Did you know ADHD can persist to adulthood? Even when you weren’t diagnosed as a child? I certainly didn’t – well, not until I was diagnosed with Inattentive ADHD – at 55! And began a long journey of discovery about ADHD and how it affects adults, particularly women.
I had always associated ADHD with unruly boys. Not only was I not a boy, I was never unruly, never hypo. I had a lot to learn.
I found out that while I was not hypo, I talked, I daydreamed… A LOT. I worked in fits and starts, I could get in and get things done at the last minute, but not work consistently towards a school/uni assignment or work deadline. Despite this, I did well at school and uni, my mind just did not stop. There were many other indications and signs over the years, I won’t go into all the details.
BUT the diagnosis explained a lot, in retrospect so many, many things made sense.
At the time of my diagnosis, I was on sick leave from work due to anxiety and depression (surprise! These are common co-morbidities of ADHD!). I was trying hard to meet work expectations that I had met easily previously but no matter how hard I worked, no matter how many extra hours I put in, it wasn’t working, I was not ‘cutting it’. I fell apart and spent many months sleeping all day, AND all night! I cannot even clearly remember much that happened during that period.
Then I was lucky enough to meet a doctor who saw the signs and made the diagnosis. Things started to improve, slowly. Long years of blaming myself for everything and the resultant guilt and shame left an enduring legacy. However, now I had a new framework from which to view them.
Some of the things I learned after my diagnosis include:
ADHD is a contentious issue for children and adults with many believing it does not exist.
ADHD is far more prevalent in the population than I ever expected or believed.
ADHD can be a very isolating and shameful experience.
ADHD costs Australia a billions each year (according to a 2020 report by Deloitte Access Economics).
It seems that everyone (well, almost everyone) believes they are an expert on ADHD and are qualified to comment about its existence and your diagnosis. There is a lot of misinformation around about ADHD but there is also some very good, helpful information! (stay tuned for a future post about this).
There are some very passionate, caring and knowledgeable people out there who can help (another topic for a future post).
The amount of discussion about weather ADHD is a superpower or a disability is simply unbelievable. (Stay tuned for my opinion on this).
People with ADHD have been shown to have a shorter lifespan and shockingly are more prone to addiction/being imprisoned and suicide.
People with ADHD often isolate themselves due to shame, guilt, overwhelm (and 1000 other issues/challenges).
Medication is a personal choice and SUCH a hot topic.
Thank you for visiting - come back soon!
Rob
Comments