this post was submitted on 25 Aug 2024
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ADHD
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I was diagnosed with ADD as a child. No extra help was given to me (Possibly because all of my parents effort was given to my brother because he has Autism). The extent that my condition was considered boiled down to "try harder", because that's what I was told. I can appreciate as an adult that I have ADHD (which is what people with ADD are now being diagnosed as), and I can even appreciate that some of the techniques that I might gain from an adult diagnosis might be beneficial if I can afford them.
But here's the thing. I function, mostly on the backs of a bunch of coping mechanisms that I have developed over the course of almost 40 years because I didn't have a choice. I have the support of a spouse who goes out of his way to help me if he thinks I need it. Getting re-diagnosed feels exhausting, and honestly (probably because I don't feel like it would necessarily be beneficial to me in the short term), I don't want to go through that process again. It seems like a lot of effort for a maybe type payoff that I'm not even sure I can afford (yes, I have healthcare).
The only provider you'd learn coping mechanisms through is a therapist/psychologist/counselor, and they won't require a diagnosis. However, there's plenty of YouTube channels, books, websites, and other tools where you can learn a lot of those coping mechanisms you have have missed out on.
If you were talking about getting meds, you can sometimes just find proof of your original diagnosis, and that'll be enough for your current primary care doctor to medicate you.
If you were under the mistaken impression that you have to get a new diagnosis in order to be diagnosed with ADHD instead of ADD as an adult, you don't. The term "ADD" is simply defunct now as ADHD and ADD are now considered the same disorder with the hyperactivity in certain individuals sometimes manifesting and not in others. It's very similar to how the term "Asperger's syndrome" is obsolete because it's simply considered a manifestation of autism.
Never diagnosed, but definitely feeling the 40 years of coping mechanisms. The problem is since I had COVID the symptoms are much much worse. And why, for the love of everything good and righteous, can I not send a text that says "I can't do that right now"!? It's like my brain says "If you ignore it long enough they'll forget". I hate my brain
Similar story, except I'm a bit older. I got diagnosed later in life due to the amount of energy the coping mechanisms you mentioned cost me, and I came to a point in life where I could no longer afford that.
If you feel you're at maybe 70% capacity, you can probably go on, even if something in your life will change. If you're scraping by with the occasional malfunction / mishap, you might want to reconsider getting help.
Just a thought.