Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Do I have ADHD or am I just lazy/difficult?

46 replies

venicebeachb · 23/07/2022 20:17

My friend was recently diagnosed with ADHD. She is 30. I wouldn’t guess it, high achiever and holds down a very high paying job. She can be chaotic with men in her life but did have a stable relationship etc.

The reasons she suspected she had ADHD and went for testing sound starkingly similar to me. But I also don’t know if my reasons are like a problem of my generation.

My issues:


  • I am diagnosed with OCD

  • suffered with anxiety and depression my whole life

  • high achiever at school / uni

  • cannot do any work unless under pressure. Can’t motivate myself unless there’s a fear in not doing it. For example at school the fear of failure in exams motivated me

  • i pick up activities like they’re going out of fashion. I throw myself in and then get bored if I’m not amazing at something in a week. I have countless Instagram pages for ventures I planned to do

  • I struggle to stay in a job. I find it easy to get them but unless there’s strong structure I can’t do it and I end up getting bored and looking for a new job. In reality there have been some major issues in the jobs I’ve had but most people would probably tolerate it longer than me (18m-2 years)

  • the longest I’ve stayed in a job is 3 years and that was because I had to to qualify (ACA)

  • my Work has never been picked up as poor and I’ve always met expectations. My personality says GO FOR EXCEED and I have the skill set to do it but I can’t make myself do it.


I can’t explain it but I feel like I’m in a hole of dissatisfaction and I can’t MAKE myself be who I want to be. I want to do my work but I can’t do spend a lot of my day distracting myself with random tasks and only do my assigned work when there’s suddenly loads of pressure and if I don’t I’d get in trouble.

am I just super lazy? Help!

OP posts:
AbsoluteShambles · 23/07/2022 20:19

You sound like me. I have severe combined ADHD. Diagnosed at 35. 🙂

Testina · 23/07/2022 20:26

You don’t sound lazy at all. But do sound like a lot of people who don’t have ADHD.

I once read that procrastination is usually anxiety driven. Not Anxiety with a capital A, medical diagnosis. But that there’s often something making you anxious so you put it off. That might be fear that you can’t do it, will get it wrong, will do it OK but not ace it… So leaving it until you really can’t avoid it, distracting yourself with other things, can be anxiety rather than ADHD.

I think a lot of people struggle to stay focused, without it being ADHD.

jmscp · 23/07/2022 21:04

Hi, I'm diagnosed combined type ADHD (diagnosed as an adult!)

It certainly sounds like you may have, the hyper focusing on hobbies jumps out at me especially.

I'd help by typing out my "symptoms" but we'd be here all day, feel free to DM me if you ever want to chat!

This meme may help ☺️

Do I have ADHD or am I just lazy/difficult?
rainbowsilk · 23/07/2022 22:31

I could have written this and I'm currently in the process of an ADHD assessment. That meme made me laugh because it's me 100%

squirrelnutkins1 · 24/07/2022 10:14

You sound very much like my other half who has adhd, particularly the not being able to do something unless there's immense pressure!

squirrelnutkins1 · 24/07/2022 10:17

Look up 'how to adhd' on YouTube. Really useful x

Libre2 · 24/07/2022 10:22

This is a genuine question - would it help having a diagnosis? If so, why?

I don’t have adhd (as far as I am aware) but need pressure to complete things. I sometimes think that’s just a personality type.

Trivester · 24/07/2022 10:32

with adhd motivation is intrinsically tied to emotion, so we can be driven by excitement and interest but also shame and loathing.

It’s quite hard to unpick the last two because all that internal negativity can be a huge part of how we get stuff done. But obviously in the long term it’s damaging.

Procrastination isn’t always a bad thing - sometimes it’s how we build up the head of steam to get things done. Sometimes (especially with writing or creative tasks) a lot of the work is being done subconsciously before we ever sit down.

It really helps to shift your self worth from being a useless NT or imposter to being neuro diverse so from that point of view a diagnosis can be extremely valuable

venicebeachb · 24/07/2022 11:02

The reason a diagnosis may help is medication wise. Nothing has ever helped. But it took my friend a year to be diagnosed and she’s back on a list that’ll take ages to get meds.

id like to understand why I am the way I am. I feel so lost and like my inner values aren’t aligning.

I’m about to take a new job. There’ll be far more expected of me so potentially I’ll focus and perform better. However im so anxious im just repeating old mistakes.

OP posts:
Testina · 24/07/2022 11:04

Libre2 · 24/07/2022 10:22

This is a genuine question - would it help having a diagnosis? If so, why?

I don’t have adhd (as far as I am aware) but need pressure to complete things. I sometimes think that’s just a personality type.

I totally agree with that.

And I’m sure I don’t have ADHD, and yet that meme was “me” too. Despite the giggles of it only being ADHD types who get it. And actually, I have a friend who has ADHD and 2 ADHD children who would say, “course you don’t have it 😉🤣” but then again I have a cousin who is qualified to diagnose who would say, “I’m not saying for sure without properly going through diagnosis but… you don’t.”

Yes, there are lots with ADHD, but it’s also like reading your horoscope in some ways! Lots of people can identify with not completing tasks. In the workplace, Belbin was describing “completer finishers” 40 years ago - and we were not all that type.

I think whether you’re ADHD or not, the most useful thing is to read what strategies can help - and if they work for you, great.

jmscp · 24/07/2022 11:21

The whole laughing at people and saying "everybody is a little ADHD" is really damaging you know.

I'm sure if I didn't have it I'd be off my tits on the methylphenidate I take every day but, as it is, it actually helps me enough to get through each day without chronic overwhelm.

Dontknownow86 · 24/07/2022 11:26

If it's adhd it will be chronic and affecting multiple areas of your life.

I have inattentive type adhd and I have always had problems in my jobs as once I get bored I struggle to make myself do it, hate it, start looking for new jobs, starting to do the bare minimum despite being quite intelligent and wanting to get ahead. I logically know focusing and working harder will help but I physically can't make myself do it. Cannot multitask as I forget about the original task etc. I always start off really strong and people comment on how good I am with ideas and streamlining processes but that all goes away pretty quick. I normally end up being really stressed / depressed wanting to do better but not being able to.

Same at home - struggle to get started on boring chore tasks, get fed up and walk off halfway through a task thinking I'll come back to it (and inevitably don't), leaving laundry in the machine all week because I forgot it's there / can't get motivated enough to hang it out even though logically I know it will only take 5 mins. Forget to pay bills, forget to text friends back etc. Lose keys, bank cards, work passes. Forget what people are telling you and struggle to concentrate on what they are saying to you especially if it's instructions / a list etc.

Does this sound like you or are you mostly just procrastinating work alone?

If that all sounds familiar you can do some fairly good online tests that will give you an indication but you really need to be honest and not catastrophising occasional behaviour when you do them. Ie. Often to lose things may be to you lose a bank card once a year but I have lost 3 in the last six months.

I also use pretty good coping mechanisms like repeatedly checking my bag before I leave the house. NEVER taking anything out of my handbag that belongs there unless to physically use it and often I will stand next to my bag to do this and immediately replace etc. Directly tell people my memory is awful and could they please email me a list or asking them to pause while you get pen to write down what they are telling you. Think about if you do these sorts of things too.

ThomasinaGallico · 24/07/2022 11:40

The litmus for ADHD, as opposed to other types of what is now known as Executive Function Disorder (which can be a symptom of other things like dyslexia or ASD) is your response to stimulant medication. How do you react to a strong espresso coffee or a Red Bull? If these either send you to sleep, or make you feel ‘normal’ rather than twitchy or hyped up, then you could well have ADHD.

I have talked to a guy at work who said he realised he wasn’t neurotypical when he took speed with his mates and they were all hyper, but he was just thinking ‘OK, I can organise my shopping list for the week now…’

yellowcourgette · 24/07/2022 13:15

Hi @venicebeachb

I have ADHD, and whilst it affects everyone differently, there are strong overlaps with other conditions like anxiety, and also what is a reasonable amount of procrastination and difficulties in life, that many people struggle with, without having ADHD. What I mean is, just because you procrastinate, and have multiple hobbies, and can struggle with certain types of jobs, and these other factors that a lot of the ADHD memes focus on, doesn't necessarily mean you have ADHD. Stress and anxiety can absolutely cause these things, and whilst what you have listed can absolutely be down to ADHD, they could be explained by other things.

Whilst a diagnosis can be helpful, it is not the answer. You will not be fixed or have all your solutions, medication often doesn't work very well, and things like therapy are very difficult to get and

Personally, I would think about the other aspects of your life that may not be explained by anxiety and depression and just the general difficulties of life, and how they are affected. My mind goes at a million miles an hour. It's exhausting. I cannot get simple life tasks done - it goes well beyond work.

An example: yesterday it took me an HOUR to get something from my pocket. Because it was in a different room, past the kitchen. I was unable to do the process of 'remember the thing>get up>walk to thing>collect thing' without each time going into the kitchen, or picking something else up, or starting another task. It is absolutely exhausting, infuriating to the point where I actually scream. The day before I drove for 5 minutes in the wrong direction because I started thinking about a different location. I currently have 13 tabs open in this window and 20 in the other window, and 5 programs open. It's taken me a long time to write this, because the last sentence I wrote triggered me to count my tabs, and then open one, and then start reading it, and then end up on Amazon. I haven't cooked myself a meal for 3 weeks because I cannot get through the whole process. Again, everyone is different, but my point is that with ADHD, distractability, procrastination and difficulties are across your whole life and things like finding it difficult staying in a boring job can be normal. When I tried to do a 'boring' job in an office to try and simplfy my life, I did no work, had panic attacks because I couldn't make myself focus, and ended up having a breakdown after 3 months. Every day was absolutely exhausting, because I was simply unaware about my focus and couldn't stop it each time it shifted.

My relationships are signifincantly affected in many ways, and are a constant stress and strain, because my behaviour affects how I can socialise, what I say and do, and it's often not in my control. I'm a chronic oversharer, I blurt out inappropriate thoughts, and I am hugely sensitive to rejection and criticism. The worst thing is I cannot help it and I cannot change it without a huge amount of effort, it's exhausting.

Also, as ADHD is a lifelong condition from birth, you will need to show how this affected you from an early age to get a diagnosis. It is absolutely true that girls tend to mask, and this is what I did, but I still dropped classes, took a year off from uni, and needed extra help to study. I am also clever and a high achiever.

I am absolutely not poo-pooing your struggles and the possibility that you may have ADHD. I think it's great that adults, particularly women, who have ADHD are now being diagnosed because they are more aware of the condition. But I also find it difficult when people say things like 'oh everyone is a little bit ADHD' or think they have what is a very debilitating, chronic neurological condition because they have lots of hobbies or struggle to hold down a boring job or have struggled working from home in the pandemic. It's waaaaayyyy more than that. These memes and things are great, but they do not show the whole picture.

I would be careful about labelling yourself and going down a road that may not solve your problems if they are explained by something else, and it is entirely possible that you are just you, and that's fine! If you associate with the lesser known things about ADHD, I would of course pursue it.

I had a very similar discussion with a friend who thought they had ADHD, but after a lot of thought and discussion, he came to the conclusion that it's just him. For lots of people, particularly high achievers and creative individuals, they need an exciting job, and to change jobs regulary, and have lots of hobbies. Simply because they are an inquisitive and interesting person, not because their brain is utterly fucked.

Testina · 24/07/2022 13:29

“But I also find it difficult when people say things like 'oh everyone is a little bit ADHD' or think they have what is a very debilitating, chronic neurological condition because they have lots of hobbies or struggle to hold down a boring job or have struggled working from home in the pandemic. It's waaaaayyyy more than that. These memes and things are great, but they do not show the whole picture.”

Totally agree with this @yellowcourgette

Someone just posted about stimulants. I drink a ridiculous amount of caffeinated soft drinks so much that people notice and say, “you must be buzzing!”. I’m not. I’m also not ADHD.

Yesterday I was folding clothes in my child’s bedroom, and simply couldn’t do it in one - couldn’t stop myself stopping to straighten bottles. I see that as easily distracted, not ADHD.

I’m really impulsive and impatient - for example, if I decide to learn to knit, I can’t go into town next day to look at basics - I have to order something from Amazon now. And then it arrives, within 24 hours, and the impulse is passed and I may never use. I still don’t have ADHD.

But it would be so easy for me to add these things together and say, “I’m a little bit ADHD!” 🤯

Professionally, I’ve ended up in a role that I love where to excel you need to be able to drop a planned task immediately to deal with a crisis (in business terms, I’m not talking crisis here!). It suits me. But I know ghost when I was a student temping to pay my bills and worked a boring assembly line all day - literally doing the movement repetitively for 8 hours a day I could do it. When it was do the repetitive job or lose it, I could do it. My niece has ADHD. She’d lose the job, despite needing it to buy food. It’s very different, and not to be claimed lightly.

BadPhotographer · 24/07/2022 13:32

Well, as everyone seems to have it, probably...

ClinkeyMonkey · 24/07/2022 14:27

jmscp · 23/07/2022 21:04

Hi, I'm diagnosed combined type ADHD (diagnosed as an adult!)

It certainly sounds like you may have, the hyper focusing on hobbies jumps out at me especially.

I'd help by typing out my "symptoms" but we'd be here all day, feel free to DM me if you ever want to chat!

This meme may help ☺️

That meme!!! That is what happened to me. Read everything in sight. Bawled my eyes out at the strong pull of recognition. Then after a while decided it couldn't possibly be what I have because somebody has to just be the failure, rather than 'having something'.

Kanaloa · 24/07/2022 14:30

Libre2 · 24/07/2022 10:22

This is a genuine question - would it help having a diagnosis? If so, why?

I don’t have adhd (as far as I am aware) but need pressure to complete things. I sometimes think that’s just a personality type.

I would wonder this too. Would it help you to be able to say ‘well I must have ADHD?’

I think you need to look at the patterns of your behaviour and there may be ways you can change them, but (and I think many people forget this) diagnosis or no diagnosis the legwork to change lifestyle patterns is hard hard work. Have you looked at your diet? Your sleep routine? Have you tried different planning methods at work to ensure you work in a timely manner? Or have you just put all down to ‘oh well this is how I am?’

Kanaloa · 24/07/2022 14:33

Oh, I have just seen you think a diagnosis would be helpful so you could access medications. However, medications are often given in combination - a pill won’t just solve lifelong issues. So I would still look at what else you’ve tried re lifestyle changes and what affect those have had before you attempt to get onto medication.

MrsPartridgeKleio · 24/07/2022 14:37

@Testina you sure you don't have adhd? How's your executive functioning?

@BadPhotographer you are incredibly rude and need to educate yourself. Go do d at one research about how women are chronically under diagnosed. About how they present differently to boys/men. You do know it's a genetic condition right? We don't choose to have adhd, we are born with it. More people getting diagnosed with it isn't a bad thing, hopefully it will work in our favour.

oddoneoutalways · 24/07/2022 14:41

squirrelnutkins1 · 24/07/2022 10:17

Look up 'how to adhd' on YouTube. Really useful x

I second this. Excellent You Tube channel. There are some amazing people who post on Instagram also. I'd avoid Tik-Tok on the subject.

Also as to the question why get a diagnosis? For me it meant I knew that I wasn't just a useless adult. It also meant I found take appropriate medication. Which despite the ridiculous stigma, really is life changing.

Diagnosed at 37 a few months ago. Also autistic. Diagnosis of both has changed my life. I had no clue until my child was diagnosed autistic and I started to learn about that. Then about ADHD... and it all just clicked.

oddoneoutalways · 24/07/2022 14:45

BadPhotographer · 24/07/2022 13:32

Well, as everyone seems to have it, probably...

This sort of dismissive nonsense, even if said in jest, is really damaging. More people do not have it. Everyone does not have it. It's a bloody impairment, and autism is a disability. Do you think people want to have it?

Are we getting better at speaking about it, and starting to understand that - especially women - do not always present in the stereotypical way and so we're picking up more cases and helping people as a result? Yes. Which is a good thing.

dollyblack · 24/07/2022 14:48

You might well have.

for years i soldiered on struggling like others on this thread saying i didn't need a label etc.

turns out not having a label nearly killed me and having a diagnosis has been completely life changing.

best of luck in whatever you decide to do, there is a very welcoming and supportive online community for help and problem solving tips. It feels so nice to feel i’m not a failure no matter how hard i try.

BonnesVacances · 24/07/2022 14:53

Actually your OP reads like someone with bipolar more than ADHD. Massive misdiagnosis problem between the two. Read this article and see which resonates more.

www.additudemag.com/adhd-vs-bipolar-a-guide-to-distinguishing-look-alike-conditions/

HardTimesHarder · 24/07/2022 14:57

You might be, OP.
Do you have any evidence from school reports?
I was also diagnosed this year and scored 18/18 so I’m combined. I am the same with hobbies, very sensitive to smells that will cause physical head pain, I cannot sit still for more than 30 minutes, I drink a lot of water to keep my hands busy which leads to me always needing a wee - an excuse to leave my seat.
I own 5 hairbrushes and currently have no idea where any of them are. I get lost very easily and can’t tell you where anything is in my own kitchen despite living here years - I just open every cupboard until I find things.

I’m also in my final year of a veterinary degree, got high grades and look together to most people that know me. I’ve had 4 laptops in 5 years as I can’t organise my files and they overwhelm me so I have to sell that one and start with a clean slate.

there might be something else that could describe your struggles too

Swipe left for the next trending thread