How to get assessed for adhd as an adult?

[NoFun21]

I’m curious as to whether this might be an Issue for me. I generally feel very anxious, hyperactive. often angry , have overcompensated with constant activity. I lose things quite a lot. I am quite impulsive and reactive. My child has autism- not sure if any connection but I have always struggled and felt my responses and energy levels are not always typical. I really struggle now as a separated mum with trying to do too much and exhausting myself and creating unnecessary stress. I have always been described as having lots of potential but I have never been able to achieve anything as my mind is scattered when it comes to future planning and I lack confidence. Would it be worth getting assessed? How would I do this?

I’ve always thought I was different since I was 6 or 7. Lots of issues culminated in a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder in my early 20s. Now I don’t believe this is correct. Two of my children are diagnosed with asd and adhd. I’ve thought thought about going for an assessment (I’m 40) either privately or going to the GP but I’m not sure I have the strength. Good luck.

D1Carter my stbxh once said he thought I had BPD.

DICarter1 sorry.

Hi OP there is a process, it's detailed here:

aadduk.org/faq/

Be aware there is likely to be a very long waiting time; there simply aren't many specialists who deal with ADHD in adults in the UK.

I don’t know I just know there is something that can’t just be general anxiety as it’s this constant nervous energy and I just want to know if there’s anything f I can do to
Make me a better mum really because I do get angry sometimes
When things build up, I don’t shout at them But sometimes I am bad tempered around them Or just feel very upset and frustrated. Has anyone been diagnosed with anything late in life and found
It helpful? That should have probably been my thread title.

Just bumping this up for you.

I have a GP appointment booked to ask for a referral. It's only after I realised that my son had problems that I figured out about myself. He's a total mini me and "just like me at school".

Feel a bit dense to not realise tbh.

But until you read a description of ADHD difficulties you'd not get that lightbulb moment that maybe you're not a hopeless human being.

YES, the diagnosis was life changing for me. Now I can contextualise things rather than just randomly thinking I'm shit at all sorts of things.

Then another step was learning more about the disorder and being able to compensate for my difficulties, guilt free, rather than constantly beating myself up "Why can't I just remember this? I should be able to remember this." Well no I actually physically can't. So having a massive fuck-off visible reminder is a compensation I can live with.

Next getting medication and treatment helped. I had a big gap here due to pregnancies. The medication hasn't helped as much as the knowledge aspect though. So try not to get too hung up on this.

My top resources are:

Dr. Russell Barkley - he has some books plus talks on youtube (the best) - really really long, but I put it on while I was doing housework etc which seems to have a dual purpose, incentivising me to clean up while allowing me to focus on something just mindless enough that I can actually listen to the audio. You don't need the visuals as the slides aren't shown anyway. He's amazing, he really "gets it".

Youtube channels - How To ADHD, College Info Geek. The first one has short and snappy videos on various ADHD issues. The second is more of a general motivation/organisation tips channel but I find his methods very ADD friendly.

Reddit r/ADHD for the interesting discussions and helpful info.

Avoid:

ADDitude online magazine, it's full of unhelpful stuff these days. Understood.org is much better but aimed at parents of children with attention issues, not adults with ADHD.

Random facebook groups for ADHD. They are often manic and full of drama. I've never been able to cope with one for very long.

I feel like your crazy stalker/fangirl Bertie 😂

It was your post on a thread somewhere that made me .

Then when I did an advanced search followed your link to Reddit. Even reading about other people that do the same stuff as you is strangely comforting.

It feels like TOO LONG until my appointment to talk about this.

Haha - I do talk about it on here a lot :)

I was referred to a psychiatrist by my GP, she talked through my symptoms and diagnosed me.

I’m on medication now and while it’s not an instant fix it is already making a difference :)

Wow thanks so Much for am
This information. I think I will talk to my GO. I will also look at all your suggestions BertieBotts.