Is there any benefit to an ADHD diagnosis as an adult?

[Shewas]

I've started to wonder about myself and since I started doing some research, loads of those sound bite reels about ADHD in older women keep popping up in FB. Many of them are uncanny in the way they describe me, especially my reaction to rejection, and the procrastination followed by god mode to never miss a deadline.

But, at 56, is there any point making the effort/spending the money to have it formally diagnosed?

meds have made a difference in my life in since being diagnosed 18 months ago, also it gives me peace of mind and also helps at work if i have difficulties thats directly linked to my adhd

Scientists have actually studied this. When people without ADHD take ADHD stimulants they often feel like they can concentrate better but actually they can’t. They can also can get quite negative side-effects such as anxiety, irritability, high heart rate, high blood pressure.

For those of us who do have ADHD, the medication does actually make us focus better and feel calmer, less anxious and less forgetful.

Hi OP. I suspect I am too. But I'm not going for a diagnosis. I don't want the stigma that comes with it. Or medication.

I'm 48, DB is on the list for diagnosis, DNephew has it, my DS is ASD. It's highly likely I have it. I did one of the questionnaires and scored full marks.

But I never leave washing in the machine, I work constantly to keep the house clean and tidy, I am always employed and do my job competently and over the years I've done very well at work. I'm never late for things. Ever. I don't do projects and get bored or flit from job to job.

However I am 'rejection sensitive' (highly), scatterbrained in my conversational style (and since I was a small child I've overwhelmed everyone around me with my need to talk constantly, attracting nicknames relayed to this) and I fight constantly to not interrupt when others are speaking. I move from task to task depending on how much it catches my attention at work and I can appear dippy to cloae colleagues (not to boss though!)

I have comorbidities - I was diagnosed hypermobile at 46 and possibly EDS (but not diagnosed), I have Raynauds, allergies, asthma, hay-fever and excema.

But a diagnosis would change nothing. DH thinks I probably am DS thinks I am, close colleagur thinks I am. Dmother doesn't believe in it 😂

But if you would chose medication then it may well be worthwhile for you.

I think there's a big advantage in the self-knowledge and confirmation that you aren't/ weren't 'broken' and you weren't 'lazy', 'disorganised', 'too sensitive', or whatever else you may have been called during your life. It can help repair the enormous damage this will have done to your self-esteem.

My daughter was just diagnosed at 12 and the 'wheels came off' in the most spectacular way when she started secondary. I'm 50 and the wheels came off for me about 4 years ago as I went into menopause (they'd been slowly falling off for about 7 years prior to that during peri). I have no idea really if I'm also ND, but it would explain a lot about me (particular childhood 'quirks' and executive function challenges once I left school and those structures and routines I'd relied on disappeared). I'd probably pursue an assessment if we could afford it, but having DD assessed cost so much and I need to save the money for any additional support she may need. But given that my sister was late diagnosed ADHD, both her kids are ADHD and my child has been diagnosed, statistically I extremely likely to be ND too.

From what you've read - where? Peer reviewed studies, actual testimonies from people who or whose dc have adhd?
Or noisy sm posts and benefit bashing threads here or in the news...?

So when numerous people reply saying ‘what I gained was knowledge that I wasn’t useless’ or words to that effect this is just wrong; they actually wanted medication?

I was taking issue with the part of your post saying from what you've read the main purpose in seeking a diagnosis is "monetary".
I was wondering where you were reading this, as no one I know IRL, or not one person on this thread who replied to the OP in good faith mentioned claiming benefits as a reason.
Apologies if I misconstrued what you were saying?
And if medication helps whats wrong with wanting to try it? To see if it makes a difference when you've lived an utterly chaotic life and have to see your child heading down the same path.
Finally understanding yourself and possibly being able to undo the damage to your self-esteem is an obvious benefit of course also.

The purpose is to access the help you might need!

Honestly, I don’t think 56 is too late at all!

A doctor actually brought ADHD up with me when I went in about something completely different. I’m doing an MBA alongside work and had been finding it harder than usual to keep on top of everything.

I went through Right to Choose and was really lucky because it all happened quickly. Within about two months I’d been assessed and started medication. My sister is in Norfolk and hers has been much slower, so I think it can vary a lot.
Medication has helped me, especially at work, but I don’t feel like a different person. I just get through my to-do list more easily and spend less time stuck on my phone.

The diagnosis has mainly helped me understand myself better and be a bit less harsh about things I used to see as me problems (how I feel about rejection, big emotional feelings). My mum is in her 70s and after being told she's highly likely to have it, we've had some really good chats and reflections on things we thought were normal.

I’d say it’s worth starting the process if it keeps playing on your mind. You don’t have to take medication or change anything afterwards, but at least you’ll know.

I have a diagnosis from when I was doing my post grad in 2010 so way before the current visibility of adult ADHD. I did try the medication and it helped me focus and get things done but it also blunted my intellect and creativity. I also think they can be quite harmful to long term health. The diagnosis seemed like an "answer" for a while but really it wasn't and I'm glad it wasn't something I clung to for too long.

I do believe ADHD is real and even that I do have it and I don't doubt those who also think they have it but I also think that being neurodiverse is kind of the norm. I don't think I've ever known anyone who doesn't feel that they don't have ADHD or at least some traits that really debilitate them at times. I'd go as far as to say that people who fit a neurotypical profile are actually the rare one's.

Read this book! I had some similar questions related to family member as I felt they would not be helped by a label despite being fairly confident they would be 'diagnosed'. This book looks at the risk/benefit ratio in a very easy to read and interesting way

No, we aren’t all “a little bit autistic”

My sister aged 53 just got an ADHD diagnosis and actually, it has made a huge difference to her life. All the things she has been battling against, thinking she was just incapable of doing what most adults seem to do with relatives easy, she now knows are not her fault and what strategies to put in place to help. She is looking in to medication to see if any might be suitable for her.

I have absolutely no thoughts that I have any traits of ADHD or Autism.

I am currently awaiting meds. People I know have said it’s helped enormously. Diagnosed at 53.

I am 100% certain I have ADHD. A lot of us in our family do, several younger relatives having had diagnoses. I've tried a couple of the pills of relatives and they've worked wonders. The level of concentration I need to work goes from being (at times) almost impossible to bordering on easy.

However, I have no intention of getting a diagnosis in order to get meds myself. I'm an adult woman, retirement isn't that far away. I just don't see the point of it. If I were 30 years younger, I probably would seek it, but it would add nothing to my life now.

I don’t think it’s incorrect to say that lots of people have Autistic or ADHD traits but not everyone has enough to meet threshold for diagnosis ie dont cross the line for diagnosis. These people have every right to call themselves a bit Autistic/ADHD.

I’m not sure what circles you are moving in but most people I know do not think they have ADHD.
According to ADHD UK, 3-4% of adults have ADHD.
https://adhduk.co.uk/about-adhd/ . ND is not the norm or becoming the norm.

I got my diagnosis last year at 54, combined type. It's helped me understand how my stress works and why I have the problems I have with starting tasks, completing tasks and self-hatred over not being able to get my shit together and do the damned tasks.

It explains why I struggle with some things, and other difficult situations are a breeze for me. Literally tick down any well thought out list of ADHD traits. If I didn't have the diagnosis I would probably be on SSRIs rather than making life changes that work with my ADHD.

For me the diagnosis is part of my well-being and understanding of self.

The author has zero neurodiversity or cancer expertise yet discredits the diagnosis of both. How dare she. My dc’s diagnoses have saved their lives.

most people who go for assessment get diagnosed. Unfortunately nhs won’t prescribe meds if diagnosed via right to choose.

i also grappling with this - the issues I’ve always had have become worse with menopause and on tamoxifen. Apparently tamoxifen makes meds less effective. So I am wondering whether to just come off that first.

there are a lot of things I do and have learnt to do over the years that help me but it takes me a lot of effort. I’m probably more ADD but very conscientious so over compensate a lot. It’s in my family.

one thing that really does help is making sure I’m eating a high protein diet, which you have to do anyway if you take meds.

Jessica McCabe’s website is very good too.

Well, not a high protein diet, but one that matches my energy output. Around 90-120 grams a day. I find resistance training extremely helpful. I work with send children and a lot of the alerting and organising OT sensory activities also work for me. That’s one of the main ways I recognise that I self manage.

Its actually hard to believe that people are this stupid.

To be clear, stimulant medication doesn't work the same way in ADHD brains as it does in neurotypical ones. ADHD medication improves attention and impulse control in ADHD brains specifically, while NT controls show no cognitive improvement or even get worse at complex tasks despite feeling more "up." That's actually one of the ways ADHD gets diagnostically confirmed — the paradoxical effect.

And the addiction point is the opposite of what the evidence shows: treated ADHD is linked to lower substance abuse rates, because it's untreated ADHD that drives people to self-medicate. Comparing prescribed, monitored medication to swigging cough syrup before an exam isn't just inaccurate, it trivialises a real medical treatment and the people who need it.

There is strict pre screening with autism and adhd diagnosis also many people have both hence high numbers once you reach diagnosis. That said both are under diagnosed in this country.

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/report-of-the-independent-adhd-taskforce-part-1/

People like this make my blood boil. Especially when its related to their children that they leave undiagnosed because they dont want them 'labelled'. In reality this means their children are left to hugely struggle in life without any understanding of their condition or effective treatment just because the parents cant deal with the stigma. I saw a Consultant in an interview recently liken it to not allowing an extremely short sighted person to wear glasses. Having ADHD triples the odds of suicidal behaviour and leaving it untreated drives that up further. Fair enough if you're an adult and have fully researched and understand the condition and dont want to pursue a diagnosis but dont make that decision for someone else or rely on stupid books that are just latching on to popular, unfounded public opinion to make money