaber mate ( i forget hope to spell it) talks alot about adhd n trauma. its a fascinating perspective!

[MatureCreativeL]

I also identify as a Highly Sensitive Person so my nerves are really more sensitive than the average person