I think I am a self diagnosed ADDer

[miran64]

Hallo,

I think I have ADD. I am in my early fifties. I feel unhappy, I feel like I have a burnout, I also feel like I am in a hurry, I cannot make decisions and let other decide for me, I have a lot of selfdoubts. I feel like I always had great ideas but they all stay in my head.
I was a dreamer as a kid, I liked to read but always had difficulties to start to learn, to start doing homework. If I wanted I could learn by hearth extremely quickly.
At work I am bit like the black sheep, the one that is not as good as the other because I make little mistakes on a regular basas.
I have a job with a lot of paperwork, and at the same time a lot of talking on the phone and this in four several languages at the same time. So it is really a multi-tasking job.
I am good in photography but also in that domain I feel leek blocked because I think I am good enough and that I cannot make it. I am scared to change my life so I am passive.
It was a friend whose son was recently diagnosed as ADDer, who told, your´re just like my son. That I started reading on ADD and there are some much things that sound familiar to me. Anyone with the same experiences?

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[Scattybird]

Hey miran64 – you just described me. The only difference is I can’t speak more than one language.

If you’re female then there may be other reasons for how you feel too, so you could get checked out by your GP. My symptoms got worse at your age. But whatever your gender, it sounds like you’re a classic ADDer. Welcome to the club!

Whether you get a formal diagnosis or not will depend on whether you want to get help or not and what sort of help. It might be worth joining a local group to meet like minded people, at least initially? But if you read through some of the forum posts (the old ones) you’ll find you have a lot in common with us here.

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[That Guy with ADHD]

I agree with Scattybird. What you discribed are classic traits of us ADHDers. Welcome! Read the forums, meet people in your local area. Many cities have ADHD support groups or Meetup.com groups. I have found it very comforting and supportive to know that I am not alone in this world.

Best wishes

Richard
AKA That Guy with ADHD

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[Rick Green – Founder of TotallyADD]

Yes, @Miran64, you are also describing me, when I was in my 40’s, before I was diagnosed. As Richard @That Guy With ADHD says you do have a number of the signs. But as any doctor would say, “Those could also be signs of Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, or something else.

One difference between Depression and ADHD is that Depression is an illness, an abnormal state, whereas most of us are born this way. As Dr. Ari Tuckman says in one of our videos, Depression is, “What’s wrong with you, Susan? You’re not yourself these days.” Whereas with ADHD it’s more like, “What’s up with you, Maria?” “Oh, I’ve always been this way.”

Getting a proper diagnosis is tricky. My suggestion to anyone is similar to what Richard said above, watch videos, read, learn, ask questions here.

The Unofficial ADHD Quiz is funny and light, but it’s actually chock-a-block crammed with some of the common symptoms that adults struggle with. No one has all of them, some may be severe and some may just be causing you minor inconvenience, but they all relate to the core issue of ADHD which is a brain that’s not great at sorting, filtering, focusing, prioritizing, and following through.

If you need help getting diagnosed, the second video in the 3 video collection, The Comprehensive Guide To ADHD is called Embracing The Diagnosis. A better title would be, “13 Roadblocks To A Proper ADHD Diagnosis, And How To Overcome Each One. By the way, the Comprehensive Guide is on sale at the moment, something like 60% off!

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[ginson18]

@miran64 Like you I have recently learned that I maybe ADHD. I am a teacher and I have filled the forms out for doctors over my students for years, but never once thought about myself. I just thought this was how people functioned. It wasn’t until I listened to a book through audible called, Faster than Normal by Peter Shankman. After listening to his book and then talking with my principal she looked at me and said she has known I was ADD since we first started working together over 6 years ago! I was floored. She was also floored that I didn’t know.

I took the test on her and it said I may the Combined Subtype of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Recently I had to fill out the teacher form doctors send us when evaluating students. So I asked my husband the questions and from that my score was also ADD more than ADHD. The more I learn and read the more I see the patterns and realize I have been this way a lot longer than I ever thought. I also see the symptoms in other family members like my sister, mom and even my grandpa.

My goal is to learn to function better. I wonder if ADHD has times where it is more predominate than it is at other times or is it because I am just learning about it. I struggled with depression and began medication a little over 2 years. My depression came from grief.

I look forward to meeting others and sharing.

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[That Guy with ADHD]

Hi ginson18 and welcome!

Thanks for sharing the book you read (heard). I will have to check it out. Like you I thought I was just a normal person and that everyone functioned like I do. It wasn’t until last year that I came across a radio interview and found out that how my brain worked is quite a bit different than most people. After a year of being self diagnosed I was positively tested for the combined subtype of ADHD. I struggle a lot but at least I know what I am up against and have started to work on things. Hopefully you will find ways to function better. There are many good suggestions in the forums, Ricks blogs, and the many top quality videos available (both free and for sale). I frequent the forum pages here looking for some insightful tips or words of wisdom (Rick, are you listening? lol). I hope to hear more about you and your journey through the ADHD world. By the way I was a teacher for a while too.

There is a thread on ADHD books, etc. Please feel free to let everyone know about the Peter Shankman book.

Best regards

Richard
AKA That Guy with ADHD

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