Post by jameso on Sept 15, 2021 8:47:09 GMT
Hello everyone,
I received an ADD diagnosis a couple of months ago. I'm in my late 40s, married, with a child of primary age. The diagnosis was somewhat earth-shaking, and cathartic - at last I had a reason why.
I've always had cycles of depression (since childhood), and was never able to understand how I could do some things so well but was so atrocious at mundane tasks that everyone manages to do whilst barely breaking mental sweat. I'm an underachiever in academic and professional terms in a family of hyper-achievers, and I'm married to one of the latter.
Things came to a head over lockdown, my marriage was on the rocks (and still is to an extent, but we are working on it), largely down to my behaviour. I started seeing a therapist. I've been through therapy before, and with hindsight it feels like each time the therapist (some free, some expensive) was focussed on firefighting the immediate problem and not the deeper cause. This new therapist took me down a different path and gave me a fair bit of reading to do, some of which I read, some I didn't (or in ADD form read the first couple of chapters, skim read the next couple, and then gave up).
The lightbulb moment was reading 'Scattered Minds' by Gabor Maté. From almost the first paragraph it was like reading something I could (if I actually had the staying power to write a book) written. I started taking notes on things that chimed, and gave up because I was basically copying every sentence.
On my therapist's recommendation I got an appointment with a clinical psychiatrist, and their subsequent diagnosis was unequivocal. I'm now trialling a course of Elvanse, continuing therapy, and have a glimmer of hope that perhaps at some time in the not-too-distant future things can be different.
I could go on, but my object was just to say hello, and then the virtual verbal diarrhea started.
I came on here because despite speaking to a therapist weekly and having family I can talk to, I still feel somewhat alone in this. It would be good to chat and share experiences with others going through / who have gone through the same journey, people who 'get it'. I live in North London and would be interested in attending a local support group (if they exist).
Thanks for 'listening'.
James
I received an ADD diagnosis a couple of months ago. I'm in my late 40s, married, with a child of primary age. The diagnosis was somewhat earth-shaking, and cathartic - at last I had a reason why.
I've always had cycles of depression (since childhood), and was never able to understand how I could do some things so well but was so atrocious at mundane tasks that everyone manages to do whilst barely breaking mental sweat. I'm an underachiever in academic and professional terms in a family of hyper-achievers, and I'm married to one of the latter.
Things came to a head over lockdown, my marriage was on the rocks (and still is to an extent, but we are working on it), largely down to my behaviour. I started seeing a therapist. I've been through therapy before, and with hindsight it feels like each time the therapist (some free, some expensive) was focussed on firefighting the immediate problem and not the deeper cause. This new therapist took me down a different path and gave me a fair bit of reading to do, some of which I read, some I didn't (or in ADD form read the first couple of chapters, skim read the next couple, and then gave up).
The lightbulb moment was reading 'Scattered Minds' by Gabor Maté. From almost the first paragraph it was like reading something I could (if I actually had the staying power to write a book) written. I started taking notes on things that chimed, and gave up because I was basically copying every sentence.
On my therapist's recommendation I got an appointment with a clinical psychiatrist, and their subsequent diagnosis was unequivocal. I'm now trialling a course of Elvanse, continuing therapy, and have a glimmer of hope that perhaps at some time in the not-too-distant future things can be different.
I could go on, but my object was just to say hello, and then the virtual verbal diarrhea started.
I came on here because despite speaking to a therapist weekly and having family I can talk to, I still feel somewhat alone in this. It would be good to chat and share experiences with others going through / who have gone through the same journey, people who 'get it'. I live in North London and would be interested in attending a local support group (if they exist).
Thanks for 'listening'.
James