Reply To: “What made you get a diagnosis, and how did it affect your life?”

[Scattybird]

I was always thought of as eccentric by family but that was fine – looking back I wasn’t out of place at home but I was at school.

At work, I was always told I was ‘inappropriate’ and teased by colleagues if I had ‘drama-queen’ moments (which were frequent when stressed). I always seemed to work harder than my colleagues just to stand still but they actually progressed – I just attributed that to them being smarter.

I realised that my colleagues just couldn’t keep up with my thought patterns – one typical comment would be “talking to you is like being in an advert for Ritalin” – little did I know how true that was!

When I got to late 40s I taught some students that were ADHD – in particular one was VERY ADD and another was VERY ADHD and another was somewhere in between. I found I had SO much in common with these students. I ‘got’ their humour, I understood how they ticked. The other lecturers couldn’t understand them at all.

So I got to thinking and I contacted a psychiatrist who specialised in adult ADHD and she diagnosed me. At that stage I was just curious, but she started me on methylphenidate.

It has taken me a year to get the right does, to understand how it works on me and how to get the best out of it.

The ADD diagnosis has affected my life  for the better. I no longer feel like a freak. I know why I behave and think differently now.

Now I have got to grips with the meds I don’t act like a drama queen at work (not as much) – I behave more professionally now. I don’t freak out as much when the work load becomes overwhelming. In short, the meds make me feel like I can cope with my job.

I also feel like I am walking a tightrope sometimes – I know I need to learn habits – it’s not always easy and even with the meds I have to ‘work at’ not procrastinating and shifting my attention to what’s important. That’s not easy – even knowing why.

So in short – to answer the question:

A combination of three students and comments from colleagues made me wake up (late in life!) to ADHD and getting a diagnosis;

Getting the diagnosis has affected my life for the better – knowledge is power.

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