“Rory was always a little bit different.” I’d already been misdiagnosed as having ‘a bipolar disorder’ (his exact words) by a disinterested psychiatrist who’d barely listened to me for ten minutes before branding me with a non specific mental illness and offering some antidepressants which I completely refused. I’d had antidepressants before, they’d made me depressed. The suspicion that I had ADHD came after that diagnosis. After doing my own research and completely dismissing the psychiatrist’s analysis, I did some digging around on the internet and discovered my mental health problems more closely resembled ADHD. Online tests bolstered my suspicions that ADHD was a distinct possibility and I should see a professional. I took my new found information and did absolutely nothing about it, because I have ADHD and we’re usually not too great at following things through. I tried numerous techniques to bolster my productivity and motivation over the years, I read books on the subject, and just plain tried my hardest to kick my arse into gear. Nothing worked, I felt like a failure, the tides of depression ebbed and flowed inside me as I tried to present a brave face to the world. A friend of mine who also has ADHD recognised my problems as similar to her own and inspired me to ask for a referral to a specialist. She also gave me a few of her tablets, to see if they made me any better. I took them without considering the potential consequences, because I have ADHD and thoughtless risk taking is one of the things we excel at. The appointment with my mum was several months ago now. It took three appointments over about six months to finally get my diagnosis and when I got it there was no revelation, no release, and very little in the way of epiphanies. It was a reason I was the way I was. I was a little angry that I hadn’t realised sooner as I thought of all the opportunities that had passed me by, I was a little apprehensive of the future as I considered the obstacles yet to come, but I was also excited about a new chapter in my life, what the medication might do for me, and how it might change me for the better. I was also a little resentful of all the people in my past who had told me “you’re not wired up right” as it seems they were totally correct. At the time of writing I’m three weeks into my new medication. It’s not quite right for me yet, I’ve had some pretty unpleasant side effects, but nothing I can’t handle. I seem to be able to concentrate a little more at the moment though. This article took me a little over an hour to write so it’s possible there is some light at the end of the tunnel. I’m 42 years old old and I’m about to start a new chapter in my life. But then again, I was always a little bit different. It’s estimated that 5 – 7% of school age children and 2 – 5% of adults have symptoms consistent with ADHD. If any of this sounds like you then it might be useful to take this handy test. The NHS also has some useful advice on the subject.
