ADHD diagnosis - is there any point?

[ImOnlyMakingPlansForNigel]

Apologies for the slightly inflammatory title… but I’m genuinely sat here asking myself this question.

I’m 47, female, and for many reasons, over the last 6-12 months, I’ve come to the realisation that there’s a high probability that I have ADHD.
It’s not prescription by TikTok… it’s from hearing lots of other people’s experiences, from reading studies, articles etc. And so much of it resonates with me - at times it’s literally been like a lightbulb going on in my head, and suddenly everything making sense.

The way I am hinders me in so many ways, and it’s only getting worse - the impact on my life is huge.

I’ve heard that it’s not easy to get a formal diagnosis. And a big part of me thinks, will it make a difference anyway? What will be the outcome? Is it a medication issue… in which case, do I want to go down that route? Is it therapy, coping mechanisms? Or will I just feel validated in the way I behave?

You don’t know if you have ADHD until you have the assessment. You may not meet the diagnosis criteria, even if you have traits. If it’s important to you to know if you do have it then go for the assessment, if you’re not bothered about that and just want strategies to help with any difficulties you struggle with then dont do it. For me, I wanted to know so that I could understand myself better and also for some validation of everything I’ve struggled with in my life. I had an awful childhood and school life and diagnosis of ADHD and ASD has helped a lot as it gave a reason for this, and I can look back at everything with this knowledge now.

I think I’m in a slight denial of it all - despite all the signs glaring at me.
Strategies to cope would be great… and what I’m toying with, is will that be enough? Do I need the diagnosis? (Questions to myself, I’m not specifically asking strangers to tell me exactly what to do!)

The only reason to get it is for your own sense of self worth/healing post childhood trauma, and for meds if you want them.

Otherwise, you can learn strategies etc online without a diagnosis

I think it's only worth doing if you want the medication.

As someone who was only diagnosed with autism last year at the age of 36, I would say to absolutely go for an assessment and see what your report says.

If you are diagnosed, not only will you get lots of answers about why you are the way you are, but you’ll also be able to access medication which can help improve your symptoms.

If you’re not diagnosed, you could still end up with another path to explore, or some other alternative support that could help you day to day.

My diagnosis changed my life and my only regret is that nobody told me it could be a possibility earlier (even though my dad is also diagnosed) - I had to figure it all out for myself.

Diagnosed with autism and ADHD in my early 50s. Life changing for me and knowledge is power. I'm not just shit at life, but have done incredibly well to get this far without knowing the why. Meds work wonderfully for me in quieting the chatter in my head and helping me focus, plus manage impulsivity.

I think it just depends on the extent to which it negatively impacts your life and what you would be looking for in terms of help, if anything.

My child is awaiting assessment and through that I've realised I probably have it. Personally, I don't feel a diagnosis would really change much for me, because while it does explain quite a lot about the way I function, I don't think I am severely impacted and probably wouldn't want to take medication. I don't think there is a one size fits all answer to this question, it just depends on your individual situation.

Ah OP, this is such an interesting question. I have a diagnosis of AuDHD and think about it a lot.

If you would consider medication then it absolutely makes sense to look into a formal diagnosis.

If you wouldn't consider medication then it's more complicated. There are organisational and focus strategies that are particularly useful for people with ADHD, but you obviously don't need a diagnosis to try them (and I'm sure there are lots of people who would find them useful even without ADHD).

You mention validation and I think it's worth considering what you mean by that- I found this tied my brain in a knot. An ADHD diagnosis confirmed to me that there were indeed tasks and behaviours that were probably harder for me than for some other people- but actually I already largely knew that, by virtue of the fact that I found them so hard. So really the validation was that they were hard due to neurodivergence rather than due to some other aspect of my nature or nurture- and it's not entirely clear to me why traits relating to neurodivergence are validated while traits relating to other things outside my control are not.

Of course one aspect of neurodivergence is that it's hardwired- not something you can change- so maybe that's the difference? But while you can't change your neurotype you often can change your behaviours (the most organised person I know has ADHD- she knows her choice is hyper-organisation or chaos). And if I'm off the hook for all the times neurodivergence made things harder (disorganised, untidy etc, auditory processing and spatial issues) does that mean I don't get the credit for all the times it made things easier (quick-thinking, resourceful, ability to hyper-focus etc etc)?

Essentially I found that the whole "validation" part of the thing actually just raised more questions about the nature of personality and the self, and what it means to think of aspects of your character as symptoms of a disorder . So it's maybe worth thinking things like that through before you look into a diagnosis.

I am getting mine and I am older too. I realised a few years ago when I hit peri menopause that I has it as the careful mask I maintained to cover my symptoms couldn't be maintained anymore. Also, a lot of people dismiss you without a formal diagnosis.

I am getting mine via Right To Choose.

I’ve started taking saffron extract it’s suppose to be similar to adhd medicine.
You can buy it cheaply. I’m using this as my strategy for now.
I don’t have a diagnosis. The lists are full in my area and closed so I don’t know how I would be able to.

Yes, I found the diagnosis invaluable all round. You may or may not fit the criteria so unless you do get a diagnosis do not tell anyone you have adhd.

If you’re not severely impacted, you won’t get diagnosed - that is part of the diagnostic criteria. Or, alternatively, the impacts are normality to you and your family, and you don’t realise how much they have affected you. If the latter is the case you will get diagnosed and have your eyes absolutely opened.

I asked my psychiatrist about that about a year ago. She said there was no evidence it worked. She did tell me to take magnesium and creatine though.

Also, how safe is it?

I’m late 50s. Got the diagnosis 18 months ago. I was in 2 minds as to whether to bother but so glad I did. The report I received from my psychiatrist was absolutely fascinating - she noticed and understood a long list of traits and issues that I had not got to grips with. The medication has been life-changing.