I recently got diagnosed with ADHD.
For me, it was an epiphany. I suddenly understood myself and my brain for the first time in my life. It was as if someone had just handed me the missing puzzle piece and suddenly my entire life made sense!
For some reason, my initial reaction was to share my diagnosis with the world. So naturally, I headed to TikTok! Low and behold! I had no idea there were so many people just like me who had recently been diagnosed and also like me, had done so at a later age – as in, as a grown-up.
I got, and still do get, so many questions. People asking how I got diagnosed and asking for advice. Here are just ten of the most common ADHD diagnosis questions I get online and in real life.
What is ADHD?
ADHD, AKA Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurological disorder that affects the prefrontal cortex of the brain.
The prefrontal cortex is in charge of things like executive function (planning and organising things, thoughts and priorities), maintaining attention, regulating emotions, energy levels and motor controls, and judgment.
When it comes to the ADHD brain these things don’t come naturally to us. In fact, unlike neurotypical brains, we are not able to regulate these things automatically, we have to work at it. This is why people with ADHD are prone to burnout and fatigue – we are literally working harder to do things neurotypical people do on autopilot.
What are the different types/presentations?
When it comes to diagnosing ADHD there are three types the symptoms are grouped into. They are:
Predominantly Inattentive Type
Predominantly Hyperactive/Impulsive Type
Predominantly Combined Type – A mixy-mixy of the two
Inattentive Type ADHD is characterised by reduced executive function – that means trouble managing time, maintaining organisational structures, procrastinating important, non-stimulating tasks and struggling to maintain focus on tasks. Here are the nine symptoms listed in the DSM-5 – Big Book of Mental Health Diagnostics:
- Often fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, at work, etc.
- Often has trouble holding attention on tasks or activities (e.g., easily distracted).
- Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly.
- Often does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties in the workplace (e.g., loses focus, side-tracked).
- Often has trouble organizing tasks and activities.
- Often avoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to do tasks that require mental effort over a long period of time.
- Often loses things necessary for tasks and activities (e.g. school materials, wallet, mobile phone).
- Is often forgetful in daily activities.
- Often distracted by stimuli
Source: Additudemag.com
Hyperactive and Impulsive Type is the type most people think of when they hear the term ‘ADHD’. Fidgeting, constant movement and excessive talking are common signs. Here are the DSM-5 diagnostic symptoms:
- Often fidgets with or taps hands or feet or squirms in seat.
- Often leaves seat in situations when remaining seated is expected (e.g., leaves his or her place in the classroom, in the workplace, or in other situations that require remaining in place).
- Often runs about or climbs in situations where it is inappropriate. (Note: In adolescents or adults, this may manifest as feeling restless.)
- Often unable to play or engage in leisure activities quietly.
- Is often “on the go,” acting as if “driven by a motor” (e.g., is unable to remain still — in restaurants or meetings, for example — for any extended time without significant discomfort; others may say the patient is restless, fidgety, or difficult to keep up with).
- Often talks excessively.
- Often blurts out an answer before a question has been completed (e.g., completes people’s sentences).
- Often has difficulty waiting his or her turn (e.g., while waiting in line, while speaking in conversations).
- Often interrupts or intrudes on others (e.g., butts into conversations, games, or activities; may start using other people’s things without asking or receiving permission; for adolescents and adults, may intrude into or take over what others are doing).
Source: Additudemag.com again
Combined Type ADHD is how it sounds – an equal combo of both types.
What type do you have?
I have Inattentive Type ADHD with a tiny smidge of Hyperactivity – I fidget a little and my thoughts are VERY loud and all over the show.
Inattentive type is more common in girls and is more likely to go undiagnosed until later in life. This is pretty dumb because it can really affect your life. Personally, I went through high school feeling like I was just very dumb and quite lazy. These beliefs followed me into adulthood and really messed with my self-esteem.
How does it affect your day to day life?
ADHD has always affected my day to day life, I just didn’t realise it.
I have always had trouble with time management as 10 minutes in my mind never feels like 10 minutes in real life. Trying to plan out how long it will take me to get ready, drive somewhere, find a park and walk to the venue is quite a challenge! I actually even find thinking about all the steps in that process quite overwhelming, let alone trying to time how long each one will take in order to arrive on time. This can make me pretty anxious about being late which makes the whole thing even more stressful! Sometimes I turn up an hour early, but then I get so bored waiting I go and get a coffee. And then I end up being a bit late anyway because I got distracted patting a dog.
Organising thoughts and ideas in my head feels quite wobbly and scattered and trying to use diaries and organisers doesn’t always work as I usually lose them when I put them somewhere ‘safe’ as I’m thinking of 27 other things at the same time.
I have spent so many years masking my symptoms, working extra hard to make it look like I have it all together. This is known as masking and it can lead to some serious ADHD burnout.
What made you think you had ADHD?
I actually never considered the fact that I may have ADHD. Like, at all.
It was only after a friend was diagnosed that I learned that there were different presentations of ADHD.
Like most people, I always thought of ADHD as something kids have. I thought it was the typical vision of the hyperactive child running around the room, disrupting the class.
My friend had been diagnosed with combined type ADHD, meaning she had a mixture of hyperactive/impulsive and inattentive. While she was researching she started reading a lot about inattentive type and she thought it sounded A LOT like me.
We’ve been friends since we were 12 so she knows me pretty well. She’s seen me struggle through school and bomb out on tests. She knows I am always, always late and that I am absent-mindedly messy. But she also knew that throughout high school people had called me ‘ditzy’ ‘daydreamy’ and ‘away with the fairies’ – all common epithets given in inattentive ADHD kids.
At first, I thought she was full of crap – I mean, to be honest, I wasn’t too sure she could really have ADHD too. I mean, she’s a fricken genius who could ace a test without reading the questions. But that just goes to show that we assume people with ADHD all struggle academically and that is not the case!
But then I read a great book she recommended called Women with Attention Deficit Disorder by Sari Solden and it blew my mind. It was all there in black and white. I was a mirror of the case study for ADHD inattentive type. There were checklists in the book and I ticked so many I couldn’t believe it! There were things I didn’t expect like ‘My car is often full of clutter and junk even when I try to keep it tidy.’ I felt oddly singled out by the specificity of it all.
If people with ADHD aren’t struggling academically how are they struggling?
There are heaps of us ADHD peeps who are very academic.
ADHD has a lot to do with dopamine. Basically, ADHD brains don’t produce as much dopamine as neurotypical brains so we are constantly losing interest in things and feeling bored and blah. BUT. When do find something we get a kick out of we are HYPERFOUCUSED on that thing. For some people, they get a kick at being really, really good and schoolwork and getting great marks. They can also get a kick out of learning new things as it keeps their brains firing on dopamine.
This can mean that their ADHD is not picked up at all or not until much later in life. However, their ADHD might affect their relationships as they get so focused on chasing the dopamine they forget to pay attention to their friends.
It can also rear its ugly head when it comes to domestic duties like housework and boring as chores. When a task is hard and boring it feels almost physically painful. And unlike neurotypical people, ADHD people don’t get a kick when they’ve finished a boring task. It’s just done but it was really, really, awful to do.
Managing money, cooking, keeping track of belongings and keeping things tidy and organised are other ways that ADHD can affect your life outside of academia and work. All of this stuff can be even harder for women with ADHD to deal with because a lot of it generally falls to women in family life. This means that a lot of us feel like we are drowning and that we should be able to do better. So we smile and swim harder and harder until we burn out for weeks on end.
So what did you do after you read that book?
Once I’d done some research I made an appointment with my GP. She had been helping me manage my depression and anxiety for years and knew that no matter what treatment options I used, my symptoms were never completely managed.
I explained how I felt the root cause of my depression could likely be ADHD – as it was largely triggered by old beliefs of not being smart enough that I developed in High School, and feeling like I just couldn’t stay focused on any goal long enough to achieve it.
She agreed that it was definitely worth seeking a diagnosis and she referred me to a psychiatrist via the public health system.
The Psychiatrist asked a lot of questions about my childhood and my day to day life. He also had me fill in a checklist of behavioural questions and had my partner do the same. He also asked me to provide copies of my school reports which was insane. Who even has those anymore?! But, huzzah! After three hours of searching, digging through my parents’ basement and inhaling far too much mouse poop, we found them!
After reviewing it all the Psychiatrist officially diagnosed me with ADHD predominantly Inattentive Type.
So those are just some of the questions I have been asked about ADHD – but there are many more! If you have a question you’d like me to answer just leave it in the comments below! I’ll do my best to feature it in my next Q and A.
