[Leha]

I have been seeing a psychologist for a bit as I have been feeling a bit anxious and dissatisfied with life. After asking me lots of questions and giving me a few tests she thinks I may have ADHD. I don't k ow how to feel. My brother was diagnosed with it as a kid and I'm pretty sure my dad has it.

At first I felt happy positive and relieved that I may be able to make some positive steps but now I feel angry and resentful for my wasted life.

Does anybody have it that can share your experiences. Ae you on medication or other form of treatment and did it help. Anyone not diagnosed until adulthood.

Just after your experienced with ADHD in adulthood.

[Jane Jetson]

DH was diagnosed in adulthood (as was his father). He's now on medication and it's made a big difference to his ability to hold down a job.

He does wish that he'd been diagnosed as a child, and he does get a little cranky when he thinks about having done poorly at school and so on, but knowing what the problem was (and having been able to address it to some extent) has been good in the sense that he now knows he wasn't just a lazy sod, he did have a learning disability. He's now enjoying his career and studying part-time, so it's been positive. And I know why he drives me nuts putting things in silly places and spacing out when I'm trying to tell him stuff, so I can attribute it to the diagnosis and not just him not listening.

It's also been good in that we have been able to figure out pretty easily that DD1 has a lot of the symptoms too.

[JJ]

I was diagnosed a little over a year ago. Started medication almost exactly a year ago. It was the best thing that ever happened to me and ended a 15-year spell of almost constant depression. I have the "inattentive" type though - ADHD is a bit of a misnomer for that one, because there's no such thing as hyperactivity for me. More the opposite - no energy, inability to focus, always kind of zoned out, always doing a million things at once yet unable to get anything done. Zillions of unfinished projects... I felt as though I was constantly at war with my brain. All these symptoms were always attributed to my depression, when in fact it was probably the other way round and they were actually causing me to feel depressed. So I think it's great that your psychologist is looking into this. I have to add that I also have Asperger's, which probably made the whole thing even harder to spot. But I also found that a number of professionals I spoke to about my symptoms weren't willing to consider anything other than depression/anxiety.

The first time I took the meds it was like I had suddenly been given the right glasses after years of walking around half blind. The Dr and chemist both said that's how I would know the diagnosis was right, otherwise the meds would just make me feel hyper. But there was no "hyper" at all, it was just like someone had flicked a switch and I was able to think clearly all of a sudden.

I could go on but I think you get the idea.

It's hard not to think about what could have been. I'm quite pragmatic about it. It is what it is, I can't go back and change things, this was my path in life and has made me who I am today. I'm just glad it was finally diagnosed because I don't know how much longer I would have lasted with the depression I had as a result.

This post has been edited by JJ: 25/02/2013, 10:42 AM

[papilio]

My story is pretty much the same as Jane Jetson's. Except that A doesn't study. He knows everything already anyway.