In November 2023 I was diagnosed with ADHD, it’s been a game changer. What
came as an unplanned and unexpected diagnosis has since made my world
make sense.
I’ve been having sessions with a Psychiatrist since the death of my daughter in
2020. Having spent over 3 years working together, my Psychiatrist suggested
she complete an ADHD assessment with me. I was open to this and a little
amused, in my line of work, I had sometimes pondered and compared myself to
individuals with Autism (I have some funny quirks with food textures, facial tics,
visual stims) but never considered ADHD.
My Psychiatrist told me that she wanted to explore ADHD as I don’t have
traditional features of anxiety, rather periodic bouts of intense overwhelm.
For the day of my assessment session, there wasn’t really any prep other than
revisiting my experiences as a child and adolescent. As soon as the questions
and discussion began, I had an example of literally everything she was asking for
and we began laughing as this continued. There was no doubt that I qualified for
an ADHD diagnosis.
In my family, playful mockery equals love, and looking back many things that I’ve
been mocked for are actually my symptoms of ADHD. Making a huge bomb-like
mess in the kitchen when cooking, realizing I didn’t have malaria medications 5
hours prior to a flight to Africa, frequently losing items such as umbrellas and
cameras. The list goes on…
There is an element of having a super power, the ability to hyper focus and
complete a weeks work in 8 hours is real for me but doesn’t happen often.
Some of the more crippling elements are what I now recognize and can label as
impulsivity; perhaps purchases made, random trips booked all the way to being
totally consumed by wanting something until it’s achieved. I very seldom consider
potential pitfalls (in fact I get annoyed when someone else tries to point them out)
and am optimistic to my detriment.
Whilst my creativity sadly does not lie in art or music, anyone that knows me
knows I am an ‘ideas’ person, I am frequently ‘inspired’ but I can struggle to see
projects through because the dopamine quickly wears off.
It has been an absolute revelation for me; in explaining my own behaviours and
challenges, in thinking about how I relate to and interact with others and perhaps
most importantly thinking about how I will support my two small children knowing
the huge hereditary nature of ADHD.
I have opted at this time not to try medication, I’ve found that having the
knowledge is already leading to me identifying situations where I need to apply
the brakes rather than the gas. But if the mental wrestling becomes too much,
maybe I’ll revisit this decision in the future.
Discussion points:
What is ADHD?
ADHD is a neuro-developmental disorder and The National Institute of Mental
Health describes ADHD as being marked by an “ongoing pattern of inattention
and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development.”
adhd
Hereditary nature of ADHD:
Whilst research continues to identify specific genes and their role in ADHD,
current knowledge estimates up to a 91% heritability.
Features of ADHD specifically in girls and late diagnosis ADHD
Written by Sarah Castell
Registered Speech Language Pathologist