Could it be adhd?

[Ellalovescake]

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder during December last year. However I saw a different psychiatrist last week as my usual one was on leave. This psychiatrist said he didn’t feel that I had bipolar disorder as my moods weren’t dramatic enough and didn’t last for long enough. He thought that my symptoms more pointed towards adhd. I shop very impulsively and do spend a lot of money and I also talk about sex a lot in inappropriate situations (which had originally pointed at bipolar). I do have very marked mood swings but also talk a lot and quite quickly when I’m in a low mood. I also have barely any concentration (I haven’t read a book or sat through a film in years) and I am very impulsive and have very little awareness of danger and will touch hot things that burn me or drive very quickly and sometimes quite recklessly. I also don’t settle much (I’ve never held down a job for more than 6 months and I’m almost 30). I was just wondering if anyone had experienced anything similar or had any idea if my symptoms point more towards adhd or bipolar. Any advice would be very much appreciated! Thank you

Also I don’t know if it’s relevant but I have Tourette’s and dyspraxia that were diagnosed when I was 15

Did he not give you a diagnosis then? I would have thought if there was a question they would try ADHD medication at a low dose and see if it helps.

Thank you so much for your reply! No where I live it’s a different team for going through the adhd diagnosis process, mental can’t/won’t do it, which is really frustrating! I’ve spoken to my gp though and they have referred me to the local adhd service, but the waiting list is very long so I am researching having the assessment done privately. If you have any experience in adhd in adults I would really love to hear from you!

I do but I obviously can't make a diagnosis over the internet. I know it's fairly common for ADHD in women to be misdiagnosed as bipolar, which is very frustrating. I'd recommend the book "So you're not lazy, stupid or crazy" (something like that) as a starting point/intro to ADHD in women. Then if you're looking for more information following that, Russell Barkley has some excellent talks on Youtube that it's worth trying to sit through.

Thank you very much! I really appreciate it! I will definitely have a look for the book and check out the talks on YouTube! I was also wondering how the assessment is carried out, I can’t find much clear information about it on the internet and my gp wasn’t exactly a great source of information! Thank you again

I'm not in the UK so it might be different, but for me it was an appointment to discuss the problems and difficulties I was having, then a long questionnaire about various symptoms, much of this was to screen out other disorders - plus one for somebody who knows me well (I got DH to do it) and one for my mum to fill in with what she could remember from my childhood. I was supposed to take in old school reports if I had them, I didn't, have subsequently found one.

Then a follow up during which they spoke to DH directly over the phone and told me that it was pretty textbook and spoke about next steps. I had to go elsewhere for the next steps part and then I hit a road block but I have finally got there 3 years later.