Have I got ADHD?

[isitbedtimeplease]

I am a professional woman in my forties. I'm divorced with two teenagers. I work in special needs teaching.

I've lived a lifetime of stress, anxiety and overwhelm. Struggled to relax and be myself in relationships, people pleasing and massive effort to make others happy, succeeded well in my work but at the detriment to my health, saying yes to everything and then getting overwhelmed and poorly trying to manage it all.

Have always put my inability to relax, low mood, poor sleep, anxiety and stress down to childhood trauma and my perfectionist people pleasing personality

But

Starting to wonder if I'm neurodiverse?

I'm impulsive... interrupt others when speaking for example and in a lot of debt from impulse buys and poor money management

I don't manage noise well, and can't cope with lots of people speaking at the same time

I need to be in control of everything, everything planned and organised and just so

I can ever switch off my brain.... constantly got a million tabs open and always doing something

Or

Massively procrastinating and not getting anything started or done

These are just a few examples... and I'm Confused to know if this is because of a neurodiversity or as a result of a chaotic childhood and poor attachments or just the life of a full time single mum!!?!

Hello
I am similar to you.
Also have a history of depression and hiding away in hibernation but have only recently recognised that's what it is

I am really very similar to you OP and was diagnosed with ADHD at 39. It was a real eye opener.

Op, what you've described is exactly how I feel and I've often wondered if I may have inattentive adhd.
I find it very difficult to concentrate, often interrupt, forget things all the time, feel completely disorganised as though I have a hundred tabs open my mind.
I have been diagnosed with anxiety and I've always put it down to that - but I do all the things I should to help my anxiety, therapy, medication, exercise, etc. yet I can never escape the sense of feeling overwhelmed and stressed.

@Phrenologistsfinger

I am really very similar to you OP and was diagnosed with ADHD at 39. It was a real eye opener.

How did you receive your assessment/ diagnosis @Phrenologistsfinger

I went privately via psychiatry-uk, cost me £300 and took a couple of weeks. It was a couple of years ago and I think they are inundated now so time might be longer. I was lucky that I could pay but they do also do it through NHS ‘right to choose’.

psychiatry-uk.com/adhd/

I've started wondering the same @isitbedtimeplease. I'd always put it down to pmt, depression, anxiety, but nothing really fully described what it was. Then I read the list of adult symptoms on the nhs website and OMG with the exception of a couple it describes me exactly.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/symptoms/

I was freaked out for a while but now I'm just relieved.

*£360

I was similar, and I was diagnosed last year, in my mid forties. I'm about to start on meds.

I’m 59 and you have described me exactly. But so many women are coming to this conclusion now; can we all have ADHD? Also thinking what would be the benefit of formal diagnosis? Would medication help? Also I’m going through a late menopause would that render medication ineffective? But as you are so much younger OP I reckon it’s worth your pursuing a diagnosis.

Thank you @Phrenologistsfinger that's good to know

@StaplesCorner I often wonder what the benefit of diagnosis would be - would medication help, would just knowing and understanding be enough to make changes to reduce the constant feeling of being overwhelmed. So many questions!

I just started a thread ( I'm a guy) on this just now as I have similar. Really only starting to piece it together now. Watching with interest.