Thread for those with adult ADHD or who think they might have ADHD

[Borntobedifferent]

So I've put this into mental health as although it isn't really a mental health issue it tends to be discovered (in adults) when there is other mental health issues.

I've written a few times elsewhere on here about my ADHD but thought it might be nice to have an ongoing thread.

All that i ask is that we focus on adult ADHD as I'm sure there is other threads for those with children with ADHD.

I am nearly a year diagnosed now (I'm 37) and am on Elvanse 40mg and amfexa 5mg first thing in the morning.

I am so on 200mg sertraline and diazepam as by the time I was diagnosed I was just totally broken.

I have a therapist and today I started with an ADHD coach, I have to learn to accept my past and to embrace the positives of ADHD but it's not an easy thing to do.

Bertie - Greta tips and some I really need to work on especially regarding my phone. I have such a constant need for information I struggle to come off it.

You also touched on what I talked about with my ADHD coach yesterday which is the pull system or I suppose reward system.

So I will do X because afterwards I will get Y. So I will leave for work at 8 tomorrow and as a reward I will stop a get a coffee on the way. Or I will clean for 10 mins (set an alarm) and after that I will allow myself to watch the programme I have recorded.

It isn't always going to work but as we work on instant gratification you have to give yourself joy for everything you so that you find boring.

Also that can't be if I do all my job's this week then I can do X at the weekend. For most people that's too long a period of time, rewards have to be sooner

With regard to rewards I read something in one of the articles about not having a reward that is there anyway and you only allow yourself it if you do X. As you will find that hard to stick to because of the impulivity. The rewards like getting a coffee while you are out is best as you can only get it once you are out. I thought this was a good point.

@BertieBotts thanks for sharing your non meds strategies. I've opened ready to read later.

Yes, I can't promise myself a reward unless I can legitimately convince myself that it's impossible to get without doing the thing I need to do. Like my getting up early enough to have tea or watch Friends, I also use it for arriving early to places - if I get there early I have time to go and get a takeaway coffee on the way.

TV probably wouldn't work these days because everything is on demand and catch up but being held to a TV schedule did work for me in the early 00s.

So yes, stopping on the way to work for coffee would work for me, cleaning for 10 mins to watch programme, less so - though actually, 10 minutes does seem short enough I could probably talk myself into that. If it was I need to clean for an hour then watch the programme, or I need to do then watch it, that wouldn't work - I'd know that I can watch the programme now.

I can work to deadlines as long as I'm not the one enforcing them. So I can say OK I need to do X before DH gets home, but I can't say I need to do X before lunch. Unless I know that after lunch I'll be so busy I can't possibly do it, or something like that.

While reading through the articles about whether you might have adhd I keep thinking I am not that impulsive but these sort of things make me think maybe I am more so than I think.

Yes. I don't think the impulsivity is particularly obvious until you realise what it means in adults. Because as adults we have usually learnt to control the impulses to do totally random things, even with ADHD. But it manifests more as poor self control, so you notice it in ways such as being bad with money, having a bad diet, being "lazy", leaving everything until the last minute.

For me the craving novelty thing is huge. I literally come alive at the prospect of any change! Any change is good (even if it's in the wake of disaster ).

I feel an acute sense of deflation if there isn't something for me to research/tackle/plan/firefight. It's like there is almost no purpose to life!

Just joining in because although I’m not diagnosed I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m not.
I’m better than I was as alive got better strategies for coping but they’re not foolproof. E.g if I need to take something with me when I leave the house I’ve found it really helps if I leave a post it note or the thing itself by the front door. However there are still occasions I’ll merrily step over the object on my way out the door and leave it there because I’m distracted by thinking about something else!

• wouldn’t be surprised if I am, I mean

I have t read the full thread but will do.

I was diagnosed with ADHD last month and in the end had to go private to get an assessment.

I had a Qb Test which showed that 99% of women my age (the control group was 1500 women) would have done better than me.

That coupled with my history gave me the diagnosis.

I am taking Concerta at the moment and will review over the next few months how they work for me.

At the moment I already know they are a game changer in terms of focus and ability to do tasks.

Other than that I need apps and ideas for keeping me organised so will read the thread because I can see some stuff has been suggested already here.

For anyone who has paid privately to get an ADHD assessment done for themselves, what is the average cost and is there anywhere that you would recommend?
I don't want to go to my GP as I know they will just try and fob me off.

Also if you go for private assessment is your GP informed of the results?

I've not been formally diagnosed but def feel I tick a lot of boxes. Except for the being late one! Always early!

May I ask, do you think you gravitate towards other people with similar traits, I think my bf may be ADSD as well.

Also if you go for private assessment is your GP informed of the results?

The psychiatrist I am due to see lets you see your report before it is sent to your GP. If you are given medication, you usually have to have 3 or 4 months privately getting the dosage right and then apparently most GPs will do shared care on NHS. Your GP needs to know you are on medication because of interaction with other medication and /or side effects. Also you needs tests like ECG and blood tests which you can sometimes get through the NHS. The initial appointments to get to a diagnosis stage is £895, but I think this could be doubled over time with tests, private medication etc

I've found a really interesting little book about the inattentive type of adhd called Lifting the Fog. www.amazon.co.uk/Lifting-Fog-specific-inattentive-adults-ebook/dp/B007INO7B0/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?s=gateway&keywords=Lifting+the+fog+adhd&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1555664631&sr=8-1-fkmrnull .
This type of adhd is so much more like me! As I mentioned I had been thinking I am not that impulsive and I don't really have problems regulating my emotions or feel that my thoughts go 100mph. This book says the inattentive type of adhd is like that and one of the problems is a slow cognitive processing speed. Inattentive types tend to be easy going and dislike conflict, they often suffer from mild depression and anxiety. They are more likely to be adverse to risk unlike other types of adhd where people often seek out exciting risky activities.
I'm really glad I found this book as I strongly related to some things people describe in this thread but not others, this really explains the difference.

@Pluginwall ah thanks for the response. Does that mean that they have to send the report to GP, it is something I would prefer to keep off my Medical Records due to the sector I work in.

@TheGodmother - I think if you are hoping for medication then your GP has to be informed. I chose this psychiatrist because he would let you see the report first and because the practice seems very ethical and responsible. There were cheaper options, but some of them seemed slightly dodgy.

I don’t think a diagnosis should be taken lightly - for instance you have to notify the DVLA and your car insurance premiums may be affected.

Is adhd classed as a disability and employers arent allowed to discriminate? I will look this up.

www.personneltoday.com/hr/employees-with-attention-deficit-disorder-practical-and-legal-tips/

It can be considered a disability if it has a long term and substantial effect on your ability to work/study

Hmm its a bit vague isn't it I can see why people would still be worried they might not be protected against discrimination.

Hmmmmm worth thinking more thoroughly then, rather than just impulsively booking an appointment ;)

Yeah you have little chance in the security services or other such sectors if you have this diagnoses.

I was looking for answers really but to be honest I think I have them.

You only have to notify the DVLA if it affects your ability to drive safely. I suspect mine does unmedicated, I've been unable to pass a driving test.

You only have to notify the DVLA if it affects your ability to drive safely. I suspect mine does unmedicated, I've been unable to pass a driving test

aadduk.org/living-with-

aadduk.org/living-with-adhd/

This is where I got my info from:

www.gov.uk/adhd-and-driving

I remember a big hoo-ha when they recently said all autistic people had to self report to the dvla and there was a lot of disagreement as it was pointed out that if an autistic person safely pass their test the condition doesnt change so there is no reason to report. I think they have backed down on that now. Adhd is different, still I feel with a positive doctor's report they would not stop you.