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Post by galactic11 on Jun 11, 2013 13:27:08 GMT
Had a second opinion today on the NHS and I described my problems to the psychiatrist pretty much as follows:
have fairly severe problems focusing on things - particularly if it's boring or difficult material such as university work or filling out forms. occasionally affects me when it comes to leisure activities like watching films or reading books for pleasure.
often avoid doing things that require mental effort (again, boring or difficult stuff). basically I'm very 'lazy' and procrastinate a huge amount. I'm also very slow at getting work done.
feel like I lack motivation to get important things done
am always late for things
occasionally forgetful and absent-minded
sometimes have trouble listening to people
general carelessness and have poor attention to detail
Basically the two main areas in which I've been affected most are: work (got sacked for making too many mistakes in one job and have encountered difficulty in others) and academic life (underachieved in school and am on the verge of failing out of university). I have experienced the symptoms listed above for at least the last ten years or so, as far as memory serves.
According to her, there is not enough evidence of 'pervasive impairment' and that my inattentive type symptoms are vague and could be explained by a number of things and ADHD is not necessarily the only explanation. I have social anxiety and she seemed to eager to attribute everything to that although I'm fairly sure they're not connected. She also mentioned that the ADHD people she sees are much worse than I am. Also my school and parent reports of early childhood only really suggest mild signs of ADHD at best. Nothing stands out that suggested there was ever a serious problem though. Also no hyperactivity/impulsivity which I believe she said was necessary on some level even for a PI diagnosis?
So am I just imagining things and should I just let it go and accept that whatever problems I have are either not severe enough or caused by something completely different? Going private is an option but I'm not sure it's worth it if the chances of me having ADHD are so slim.
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Post by JJ on Jun 11, 2013 13:56:22 GMT
Why did you get a second opinion? What was the first one and how qualified was the person who gave it?
Was today's a general psych or someone with good experience in Adhd?
When I had my assessment, I answered no to some things that I now realise I should've said yes to - because I didn't understand exactly what they were asking (as in I didn't get exactly what they were interested in hearing about). Having been on here and identifying with tons that everyone else has, I suddenly realised 'ohh, that's what they meant'.
For example, one of the questions was 'do you feel like you constantly have to be on the move' - so I said no, cos I'm the inattentive type and motivating myself to do anything is really hard. I thought they meant those people who are always up and on the go, always doing something and getting on with things). But actually I realised afterwards that, especially in the evening, I have to move my legs or feet or hands all the time (not restless legs) , just needing to move and shake them or fiddle with something - so, if I had my assessment again, I would've 'scored a point' on that.
So my point is, that you should read around more, on this site and elsewhere. Look up Brown's Executive Functions (geared towards adults) and maybe one of the books for adults. You'll get a better idea of everything - I did read loads before btw, but I still keep getting surprised by things that I thought were just me.
For a diagnosis, the adhd has to impair more than 1 aspect of your life. You need to think in detail about whether the difficulties you have impair your family or social life in any way. Again, this was something I didn't think much about first of all, I did think it impaired it but if I had my assessment again, I would have a million more examples and be able to explain them better because I've read everyone's experiences here (for example friendships has been mentioned on here recently).
I identify with the things you say are difficult. It may be that it's not severe enough, but it may be that you didn't get exactly what she was asking and it may be that she doesn't have enough knowledge about adhd.
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Post by galactic11 on Jun 11, 2013 15:07:14 GMT
It was a general psychiatrist I saw both times. I feel like I have impairment in work and academic life, which counts as two of the three major aspects? I'm quite awkward and not very good at expressing myself so maybe I didn't describe my symptoms well enough, but I also felt like she wasn't really asking me in depth about them. She asked more about general life things like social life and so on. For instance when I mentioned to her that I was sacked for carelessness she never really seemed to acknowledge it or enquire any further. I just don't see how that doesn't qualify as significant impairment. Same with my academic struggles which have cost me money and years of my life.
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Post by galactic11 on Jun 11, 2013 15:11:05 GMT
oh, and the reason i went for a 2nd opinion in the first place was that i thought the recent changes to the DSM (age of onset moved from 7 to 12) might help me seeing as my childhood symptoms are fairly weak.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2013 17:32:34 GMT
Are you sure you're not impulsive?
You've never just 'had to buy' that thing? You can take one chocolate hobnob and leave the rest of the pack? You don't feel the need to finish people's sentences because they're taking too long and you know what's coming anyway? Never walked out of a job without something else to go to?
Maybe it is something else. Follow their lead and see where it takes you?
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Post by JJ on Jun 11, 2013 17:54:35 GMT
Are you sure you're not impulsive? You don't feel the need to finish people's sentences because they're taking too long and you know what's coming anyway? omg, I hate that aspect of myself - it's sooooo rude to finish sentences for people but sometimes I just can't help it - the frustration of waiting is so bad!! Galactic - I think she possibly put work and academic life into the same category, so you'd definitely need to look at family / spouse / friends and if the way you are affects these relationships....
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Post by dizzydee on Jun 11, 2013 18:00:46 GMT
I am not very good at expressing my self either, I find I am too direct for a lot of people, for 3 reasons: 1 I know what i want to say but i can't be bothered to find a nice way to say it 2 it comes out of my mouth before i have fully processed the thought and 3 all those extra words are a waste of my effort and I'm ALWAYS in a hurry!
So please forgive my bluntness The difference between what you have written and me are: (personal opinion please feel free to ignore) The only time I get something done is when its important or I am almost out of time I too am often late or stupidly early once I'm ready I can't wait for the right time too leave - Impatient I am always forgetful and absent minded, I never get to leave the house or work without having to go back. I have to check my bag millions of times because I can't remember if what I was looking for is in their. I can spend an hour looking for a piece of paper at work that I only had 2 minute before. Listening to people is almost always difficult, tangents keep popping into my head and then out of my mouth, or the wallpaper will suddenly become far more interesting than conversation.
I too had to provide evidence from 7years even though it does now say 12
Maybe because they're only impacting your academic life and carer it is not classed as having an impact on your whole life, Even though there are many very cleaver people diagnosed with ADD it still has to cause an impairment that can be seen in some way or another from childhood. a surprisingly lot of words for me As i say this is purely my opinion and is not meant to offend so here's a kiss and a hug just in case xx oo xx
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Post by galactic11 on Jun 11, 2013 18:24:44 GMT
Are you sure you're not impulsive? You've never just 'had to buy' that thing? You can take one chocolate hobnob and leave the rest of the pack? You don't feel the need to finish people's sentences because they're taking too long and you know what's coming anyway? Never walked out of a job without something else to go to? Maybe it is something else. Follow their lead and see where it takes you? oh yes i'm definitely quite bad at gorging myself and not knowing when to stop on occasion. and I do sometimes finish other people's sentences, yes. not much of an impulsive buyer though. one thing I've notices lately is that i tend to quickly gain interest in different hobbies/subjects and then just as quickly lose interest and move on to something else. this happens constantly. like books for instance, sometimes i'll have about 5 books i'll be reading at one time where i'll start one, stop and then move onto another then repeat. don't know if that counts as impulsive though or if it's just my inability to sustain attention until i've seen them through till the end
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Post by JJ on Jun 11, 2013 18:54:22 GMT
What about your emotional regulation? That was a specific short questionnaire in itself at my assessment - asking about how volatile you are essentially?
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Post by galactic11 on Jun 11, 2013 19:42:35 GMT
What about your emotional regulation? That was a specific short questionnaire in itself at my assessment - asking about how volatile you are essentially? can be fairly moody at times but nothing extreme
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Post by DKL - darkknightslover on Jun 11, 2013 19:52:59 GMT
Do your reactions ever go a bit OTT, to the point you find people are put off you, but you can't really understand why?
As a kid I was really withdrawn, because I seemed to get things wrong so often I couldn't take the chance of interacting full stop. It was just too painful to be rejected, so I tried to prevent it by not giving a situation to be rejected from. However this meant my social skills got further and further behind and I was just "the weird kid".
Sent from my GT-I9000 using proboards
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Post by galactic11 on Jun 11, 2013 21:09:49 GMT
my social life has suffered in the past 5 or so years, but mainly due to my social anxiety, not really as a result of any behaviour brought about by ADHD as far as I can tell. Work and school/uni are the main things that have suffered
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Post by galactic11 on Jun 12, 2013 20:12:45 GMT
oh well guess my symptoms and problems are too mild for me to get any help. although they really don't feel mild to me
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Post by jan on Jun 12, 2013 20:32:53 GMT
don't give up if you feel that your problems are adhd - then you need to see an adhd specialist not a general phsyciatrist.
you have answered yes to a lot of the questions people have asked and your social anxiety could be related/coming from your adhd, have you tried any on line self assesments? i think there's one on this site or if not will prob tell you where one is. do any of your family have symtoms of adhd or any comorbid conditions? thats usually the case .
your obviously not feeling ok about your ability to deal with ordinary life so there's something going on don't you think? you do or you wouldn't have come on here. maybe you should see an adhd specialist - private - it could be money well spent if it means it will put your mind at rest either way.
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Post by simonwgill on Jun 13, 2013 7:23:41 GMT
Are you sure you're not impulsive? You don't feel the need to finish people's sentences because they're taking too long and you know what's coming anyway? omg, I hate that aspect of myself - it's sooooo rude to finish sentences for people but sometimes I just can't help it - the frustration of waiting is so bad!! I don't hate this bit, I often stumble at the end of my sentences and would like it if people picked up the slack. So I can't really hate it when people do the same to me.
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Post by Lesley on Jun 13, 2013 18:35:36 GMT
Hi galactic
I've been meaning to answer your initial post since I saw it, because it rang so many bells with me, but it's taken your post of yesterday evening raising the possibility that you might give up to spur me into action. Like janev says, don't give up - in fact I'll second everything she says.
I'm going to stick my neck out and say that if it was up to me you would be diagnosed as ADHD right now. Everything you say at the beginning of your first post (the list which you intorduce with the words "I described my problems to the psychiatrist pretty much as follows" shout it out. Then in a later post you say "I tend to quickly gain interest in different hobbies/subjects and then just as quickly lose interest and move on to something else". Yep, that's it too. All of those (some more than others) are things I identify with. Then there's the social anxiety... but I'll come back to that later.
I'm going to give you a short (I hope) potted biography - I hope when you read it you will understand why:
I was a clever but quite shy and withdrawn child. I did well at primary school but didn't have many friends - in fact I don't remember having any at my first primary school and only made one towards the end of my second one (she and I then remained friends until we lost touch in our mid-20s). I did well at secondary school - 10 'O'-levels (yes, I'm that old!) at grades A-C, 3 'A'-levels, an A and two Bs. But I remained quite socially isolated, making friends only slowly and keeping in touch only with that one when I left school. Same story at university - 2:1 degree, but difficulties fitting in socially. I've two friends I'm still in touch with from university days - because one of them made a big effort to keep in touch with me and kept me in touch with the other as well.
I found a job quickly after leaving university and remained employed pretty well continuously until I retired in December 2010 at the age of 61. I had five jobs in this time (plus a year out acquiring a postgraduate diploma), the last three for 18, 9 and 11 years. Over the years I gradually learnt to get on better with people, but continued to make few friends - that's a talent I've acquired only very recently, and I still have only a few real friends. I've been married twice - the first was short and not at all sweet, but the second has lasted for 31 years, plus the five years we were together before marrying. (Just to complete the picture, I've two sons, one from each marriage).
Not the typical profile of a person with ADHD, eh? HOWEVER:
I spent a lot of my time at work - feeling that I was not on top of things and wondering when I was going to be found out - searching for the piece of paper I needed which I had put down only a few minutes before - trying desperately to get my chaotic paperwork sorted and filed - doing nothing very much for lots of the time and then having to work desperately hard to make deadlines - starting projects and not carrying them through - planning wonderful projects and not even starting them - taking work home at weekends because that was the only way I could manage - being late for meetings and appointments - feeling that I should be achieving a lot more than I was - never managing to get to grips with the reading I needed to do to keep up with the job
But to everyone else I looked completely calm, confident and on top of things. And I didn't think there was anything 'wrong' with me - in the sense of having a recognisable disability that the medical profession could help me with. I just thought I was completely disorganised and hopeless.
A few months before I was due to retire I had a week's leave. I had planned to spend some of the time getting some household tasks done (e.g. sorting out the piles of newspaper articles, complete newspapers and magazines and other junk I had in every corner of the house!), and some of it going for walks, going swimming and doing other fun things. The weather was beautiful that week, but I spent the entire week sitting in front of the computer, playing computer games I wasn't even enjoying after the first half-hour, and moving from Facebook to my email and back again. I ended up totally depressed, thinking "is this all I've got to look forward to for the next twenty or thirty years?" Then I read an article in a newspaper about ADHD, recognised myself (though, not surprisingly, with some reservations), and felt that, after all, there was hope for me ...
End of potted biography. And on to a few points I want to make:
1. Social anxiety - the symptoms of this and ADHD do overlap - in fact the article I read mentioned social awkwardness quite strongly - if it hadn't I might not have identified with it quite so much. So when you say that your social life has suffered due to social anxiety, not ADHD, it could be social anxiety AND ADHD - or even just possibly ADHD misdiagnosed as social anxiety.
2. 'Mild' signs of ADHD? If they're bad enough to affect your life, if they're bad enough that you need to seek help, then they're bad enough that you deserve an assessment by a specialist, and the appropriate treatment if the diagnosis is positive.
3. The lack of any overt problems and of hyperactivity/impulsivity at primary school age IS a problem, but mainly a problem (in my totally uninformed opinion) with the diagnostic criteria. Unfortunately we've got to work with the diagnostic criteria we've been given. However, a specialist who knows what s/he is doing and who recognises that everything else points to ADHD will know how to tease out the indications that are there. I still feel my answers to questions around this area were stretching a point, a little bit bogus perhaps ... but they did the job.
4. And that's one reason why it's important to see a specialist. It's not only the "much worse" ADHD people whose lives are being adversely affected - it's also the many whom general psychiatrists are not recognising because they don't fit a stereotypical pattern.
5. But there's another reason too. I was 'diagnosed' twice - first as not having it by a Psychiatric Nurse and Psychiatric Social Worker on my local Community Mental Health Team, then as having it by an ADHD specialist. The difference in diagnosis wasn't the only difference between the two interviews. The first was totally unstructured - I was asked what my problems were and they came up with alternative explanations for them (like your psych and the social anxiety). The assessment by the specialist, by contrast, consisted of my filling in a couple of diagnostic forms before the interview (my husband also filled in a copy of one of them, which related to my behaviour now; the other was a checklist developed specifically to overcome the problems of assessing the childhood behaviour of adults seeking diagnosis for the first time); and of an interview in which he asked specific relevant questions, so that he was able to elicit relevant information. This gave me much more confidence in his diagnosis - if he'd said I didn't have ADHD, I would have had (reluctantly) to accept that. And I also think that if he had felt ADHD wasn't the problem he would have been able to suggest what was and what my next steps should be.
So there you have it - and sorry it's so long. Please do stick with it, and get yourself a diagnosis you can feel confident in. If you just give up now you will go on wondering, and struggling - and one day may be looking back and cursing the wasted years.
Good luck.
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Post by Kathymel on Jun 13, 2013 19:30:40 GMT
Thank you for taking the time to write that, Inachisio. I have been doubting my own diagnosis in the last few days, but reading that has given me back some surety again. x
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Post by galactic11 on Jun 13, 2013 22:06:01 GMT
yes thanks inachisio and everyone else who replied. I'm definitely feeling a lot more encouraged to give it one last go and see a private specialist (luckily there's one near me). Whether the diagnosis ends up being positive or negative, I still think it will be worthwhile because like you said inachisio, presumably with the more rigorous assessment process and better knowledge and experience of the disorder, i'll feel more comfortable trusting their assessment, with all due respect the the general psychiatrists i saw. perhaps it is the case that the people i saw lack the knowledge or experience to fully understand the subtleties of certain people who maybe have milder non-hyperactive cases of ADHD. Some things she said annoyed me like when I told her about my constant lateness during school she immediately said that it was maybe due to my anxiety which led to me not being a 'get up and go' type person. I responded by saying that actually being late and walking into a classroom full of people was highly anxiety inducing for me, to which she had no reply. I.e. I felt she was carelessly attributing every symptom to anxiety without applying thorough logic to it. I personally feel like my lateness comes from me constantly underestimating how much time it takes me to do things like eat breakfast or get changed or have shower(i take ages in the shower. Or it's that i'm constantly overestimating how much time I have to do things. I just feel like my attention to/judgement of time is really bad. Also when I told her about how I procrastinate so much to the point where I almost always hand in university assignments after the deadline and sometimes not at all because I avoid and put them off for so long she said,'well that's not a symptom of ADHD, that's just you making an informed choice to not do things on time'. I didn't even feel like it was worth disputing such a statement. So, while I feel like maybe I'm delusional about convincing myself about having a disorder I don't, I also can't help but feel very unconvinced by their reasoning for why I don't have any kind of problem that warrants treatment. Speaking of procrastination, one weird thing from my childhood I've just remembered is how, whenever I would have a bath or a shower (talking ages 10-13 here, or however old you are when you start having them yourself), afterwards, instead of drying myself as soon as I came out, I would just sit down on the floor with the towel wrapped around me for like half an hour until I dried of naturally. In other words I was so lazy/prone to procrastination that I couldn't even be bothered to go to the effort of manually drying myself so instead I just sat down and waited for it to happen on its own. I guess that could just be some weird quirk but I really feel like it was rooted in pure laziness and avoidance. The weather was beautiful that week, but I spent the entire week sitting in front of the computer, playing computer games I wasn't even enjoying after the first half-hour, and moving from Facebook to my email and back again. I can relate to so much of what you said but this struck me in particular. So much of my free time is spent aimlessly browsing one website after another just as a way to pass time. I just feel so mentally sluggish and devoid of any drive to get anything constructive done. I absolutely hate it but I feel powerless to do anything about it. And it's not a recent thing either, I can think of many instances where I've had this feeling in the past.
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Post by Kathymel on Jun 13, 2013 22:55:35 GMT
Galactic, after the two assessments I've just had, I would definitely say the non-specialists do not understand the disorder in its adult form. Certainly this applies to the general psych I saw and, even the one who specialises in child and adolescent ADHD didn't pick up on things I said that would have any one on this forum nodding sagely.
It's no disrespect to the general psychs, other than they should know their limitations and know the NICE guidelines.
Your judgement of your lateness is spot on. Putting it down to anxiety feels so wrong when you are seeing it from inside the situation. I put off getting ready for work until the last possible minute every day, somehow managing to convince myself, against all the evidence, that I can get washed, do my teeth, get dressed and get out of the house in 5 minutes. Every day, I get to work hot and flustered and 10 minutes late.
As for handing in your assignments late being 'an informed choice'. I watched Dr Barkley on Youtube today saying that people have to realise that people with this disorder are not making a choice to behave in the way we do and that there is no benefit in making a moral judgement about it. Society needs to stop viewing ADHD behaviour as a character flaw or a personality deficit or a moral failing. It needs to stop believing that we could be better if we wanted to be.
And the internet thing kills me, too. I have spent a beautiful hot sunny week (the week after I finished this year's assignments) sitting on the sofa with my laptop, playing Freecell, and constantly checking my AADD-UK, facebook and Hotmail accounts, all the while telling myself to shut the damn thing and do something else. I hated myself for the entire week, but I never stopped. This is me every evening, too.
Good luck.
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Post by jan on Jun 14, 2013 7:07:13 GMT
glad you have decided to go for it xx
just a quickie though - who is the pshyc near you? bearing in mind some people on here have has bad experiences - even with specialists - post who it is and check out if anyone on here has had experience with him/her and what feedback they say about their assessment (sorry hope that hasn't made you anxious ) but worth doing i think xx
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Post by dizzydee on Jun 14, 2013 7:41:33 GMT
I wish I had the ability to use words like so many of you on here, I know feel very bad for my earlier post. I guess what I meant was think about it. Lots of you people have described my son and I know he's adhd pi but because he is such a good boy and quite I haven't done anything about it. With my daughter being the polar opposite I have no choice but to get her help.
Any way the point is I live with someone similar to you and did not even see the similarities and yet still gave less than helpful advise. I'm so selfish I can't see outside myself sometimes.
sorry!
I hope that all goes well and you have the support you need to get through.
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Post by jan on Jun 14, 2013 7:51:07 GMT
oooooh don't be so hard on your self dizz xxxx
your not selfish or unintelligent
you just got lot going on and are doing the best you can
and youve got great sense of humour - i love your posts being a mum , working, having adhd - - - and severe pms = STRESS BIG TIME
i know ive been there -
YOU ARE AMAZING xxxxxxxxxxxxx
a strong woman xxxxx
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Post by galactic11 on Jun 14, 2013 10:04:07 GMT
glad you have decided to go for it xx just a quickie though - who is the pshyc near you? bearing in mind some people on here have has bad experiences - even with specialists - post who it is and check out if anyone on here has had experience with him/her and what feedback they say about their assessment (sorry hope that hasn't made you anxious ) but worth doing i think xx His name is Gordon Brown, he's located north of Glasgow which is around 20 miles from me. It won't be a while before I'll get an appointment with him anyway due to being an impoverished student but I'll definitely ask around about him before I do.
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Post by annie on Jun 14, 2013 15:10:50 GMT
Gordon Brown has a good track record. I'm sure his assessment will be much more thorough than what you've had so far. Let's know how it goes.
annie
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Post by Kathymel on Jun 14, 2013 22:30:32 GMT
I wish I had the ability to use words like so many of you on here, I know feel very bad for my earlier post. I guess what I meant was think about it. Lots of you people have described my son and I know he's adhd pi but because he is such a good boy and quite I haven't done anything about it. With my daughter being the polar opposite I have no choice but to get her help. Any way the point is I live with someone similar to you and did not even see the similarities and yet still gave less than helpful advise. I'm so selfish I can't see outside myself sometimes. sorry! I hope that all goes well and you have the support you need to get through. I'm going to echo Jan here and say, don't be so hard on your self. You're not having a good time at the moment and that's bound to make you feel more negatively about yourself, but it's not real. You're not selfish. There was nothing about your comment that you need to feel bad about. What's more, we all NEED to be selfish to get ourselves through the day, sometimes. We need to give ourselves 'me' time and do something just to make ourselves feel good or we can't be there for other people. With what you're going through at the moment, it's a wonder you have room in your head for anyone or anything else. WHEN that is sorted, then you will have room for other things. Just the fact that you are always ready with support for people on this forum gives the lie to the idea that you're selfish. Give yourself a break. It will get better. x
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2013 2:58:19 GMT
Dizzy, I totally echo what Jan and Kathy have said xxx Hope you are feeling brighter today x
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Post by dizzydee on Jun 15, 2013 22:47:42 GMT
:)Thanks I am feeling a bit better today we've bin to the seaside eaten a years worth of crap and had a beer
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Post by galactic11 on Feb 3, 2017 21:40:11 GMT
I'm probably not meant to resurrect this thread but I'd like to provide an update. I had my assessment 3 1/2 years ago but received no diagnosis. My problems were attributed to social anxiety/anxious thoughts. Naturally one has to accept this and move on. Unfortunately, without surprise, I failed and dropped out of university and have managed to scrape my way into a min. wage admin job which I struggle with. It's really very tiring to drop in and out of focus 500 times a day. Keeping up a continuous train of concentration is impossible and makes what should be a simple job very difficult. I have ideas about things I could do in my spare time, things I could teach myself to start down something of a decent career path suitable to my interests/abilities, but it will never happen. I can never sustain concentration for more than half an hour and I'm lucky if I do anything productive with my spare time more than one day out of seven. I mostly just browse the internet mindlessly when I don't work. No amount of affirmations or plans or positive thinking makes a difference. No fuel in the tank. I'm also completely socially withdrawn and isolated besides the fact that I still live with my parents.
I can't escape the almost certain feeling that my brain simply does not work properly, has never worked properly, will never work properly and if things don't quite go my way unemployment and homelessness await me in the future. Having no recourse or means of changing this trajectory has made all the colour drain from life. I'm not suicidal or anything, I just feel very flat and disconnected and life seems without direction or purpose.
If anyone has any advice it would be much appreciated.
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Post by marionk on Feb 4, 2017 10:39:03 GMT
I was about to add my two pennorth, when I realised this is an ancient thread being resurrected . . . But seeing as it's your own thread you've resurrected, it couldn't be more appropriate! While it is possible that the symptoms you mention could be caused by other things, you don't seem to have had anything else to have caused them. The key thing with ADHD IS that you've always had it, but just because you weren't obviously hyperactive doesn't mean anything. I wasn't hyperactive. It was only when I discovered that ADHD doesn't necessarily involve hyperactivity, that I realised I have it! Think about what you were like as a child, were you always easily bored? I was regularly moved up early to the next class, and with hindsight, I realise that this was due to my inattention due to boredom, and that the teachers had realised this was the best way of dealing with it. This was never mentioned to my parents, but in a chance conversation with the headmaster many years later, I asked if he remembered me and he said 'Oh yes, you were the dreamer.' But I digress, were you forgetful, regularly late, did you find ways of doing things to make them easier (that other kids didn't have any problem with anyway)? Did you fidget, doodle, or daydream? I can't swear that you don't have to have some level of hyperactivity for a diagnosis, but not being able to keep my mouth shut is the closest I come to it, but I am fairly certain that it has to be an ADHD specialist psychiatrist that diagnoses yea or nay.
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Post by vagueandrandom on Feb 4, 2017 12:00:18 GMT
Hi! galactic11 I've just skimmed through the old thread . . .hmm. . I agree with with some of the previous posts. . I definitely misunderstood some of the questions during my assessment and it's really hard to admit to others that, although you may have found ways around some of your difficulties, it still means you're working so much harder for the same result. .the same with internal hyperactivity and impulsivity . .if it's your 'normal' you don't realise that it's not everyone else's. . I didn't realise how generally anxious I am, which I'm sure is down to ADHD as is a lot of my social anxiety, mood instability and loads of other things which have been misdiagnosed as MH and personality disorders over the years. anyway . .the reason I'm replying is that maybe you should self-diagnose ADHD, learn to accept it and use self-help techniques to live 'with' it. Although I have been diagnosed, I didn't respond to meds and there's little other help available in many areas of the country. Acceptance of ADHD, educating myself, helping myself and not being so hard on myself has improved my life. It's still a struggle and sometimes things get out of control, but I'm happier in general now that I know I'm not neurotypical and never will be. . I hope this is helpful
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