Post by easytoassemble on Jul 2, 2020 15:12:50 GMT
Hello All. For a while now, I've been considering getting a referral (W. Midlands area) for Adult ADHD after becoming more aware of how my traits fitted those of ADHD. I've been careful not to self-diagnose too easily, so just wanted some advice on whether I should look into this.
What has taken me this long is partly because I have always been very introverted, and - as a result - assumed I didn't fit ADHD because I wasn't the stereotype of reckless, extroverted hyperactivity. However, I've since learned about Introverted ADHD, and recognised a lot of traits that match me in those ways. The quickest description I can find is that all that confused, fragmented energy and half-baked thoughts are directed inward and rattle around until I've had enough and try to escape via TV, films, hobbies, or simply "zone out", knowing thoughts are ongoing, but feeling nevertheless "blank" and unable to visualise any of them.
So, here's a short list of the reasons why I think it may be worth seeking a referral (sorry for the long list):
-As a child, I was given to daydreaming and misunderstanding / not retaining verbal instructions (something I'm still unable to do to this day, sometimes causing issues in work, or annoyance that I ask about instructions twice)
-I'm not disorganised if it involves obligations to other people, but - in my own life - I am disorganised and slow to do things, yet persistently feel I have too many things in my head to think about.
-When tackling any tasks, I am often given to working in bursts, often working on numerous separate elements simultaneously (eg. during my university dissertations, I would often write it according to whatever aspect I was thinking of at the time, eventually refining and drawing the mass together into a cohesive whole). As a result, I find last-minute deadlines difficult to due a lack of linear working.
-In my own space, when having nowhere to dispel distracted energy, I may often do things like hum repetitive notes or drum on my knees, sometimes seeing how fast I can go, as if I was trying to "defeat" something in a race
-Many tasks fill me with boredom if I feel I can't understand them. But once I am interested or confident in doing something, I can often hyperfocus, staying up into the early hours, putting off or forgetting other basic tasks (like eating or showering).
-At work, I have a tendency to work in short bursts due to boredom, separated by "microbreaks" (eg. I'll answer an email then browse the internet for 5 min before going to the next email). However, it's not due to laziness, because I'll be thinking about jobs that need doing, stay late, take late lunchbreaks, and be typing the emails with a sense of urgency (even if it's quiet) because I forever want to "finish the pile" rather than accept the pace of work as it is. In the past, my lack of focus has caused issues with managers, but - luckily - not resulted in me losing my job.
-I have had ongoing anger issues for about 20 years alongside anxiety and depression. At first, I assumed both were a result of a lack of confidence as well as a lack of achievement in my life, until I realised I might actually have it backwards; that potential ADHD had had an impact in ways I didn't understand, and was thus making me fluctuate between depressed, anxious, and angry states as a result.
-Sometimes, I'll have multiple fragments of thoughts, music, tasks, films, etc. but a difficulty to properly visualise any of them. I just know they are there. It's simultaneously feeling "blank" but also in thought, like I'm stuck halfway between whatever's in front of my field of vision, and the thoughts I'm sifting through, with neither of them being clear.
-I often sleep late on weekends, and find it difficult to rouse myself, because of the accumulated tiredness of being "on" during the week.
I know there's a Neurodevelopmental Service (Adult) referral centre in the W. Midlands, so I'm going to try and get an appointment. i guess my question is: what if my GP doesn't think I should be referred?. Is there any way to get a "Second opinion" on things like this?
What has taken me this long is partly because I have always been very introverted, and - as a result - assumed I didn't fit ADHD because I wasn't the stereotype of reckless, extroverted hyperactivity. However, I've since learned about Introverted ADHD, and recognised a lot of traits that match me in those ways. The quickest description I can find is that all that confused, fragmented energy and half-baked thoughts are directed inward and rattle around until I've had enough and try to escape via TV, films, hobbies, or simply "zone out", knowing thoughts are ongoing, but feeling nevertheless "blank" and unable to visualise any of them.
So, here's a short list of the reasons why I think it may be worth seeking a referral (sorry for the long list):
-As a child, I was given to daydreaming and misunderstanding / not retaining verbal instructions (something I'm still unable to do to this day, sometimes causing issues in work, or annoyance that I ask about instructions twice)
-I'm not disorganised if it involves obligations to other people, but - in my own life - I am disorganised and slow to do things, yet persistently feel I have too many things in my head to think about.
-When tackling any tasks, I am often given to working in bursts, often working on numerous separate elements simultaneously (eg. during my university dissertations, I would often write it according to whatever aspect I was thinking of at the time, eventually refining and drawing the mass together into a cohesive whole). As a result, I find last-minute deadlines difficult to due a lack of linear working.
-In my own space, when having nowhere to dispel distracted energy, I may often do things like hum repetitive notes or drum on my knees, sometimes seeing how fast I can go, as if I was trying to "defeat" something in a race
-Many tasks fill me with boredom if I feel I can't understand them. But once I am interested or confident in doing something, I can often hyperfocus, staying up into the early hours, putting off or forgetting other basic tasks (like eating or showering).
-At work, I have a tendency to work in short bursts due to boredom, separated by "microbreaks" (eg. I'll answer an email then browse the internet for 5 min before going to the next email). However, it's not due to laziness, because I'll be thinking about jobs that need doing, stay late, take late lunchbreaks, and be typing the emails with a sense of urgency (even if it's quiet) because I forever want to "finish the pile" rather than accept the pace of work as it is. In the past, my lack of focus has caused issues with managers, but - luckily - not resulted in me losing my job.
-I have had ongoing anger issues for about 20 years alongside anxiety and depression. At first, I assumed both were a result of a lack of confidence as well as a lack of achievement in my life, until I realised I might actually have it backwards; that potential ADHD had had an impact in ways I didn't understand, and was thus making me fluctuate between depressed, anxious, and angry states as a result.
-Sometimes, I'll have multiple fragments of thoughts, music, tasks, films, etc. but a difficulty to properly visualise any of them. I just know they are there. It's simultaneously feeling "blank" but also in thought, like I'm stuck halfway between whatever's in front of my field of vision, and the thoughts I'm sifting through, with neither of them being clear.
-I often sleep late on weekends, and find it difficult to rouse myself, because of the accumulated tiredness of being "on" during the week.
I know there's a Neurodevelopmental Service (Adult) referral centre in the W. Midlands, so I'm going to try and get an appointment. i guess my question is: what if my GP doesn't think I should be referred?. Is there any way to get a "Second opinion" on things like this?