this post was submitted on 03 Aug 2023
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ADHD
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Thank you for your comment, it's really something to think about. Maybe I didn't really get the important points across to the psychiatrist. I know that lots of people struggle with their symptoms much worse than I ever have. It is true that, in a certain sense, I'm doing fine, outwardly in particular. But it feels like my "doing fine" comes at the cost of a huge mental effort. It's like I have to fight against my brain to be able to do the minimum necessary effort at the things I need to do for work, at home, etc. And all of the things I want to do but don't strictly need to, like hobbies, passions, career aspirations and such, there's simply no mental effort or focus left for most of them most of the time. I constantly feel like I'm not able to focus on anything, I can't perform at my best, always procrastinating, always having to focus all of the little focus I have on simply managing to stay afloat, always drained, always stressed, always overwhelmed with everything. Always feeling guilty for slacking off and being "lazy". Feeling like I'm wasting my life, unable to do things which I really, really want to do but for whatever reason can't bring myself to focus on.
What could I gain? I could say a lot about that, but I guess it boils down to, I really would like to be able to choose what to focus on and when. Instead of my brain just deciding not to focus on anything, except potentially some ongoing hyperfocus obsession.
This is classic ADHD and is obviously taking a toll on you! I relate so much. I was able to kinda keep it together in that same way until I got pregnant a little over 16 years ago, then the hormonal changes and the mental burden of caring for a child absolutely wrecked my ability to mask at all, but I didn't get diagnosed until a few months ago.
If you felt like you generally had a good rapport with that doctor, it might be worth going back to emphasize these aspects of your struggle and the toll they're taking on your life and health, but if you didn't have a good vibe from the doctor, see someone else.
I found it very helpful to prepare a list of all the ways I was struggling, including anything I was doing to mask my struggles. I used to be late for everything and forget appointments, but now every event in my calendar has 5 notifications in the lead up so I can't forget (1 week, 1 day, 12 hours, 4 hours, 1 hour). I bet you've developed similar systems that seem excessive to outside observers but totally sensible to your fellow ADHD'ers, and talking to your doctor about the ways your coping strategies cause their own difficulties and burdens might help them realize that you're genuinely doing everything you can but still need help.
Thank you for the encouragement! Looking back, it's obvious that I was dealing with the same issues already in my late teens and early twenties, but it was only during my postgraduate studies that they really started to become an impediment and I started suspecting that I might have ADHD. Now that I have my PhD and am pursuing an academic career, I've really started feeling my web of coping mechanisms start to rip at the seams, and I fear that eventually something will give and everything will come crashing down.
(And one of the reasons the psychiatrist didn't think I can have ADHD is that I managed to complete a PhD and have a decent academic job. But there are tons of stories out there about people doing exactly that?)
Making a list of the ways I struggle and what I'm doing to mask them is a very good suggestion. But it also sounds difficult, because many of the coping mechanisms are so ingrained at this point that I don't even realize they're coping mechanisms. And because I need to remember to write things down when I think of them!
Oh yeah, making the list is going to be a pain in the ass! For mine, I started a little note for it in my phone, and every time I came across an ADHD thing while internetting that made me think "omg me too!" I would put it on the list. I also sorta "cheated" to get started by looking at lists of symptoms and problems and coping strategies and copying anything that was relevant to me. I think it helped that I didn't set out to get it all down at once, I just added to it here and there as I thought of things while doing other things, and it grew.
Here's some of mine, maybe this can help you get the ball rolling?
Symptoms in Adulthood:
Attempts to help self:
Oh wow, thank you so much for the list! Almost all of the symptoms you've listed apply to me too. Some of them I didn't even think would be related to ADHD, like blanking on direct questions.
🤗 I hope it helps, and even more, I hope you get the care you need. Diagnosis and medication made a huge difference in my life, most importantly in how I think of myself. Doing anything I can do to help anyone else on that road feels really good, because it's as much an act of self-compassion as it is an act of service.