Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2017 18:07:26 GMT
Hi there,
A year ago a new flatmate who turned out to have adult (innatentive) ADHD told me he thought I almost certainly had undiagnosed adult ADHD. He had done a lot of research on the subject and convinced me to take a self assessment and see my GP. I was quite shocked by the results and even though I expected the GP to be dubious (due to negative media on the subject) she was actually very supportive and immediately referred me, the downside being that the local clinic has had massive problems and the wait list was over a year. Now I am expecting a consultation in the next month or two.
I'm really just posting to get some feedback. My most distressing symptom is chronic insomnia since my very early teens. Whilst at school I was lucky to get more than 4 hours sleep a night and when it gets really bad 12 hours a week is not unheard of. This is usually just because no matter what sleep hygiene and meditation methods I try I just can't stop actively thinking about things.
I list insomnia first because I feel like it exarcebates all my other symptoms; mood swings, extreme irritability, talking without thinking, frustration, finishing peoples sentences, interrupting because I just have to get that thought out before I forget it or it is no longer relevant to the stage in conversation, etc, etc.
Other related problems are things like intense interest in esoteric subjects then sudden loss of interest in those subjects once I feel I have satisfied my understanding, hyper focussing (which is something I only recently understood was a thing). I put my foot in my mouth a lot of the time too.
I was diagnosed with dyslexia at a very young age and was regularly considered a (likeable) oddball. My working/short term memory is atrocious as is my organisational skills, even now I am in my thirties. I have adapted to these problems quite well I think, finding my own way of working around tasks and what for other people are normal everyday life. I have excelled at a wide variety of jobs but usually end up either having to quite because of my insomnia or get let go to for arguing with a a manager or saying the wrong things without thinking, which means I have spent more time unemployed than not.
In truth I would almost certainly be homeless right now if it weren't for the support (but not always understanding) of my family. I have recently started my own business and it was going quite well until it all started falling apart (or I did). Until recently I never even considered I might have had a diagnosable underlying condition as I was always told I was lazy/complaining/expecting too much of the world/refusing to fit in... so I just thought everyone was like this and just dealt with it properly.
It's only the last 5 years or so I have been bouncing around GPs being given an array of antidepressants (which often made me even more dysfunctional) and sleeping pills (which I have to take dangerous levels of to even work). I recently got a GP to check I do not have Hyperthyroidism at last and unfortunately I don't, because I was hoping it might be something cureable with a short course of medication or surgery.
I could go into more detail but this is already a wall of text.
Edit: I will go into more detail . It feels good to get some of this off my chest, so thanks for your patience if anyone is still reading.
The main reason I am posting here is my personal and family life is falling apart, I have had to move back with my parents because I am distressing my flatmate too much. I am losing the few friends I do have and this has led to going out on my own to pubs, befriending strangers and having rather odd and unconstructive nights out. Worst of all I would really like to be dating, I know some girls I like are interested in me but I feel like such a mess and a failure right now I don't think it would be fair to them. One night stands are just depressing at this stage, plus they would probably run for the hills if they saw the state of my bedroom. I also really upset my family, particularly my mother who just can't understand at all, I though she would be pleased there might be an explanation for my dysfunction but if anything that seems to make things worse .
TLDR;
Should I be worried about being rejected as an ADHD diagnosis, should I be worried about a bias against diagnosis by a heavily underfunded and oversubscribed clinic and should I be worried about saying the wrong thing that might mean I slip through the net. My GP questioned how I had got through further education for instance (the secret was bizarre learning techniques, gaming the system and leaving everything till the last minute to engage in panic/productivity mode).
Any help/advice/reassurance would be much appreciated.
P.S. It is the Avon and Whiltshire clinic if anyone has experience with them.
-Llamageddon
A year ago a new flatmate who turned out to have adult (innatentive) ADHD told me he thought I almost certainly had undiagnosed adult ADHD. He had done a lot of research on the subject and convinced me to take a self assessment and see my GP. I was quite shocked by the results and even though I expected the GP to be dubious (due to negative media on the subject) she was actually very supportive and immediately referred me, the downside being that the local clinic has had massive problems and the wait list was over a year. Now I am expecting a consultation in the next month or two.
I'm really just posting to get some feedback. My most distressing symptom is chronic insomnia since my very early teens. Whilst at school I was lucky to get more than 4 hours sleep a night and when it gets really bad 12 hours a week is not unheard of. This is usually just because no matter what sleep hygiene and meditation methods I try I just can't stop actively thinking about things.
I list insomnia first because I feel like it exarcebates all my other symptoms; mood swings, extreme irritability, talking without thinking, frustration, finishing peoples sentences, interrupting because I just have to get that thought out before I forget it or it is no longer relevant to the stage in conversation, etc, etc.
Other related problems are things like intense interest in esoteric subjects then sudden loss of interest in those subjects once I feel I have satisfied my understanding, hyper focussing (which is something I only recently understood was a thing). I put my foot in my mouth a lot of the time too.
I was diagnosed with dyslexia at a very young age and was regularly considered a (likeable) oddball. My working/short term memory is atrocious as is my organisational skills, even now I am in my thirties. I have adapted to these problems quite well I think, finding my own way of working around tasks and what for other people are normal everyday life. I have excelled at a wide variety of jobs but usually end up either having to quite because of my insomnia or get let go to for arguing with a a manager or saying the wrong things without thinking, which means I have spent more time unemployed than not.
In truth I would almost certainly be homeless right now if it weren't for the support (but not always understanding) of my family. I have recently started my own business and it was going quite well until it all started falling apart (or I did). Until recently I never even considered I might have had a diagnosable underlying condition as I was always told I was lazy/complaining/expecting too much of the world/refusing to fit in... so I just thought everyone was like this and just dealt with it properly.
It's only the last 5 years or so I have been bouncing around GPs being given an array of antidepressants (which often made me even more dysfunctional) and sleeping pills (which I have to take dangerous levels of to even work). I recently got a GP to check I do not have Hyperthyroidism at last and unfortunately I don't, because I was hoping it might be something cureable with a short course of medication or surgery.
I could go into more detail but this is already a wall of text.
Edit: I will go into more detail . It feels good to get some of this off my chest, so thanks for your patience if anyone is still reading.
The main reason I am posting here is my personal and family life is falling apart, I have had to move back with my parents because I am distressing my flatmate too much. I am losing the few friends I do have and this has led to going out on my own to pubs, befriending strangers and having rather odd and unconstructive nights out. Worst of all I would really like to be dating, I know some girls I like are interested in me but I feel like such a mess and a failure right now I don't think it would be fair to them. One night stands are just depressing at this stage, plus they would probably run for the hills if they saw the state of my bedroom. I also really upset my family, particularly my mother who just can't understand at all, I though she would be pleased there might be an explanation for my dysfunction but if anything that seems to make things worse .
TLDR;
Should I be worried about being rejected as an ADHD diagnosis, should I be worried about a bias against diagnosis by a heavily underfunded and oversubscribed clinic and should I be worried about saying the wrong thing that might mean I slip through the net. My GP questioned how I had got through further education for instance (the secret was bizarre learning techniques, gaming the system and leaving everything till the last minute to engage in panic/productivity mode).
Any help/advice/reassurance would be much appreciated.
P.S. It is the Avon and Whiltshire clinic if anyone has experience with them.
-Llamageddon