Re: Self Medicating

[Anonymous]

Yep. For sure. I have always been a good reader, but I still find it hard to read certain things. Especially non-fiction that is not broken up into small chunks of information. I think I only read fiction well because it suited my daydreamy mind. It has always been my escape. But I still struggle with even easy to read things when there are distractions around, or when I am tired. And if a book doesn’t catch my interest in the first few pages then I don’t have much hope for sticking with it.

My ADHD son also reads well OR comprehends well, but cannot do both together. He never reads for pleasure. If he is read to, he can understand a book fine. If he has to read out aloud, he reads very well but does not take in very much of what he reads. His mind can only do part of the reading job at any one time.

Try audiobooks. There are some books on ADHD available in audio format. Just google audiobooks and ADHD. I love audiobooks because I can listen to them while I do housework, rather than get stuck in a normal book and ignore everything I should be doing!! And they are great for helping me get to sleep too.

As for finding a psychiatrist….I got some names from our local ADHD organisation, but had issues with one not being at the same number, one being retired, and the other not taking any new patients. My GP said that if I had no luck with the psychiatrist I have an appointment with (I had to go with an unknown one in the end) then I should ask the ones on the ADHD organisation’s list for some names of who they would recommend.

Don’t give up. If you can find support from somewhere, then it will make all the difference too. I found support in my GP. She is fantastic and I was so relieved to find that she was willing to believe me and support me even though she has never dealt with adult ADHD before. Having someone on your side to give you moral support is the best way to get through the diagnostic process without giving up.

Good luck!

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