Thank you for this video! I'm one of those who was diagnosed with a mental health disorder as a young adult, but my ADHD was missed. I was prescribed medication which actually made me worse because it exacerbated my ADHD, which, because I didn't know I had ADHD at the time, made me feel like I was too broken to be helped. Now that I know I have ADHD and that likely the mental health stuff is a result of having it go undiagnosed for 30+ years, I'm doing a lot better. Getting the right diagnosis is so important! Thanks again! Your channel has been invaluable to me as I learn to manage my ADHD! 💕
You're welcome! That sounds like such a frustrating and disheartening experience -- glad to hear you did eventually get things worked out, though! Even in spite of the disheartening experience. 🧡
Same here, Cameron. Was diagnosed with depression about 18 mths after chemotherapy (I flew thru chemo, the ‘depression’ came later) and was prescribed an anti depressant (Citalopram) that ADHD is a known contraindication for... made me procrastinate even more, even more sofa bound and I lost my job. Saw a psychiatrist who immediately recognised I was in full ‘overwhelm’ / ‘limp mode’, took me off Citalopram immediately and I started feeling better. - the ‘double whammy’ was that Citalopram had given me bigeminy, (an irregular heart beat) within a week if taking it! My psychiatrist was furious with my GP for not stopping the citalopram immediately just based on my heart issue! (I went to ER at 1am thinking I was having a heart attack!! Bigeminy was spotted in ER and after having to wear a heart monitor for 24 hrs, the cardiac specialist (instead of taking me off citalopram), put me on a a beta blocker, Propranolol (that made me more tired) Psych took me off both and monitored my heart for 6 mths before I was allowed to start ADHD meds. Absolute farce.
My anxiety disorder was diagnosed first, then the ADHD. Managing my ADHD in a healthy way has led to a huge improvement in my anxiety. Turns out I'm less anxious about losing my job when I'm able to meet deadlines for my job. Just wish the ADHD had been identified before I went to college and struggled so much.
@currytardis put them on your calendar and set reminders. I use Google calendar, but you can use an app, a paper calendar, a planner, bullet journal (which I also use), etc.
@@currytardis break it down into smaller pieces, sometimes the first thing on my list is to even just open the software I need and get everything set up, then when I come back I don’t have any set up to do and I’ve already gotten the first part of the task done. No step is too small to be a step.
I was diagnosed with ADHD and ASD at the same time, which was good. However, I wasn't diagnosed until I was well into my 60s, which was unfortunate. My therapist said she was surprised by how "successful" I had been in my career. My thought at the time was "Thank you. I think..."
I got diagnosed with ASD only a few weeks ago (I’m 20). My mom was shocked because I was “always fine.” (Hint: I wasn’t fine). I have ADHD too, I got diagnosed at 16 even though it was always obvious (again, my mom thought I was fine without needing to go to the doctor for help- we only went bc I asked).
I got the “I’m surprised” responded when I was diagnosed with both ADHD and autism as well. I remember people told me before my diagnosis I was faking it. I’m starting university this august 2022 to study rocket science lol. My ADHD diagnosis was at 16 and my ASD diagnosis was at 17. I got a general anxiety disorder diagnosis at 12 but it got dismissed because I knew it was ADHD but my doctor refused to test me and said it was anxiety instead. That was wrong. The ironic thing is I got a pretty severe form of ADHD as I almost maxed out points on the test lol. The testing center was stunned by how high I scored. The person doing my test said there’s no doubt I have ADHD.
@@Sophie_Miller_Wx My condolences on having to deal with such hardship! I hate that people have to go through such things in order to get proper diagnoses, then good luck getting treatment anymore. If it ain't non-narcotic their hands have been tied to the point they can't do anything further. It's a darn shame that we can't treat mental health as the important resource it is
“My adhd symptoms were more obvious after a traumatic event” - This. I am the same and I have people telling me I don’t have adhd because it wasn’t as obvious before this event, citing you can’t become adhd as an adult. Looking back it was always there. I reached out to my middle school counselor and he said he knew I was adhd but didn’t discuss it or evaluate officially for it because he didn’t like the treatments at the time. 3 years later from my traumatic event and I’m still reeling.
Wow, "He didn't like the treatments at the time" 🤯 How is that HIS call to make?!!! How many other students did he let through the net without diagnosis because of his bias? I would be making a complaint at the school to investigate his decisions!
The whole pandemic, my ADHD has been worse. It got really bad after I caught COVID 17 months ago and I'm still struggling with a lot of symptoms from that. Glad i got help again a few months ago
I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression YEARS before ADHD, and even that only happened by chance when I stumbled upon an article about ADHD in adult women. If I hadn't found that article, who knows if I ever would have been diagnosed.
How did you get diagnosed? Due to the depression and anxiety, I find it impossible to start getting help since I think they'll think I'm faking or say it's just my other diagnoses. Any advice?
I have been diagnosed with adhd only a few months ago, with me still being a sixteen year old girl. I already had the suspicion after I watched a few of your videos but my parents didn’t believe in that. Even after being diagnosed by a literal doctor and taking medication they still don’t really acknowledge it. I have learnt so much from watching your videos and have cried multiple times when I realized how much adhd had impacted my life. I feel like I have no one to talk to about this and I also feel like I am being dramatic sometimes. Like I’m only using adhd as an excuse for all my careless mistakes… anyways, thank you for making me feel less alone in this! I will continue to watch every one of your videos.
Having ADHD without good support is hard. I actually didn't realize until very recently how very much ADHD has impacted my life even though I've been treated for over a decade. I'm glad you have meds and this channel
I’ve been diagnosed since I was in kindergarten and my mother still doesn’t want to fully accept it. She doesn’t consider me ‘normal’ and would tell me she just wanted a normal girl who can do well in school and what not. I’m 16 too and it’s really rough to like yourself when your own love ones won’t. My uncle doesn’t believe in adhd and says I should just get hit more even thought adhd is a whole disability. I know what you are going through. If you ever want to talk about it I can give my insta or snap.
@@fishwantmewomenfearme3720 I am sooooooo sorry you have to deal with such lack of support. I like seeing that you are proactively firm in being true to your self and reaching out to build the support system you are being denied. Hurrah, you!!
@Anna R You have support here. Keep working hard. You are not alone. You are willing to learn the tools and firm in your resolve. Unfortunately, your support system seems to be stuck in fear about how to support you. You are showing them another way. Hurrah you!!
I had been doing therapy for about 2 years and my therapist had mentioned before that she identified depression symptoms, but believed they were not a cause, but a consequence of something else she wasn't able to identify. Then one day, after a lot of research (including this channel's videos) I very carefully said "I had some reasons to believe I might have ADHD, and I wanted to know if we can explore that possibility.". I remember her face CHANGING, like she went "oH!" 😂 I'm so happy that she fully listened to me and was super helpful in guiding me through the next steps after that!
I've been having such an awful time with my adhd at the moment, especially in college and I sent these videos to my support staff and they thanked me for sending them and said they were really helpful. Due to these videos, staff now do training on supporting people with adhd so thank you ❤
@@sisyphyus as someone who just graduated in December after 9 years of pretty complicated schedules, 2 different universities and needing to retake classes over the summer...I TOTALLY feel you. But it is so worth it! Making sure you have a support system of friends and family to help you keep on track and cheer you on, combined with people at the college or university who can support you and want you to succeed is important. It might be worth the effort to try again now that you are better prepared and equipped. I wish you the best of luck in whatever you do. You got this!
@@TheDoctorsDancer I didn't have a support system before and I'm one of the many that "self mdicated", which there is a slew of backstory there I won't get into, which caused part of the problem before. Right now I am focusing on getting financially more stable than I was before with my Fiance-elect (we're engaged, just no ring and no date just yet) and I got together. I will be going back to school in the next couple of years after I take care of some of the dental damage from self medication :-/. and thank you for the well wishings and congratulations on your success!
I went in for Depression and Anxiety. Once we kind of got that under control. my Doctor asked me about ADHD, we did a Test, and BAM! ALOT of my answerers were answered. 2 years later. My son started showing signs of Autism. I did research to help him and Realized that this was the missing puzzle piece in my Personal Puzzle.
A big part of my counseling sessions each week is my therapist helping me determine if my reactions to things that happened that week are based in my ADHD or in my PTSD. And learning how to manage my adhd symptoms while staying away from my PTSD triggers is a huge part of my healing process.
I was just diagnosed with ADHD and PTSD last week. Hearing your method of separating your reactions is something I will absolutely bring up with my therapist.
@@miadietrich7347 *blink blink* wow I can’t believe I could help someone lol. That’s great! I hope that helps you! I spent months trying to mitigate a behavior that I thought was ADHD related but it turned out I was having a trauma reaction instead and now I do a lot better.
@@laureng3830 Oh! Um, well I was having a pretty severe panic attack during certain events that I really want to be at to support my wife. I thought it was related to my ADHD because the environment was overstimulating so I made sure to time my medicine so it kicked in when the event started and I brought fidgets and listened to music but I was still melting down. I had a panic attack so severe after one that I had my first night terror that night. Talking to my therapist she asked about the people around me at those events and I mentioned a lot of parents of some of the athletes (my wife is a college coach) who would get loud and rowdy and were often close to me physically. The event I had the worst reaction at a parent directly yelled at me when I told him to calm down. We determined that what’s triggering the most for me is from my PTSD of living in a house with a very loud and often physically aggressive parent. I was having a trauma reaction because the parents near me were triggering my fight of flight and it wasn’t just overstimulation from my ADHD. And now I watch from inside where it’s quiet and keep noise cancelling headphones in and stay away from parents during the events. I know that’s anecdotal and not super specific but it helped to look at the people around me and not just the venue’s noise level. It turned out that certain reactions were making me mentally re-experience trauma and I felt unsafe. It wasn’t just the fact that the venue was busy or loud. If that helps?
@@sageordnung7188 Dude...I'm self-managing and knowing where specific symptoms are coming from is something I have never considered as important. I went through trauma, and man...well...Thanks for the new thought :)
I literally just got out of an intake phone call to get tested for ADHD, and it left me feeling a little hopeful but also a little discouraged, like "what if this isn't it" so this video came at the perfect time. I feel very not-alone in my uncertainty. Appreciate you and your community so much
Don't be discouraged! It sounds really stressful to figure out the delineation of conditions. Get a professional to do this. One thing that I know for a fact ; get 3rd party help when you're completely over your head. Same thing with life and work ; I build a team around me who can handle things that I can't whole I use the capabilities I do have to contribute where ever possible.
@@jasonosmondfernandes8525 Thanks for the encouragement :) And boy, if building a team around me is not my exact struggle at work right now. They like to have conversations where we discuss ways to do things that work for everybody and then...they go do the opposite. But I will hang in there and keep having the conversation!
@@kaybart you're most welcome. I understand the challenges. It's like herding cats. ;) for me I was fortunate that I found 1 person who complements me. Then we built from there. It's about filling in the gaps of competence and capability. Ask the people in your surroundings what they think about a particular issue. What would they do about it? Their input can be most interesting. I hope you will be pleasantly surprised.
Struggled with depression on and off since I was a kid. Started getting treatment for my depression a little over a year ago and finally discovered that I have had ADHD this whole time at the age of 44. Wish I had this diagnosis 30 years ago.
This video is a little eye opening for me. My insurance changed and my new psych wants to focus on my anxiety over ADHD and I have been SO MUCH LESS PRODUCTIVE at everything even more so than when I wasn't on ADHD medicine. My anxiety was probably one of my main motivators actually pushing me to do things.
Exactly, when I'm not anxious I don't feel motivated to do anything, so I get depressed. With anxiety I get overwhelmed and have nervous breakdown every couple of months, but still can function in between. Not doing anything feels like being dead alive
totally relatable... I was at a therapist who only talked about my anxiety and depression and gave advice on how to deal with that when I saw that it was hard because ADHD also causes problems with those too, so some stuff that works for those who only have anxiety didn't work for me much... so yeah learning and dealing with all comorbidities is important!
oh yes!! i also have asperger's syndrome, so for anxiety, i need INFORMATION!!! not someone helping me to momentarioy feel better... how do i know what i feel,!!?? i need to function. and not shut down. i am rarely feeling my emotions. i have thoughts and physical sensations... they are overwhelming enough. if i am with other people, i feel THEIR emotions... mine come later.
ADHD With Anxiety! They are friends and they help each other so often! Wasnt until recently I was talking about work and worry (same therapy doc for three years every two weeks to chat) and given xanax that now pairs nicely with my stimulant - now they are friends and when my comorbids come out to gang up on me, now I have some friends to step in to help!
Such an important topic. And I’d like to add, while I know you’re talking about mental health disorders here, issues in other systems in the body often also co-occur. Conditions like hypothyroidism and sleep apnea can have very similar brain symptoms too due to various mechanisms, and because of that people with both can get missed, and then their concerns can be completely disregarded by professionals if treatment for one isn’t helping the other.
woah wait, I'm in the process of figuring out if I have hypothyroidism. How do you mean similar brain symptoms? Is there an article I can read about this? would my adhd indicate i might be more likely to have hypothyroidism? Could my adhd symptoms actually be my thyroid? I have many questions now, awesome comment. If you've got somewhere I could read up, or if you are the expert I could email directly I would be super interested.
@@annamonson212 as far as I know hyperthyroidism is one of the physiological problems that's actually recommended to rule out before giving an ADHD diagnosis bc it has many of the same symptoms, like brain fog, trouble concentrating and stuff like the other comment here said
Also, a LOT of people with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, as well as people with Mast Cell Activation Disorder are also neurodiverse. Those are physical disorders, but they often go along with each other AND with neurodiversity.
Funny, I am getting checked out for both! But I have had ADHD symptoms that don’t have anything to do with my thyroid since I was in Kindergarten. So I think I had ADHD first, then after hav big 2 kids and letting go of a healthy diet because of stress and anxiety due to ADHD I now might have a thyroid issue.
For anyone seeking diagnosis, it is SO SO SO important to continue going to someone you trust who will validate what you are going through. And when it starts to slow down or if you're feeling it isn't helping anymore, vocalize your concerns. I was starting to think about finding a different therapist, because I didn't feel like I was making progress. A few weeks after I felt the stagnation, the diagnosis and all of the pieces came tumbling together. Keep going. Keep doing the work figuring yourself out. Open up to this person you paid to figure it out with you; tell them all the things you can. You got this.
Like Jessica said in her most recent video on journaling, when we feel like things aren't going well we feel like it has "always" been that way. Looking back through our journal, or asking our therapist for a more objective viewpoint can give us the "reality check" we need to adjust our perspective. So, I second your comment. Keep going back each week, and do speak up when you feel like you are not making progress. It may take a while before you trust/believe (think/feel) that the progress is actually happening. Even when I started to believe it, I minimized it by saying, "yeah I'm moving forward but only about an inch" and my therapist gave me my new mantra: "Progress is progress" -- in other words don't judge the progress, just keep doing it. I'm finally experiencing what I always believed a good therapeutic relationship could be - and it took a while to get here (especially because of disappointing or even bad therapeutic experiences in the past).
I've just been recently been diagnosed with ADHD and these videos have given me such an awesome feeling, I feel like I'm not alone anymore like someone actually understands how I feel. Everyone would just laugh at all my "quirks" without realising how badly it's been effecting me. I saw your video on TedX and I almost cried when you said we're not alone. I just wanted to say thank you!
@@Jaseyrae213 same I've been diagnosed with depression and anxiety as well, and what she has said is exactly how I feel. It's amazing how eye opening it is
Was diagnosed last year and felt the same. Knowing others are dealing with similar issues somehow makes it easier to process. You're definitely not alone, good luck!
I have severe anxiety and adhd and seasonal depression but my adhd masks my other problems and I use my adhd so people don’t ask about my depression and anxiety bc it’s hard to talk about what I feel. But you have helped my open up and talk about it. Thank you ❤️❤️
I totally understand this I was diagnosed with ADHD first but I also have autism and wasn't given that diagnosis until 11th grade it was really hard cuz while I was getting help for my ADHD a lot of the things that they thought were ADHD were really autism and we're being treated the wrong way For example the fact that a lot of noise bothered me wasn't always because I couldn't concentrate but because I was getting sensory overwhelm
Thank you for sharing! I only have an ADHD diagnosis, but I've started to think I have autism also. My therapist has said she focuses more on symptoms than diagnoses, but as you describe, I think that might not always be optimal.
Hi, this is the first time comment. I was diagnosed ADHD and ASD at the age of 38. I was very thankful to finally meet a doctor who gave me the right diagnosis in two decades. Until then, I was prescribed with wrong medications that made me worse and worse…. I appreciate my present physiatrist. I really enjoy your you tube and I subscribed for it. Last but not least, I just found this you tube a minute ago, when I saw your first TED talk. This is how I got here. Great TED talk, I loved it!! (from Tokyo, Japan)
This channel enabled and empowered me to go get help. Finally having someone else truly *hear* me when I talk about my struggles and provide the help I desperately needed has been profound. I'm medicated and the relief I feel at finally being able to just *do* is indescribable.
Thank you so much for this video! Too many people think its JUST ADHD or it's the only one people focus on when you tell them your conditions because its a more commonly known and "relatable" condition through stereotyping. I was misdiagnosed with BPD almost 15 years before I was properly diagnosed with ADHD and ASD. The change in how I thought about myself and how I "fit" into my previous diagnosis never felt right and why most of the treatment solutions never worked well. I do look forward when ADHD and ASD in adults can be given better plans for those who have been diagnosed late (considering we might have a lot of old patterns to change). ♥
I finally got diagnosed with ADHD about a month ago with the help of a brain scan/map and this would have never happened if it wasn't for this channel. Now my life is somewhat easier knowing this and of course taking the medication.
They say that the medication isn't magic, and not to rely on it too much, but that's BS. They only say that because they feel nice, but people without ADHD feel so much nicer when they take it, because they don't have a dopamine deficit. For us, it just makes it possible to get motivated without it feeling like torture. I have trouble getting that point across to people.. That trying to do a normal unpleasant task without the meds, is like asking a normal person to do something HORRIBLE, like punch a baby, or eat poop. There's just major, major conflict of interest...
@@omuArdeid you're right. but personally i wouldn't bother making others understand. remember even doctors weren't aware of it in the past let alone other people. wish you the best.
What type of brain scan was it or what were they looking for? Unless it's unrelated and personal, of course. I just want to know if I can ask about that for me too.
@@MaRaMa-ARTZ it's called a Quantitative EEG Analyses. look it up. i'll warn you that it could potentially be somewhat of an expensive test, so do your research on it and make sure your insurance is covering that if you can't afford it. but i didn't know about such a test i just filled a form that i wanted to be tested for adhd at the doctor's office and that is what they did. i'm not sure that is the only way to be diagnosed but that is how i was. good luck.
@@MaRaMa-ARTZ I was diagnosed last week, but not through a brain scan. I did a full psych evaluation with a psychologist that specializes in ADHD. We did cognitive testing and surveys, but no brain scan was needed.
I'm prob twice your age... ADHD was the first diagnosis I got as a teenager back in mid 90s, more came later for sure. Thank you for helping me understand things, cuz your vids really do relate and hit hard. It may have been the first diagnosis, but it's been relatively untreated (self treated) until more recently, in my 40s. Sent a few of your vids to my mental health team already. Gonna do the same with this. Thank you!
How timely! My husband and I were discussing this very thing last night! I'm in the process of getting an "official" diagnosis so I've been BINGING your content. Thanks for bringing intelligent and helpful information to all of us, Jessica and the team!
@How to ADHD it did! My initial symptoms were diagnosed as anxiety after giving birth. So I've been learning to deal with that. But after lockdown and isolation, the suspecting ADHD started to peek through, my guess is not having to mask all the time since there were no social norms to conform to for a long time. I'm looking forward to diving into this topic deeper in therapy. 😊
I’m with you. Was diagnosed with C-PTSD ten years ago after years of problems (mid 30 at the time). I just found out I have ADHD and it explains so much. This video is incredibly helpful.
I’ve been diagnosed very recently with OCD and severe anxiety. I had a childhood diagnosis of ADHD, but with minimal family support I didn’t understand how to cope with it. After getting reevaluated and seeking therapy I find that I can find good ways to cope with my major feelings.
My autistic brother has adhd, and my mom also suspects that I (who has adhd too!) may be autistic. Being neurodiverse can be a tough, yet wonderfully beautiful experience.
I have 2 brothers with autism and I’ve been suspecting I could possibly have it as well bc I related more to adhd/autism memes where they showed adhd and then someone with adhd and autism and it’s like hold up…I do that…
This is definitely true for me. I wasn't diagnosed with adhd until I was in my early 30's. I was also diagnosed with several other conditions including severe major depressive disorder, at one point bipolar (though I think that was a misdiagnosis), anxiety, panic disorder, insomnia, and ptsd. It took 6 years after being diagnosed and numerous different psychiatrists before before I actually started receiving any treatment for the ADHD. They kept focusing on all the other conditions, however, once my anxiety and depression were better managed, was when I realized they weren't the problem all along. The biggest issue was my adhd, which I finally started receiving treatment for that as of the beginning of this year, and it has made the biggest difference in my life. On meds I am so much more functional than I have ever been in my life. I just wish it didn't take so long to figure it out and start treatment.
I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety first... Like when I was 8 years old. I wasn't actually diagnosed with ADHD until I was 36. I was also then diagnosed with binge eating disorder. I've been diabetic since I was 25 and that definitely was related to my compulsion for eating carbohydrates. A lot of people don't understand food addiction. To be honest until I got to your channel I didn't realize how much my ADHD factored into how I cannot control the way I eat. I was told at 30 that I would be dead by 55 if I could not control my blood sugar. 10 years later I still couldn't do it. I actually had to have a pretty intense surgery in order to get my sugar under control for the first time in my life. The channel has been incredibly eye-opening for me. And I cannot thank you enough for putting out this content!
10 years of treatment for depression and anxiety, including medication, therapy, and TMS: ... I was kind of functional? But after 6 months of being diagnosed with ADHD and having it treated, I'm finally starting to live up to my potential
I didn't get diagnosed til i was 30. Everyone just thought i was weird. I always wondered why i was so different. At least now i know. I also got diagnosed with bipolar. Now i know why i act the way i do n can get help. Thanks to a new amazing doctor who actually listened to me.
I'm autistic and just now (as an adult) trying to figure out if I have comorbid ADHD or if it's just symptoms of the autism. I feel overwhelmed by trying to make the distinction as the two share a lot of overlap.
I'm with you there on the "it's hard to tell if I've got this comorbidity because there's so much overlap" thing, just in the opposite direction. Definitely got ADHD, though, because unmedicated, I down coffee like water, and it either barely does anything or sends me to sleep. 😅
There's definitely a lot of overlap for me but some things I found to be different for both is 1) not able to focus on anything I like or don't like 2) dropping hobbies super quickly 3) brain going way too quickly 4) falling asleep or yawning a lot when I'm bored, even if I want to focus on something but my brain decides it isn't interested
♥ I can't tell you how SEEN it made me feel to see dysgraphia mentioned after years of avoiding bringing it up so I wouldn't have to then explain what it is since most people haven't ever heard of it.
Thank you so much for the content! I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was young and my peers who didn't understand often made me feel as though it was just an excuse to have more time to do work or a free pass to retake a test if I forgot to take my meds that day. I eventually stopped taking meds because I was convinced that I should be able to function properly without them and that they were bad for me even though I wasn't experiencing any adverse side effects. When I found your channel it gave me a level of validation I haven't felt in a long time, if ever, and within the month I had an appointment with a general care physician and started back on my meds. I've also started using a planner which is something I could never stick to and I've been in a better place mentally than I'd been in a while. All of this and I've only been watching your videos for a little over a month or so. You have helped me on so many levels and I really hope you see this because I think what you're doing is so important and I can't say enough about it. Your content is so important and informative and beneficial I really can't say enough. Thank you Jessica
I managed to get diagnosed with severe ADHD and anxiety at the same time. We started treating ADHD first. It really seemed like the anxiety was being significantly helped by taking stimulants. And then life got stressful. And I basically internally collapsed. So now I'm on a stimulant and an SSRI. Treating the anxiety seems to be helping my continued "ADHD" issues like trouble focusing and completing tasks. It's turns out it's hard to focus or tackle hard projects when I'm having anxiety attacks, lol.
My doctor tried to treat me for anxiety when it was my ADHD causing it and I should have been treated with ADHD. I refused the anxiety treatment until I got testing for ADHD six years later because I knew something was up. I got ADHD treatment and it helped a lot
Oh yeah, I completely can relate. My untouched trauma was getting worse and aggravating my ADD. I had become completely dysregulated in every way. After a year at the clinic I'm at now, I feel I finally have the correct diagnosis; including PTSD, depression and generalized anxiety. I hate labels but what else do I call it, ya know? Not one of us is born perfect, we all have a story, too. I'm glad this channel is here!
My depression was diagnosed first, in part because I had masked so much of my ADHD symptoms due to shame. That shame also made the depression so much worse, if not outright caused it. It wasn’t until I sought out an ADHD diagnosis after relating strongly to friends’ descriptions of their ADHD, that the treatment I was receiving for my depression really started to click. And once I started medication it was a revelation. I could finally truly see that I had been struggling, and blaming and judging myself for struggling, for years when my brain is literally just wired different. Getting treatment for my ADHD did more for treating my depression, than purely treating my depression did.
💯 LOVE the way ADHD interacts with each of comorbidities was animated! 🎉 Also, this video was....needed! Thank you for the attention to detail, research, creativity, kindness, and passion that clearly are poured into each and every video!
I was diagnosed with depression and OCD first and I was devastated. I knew I had ADHD too but was so upset that it wasn’t recognized first because it was the biggest challenge I was facing. When I finally got diagnosed it was such a relief because I was finally able to get a handle on the thing that was ruining my life.
I have adhd, depression and, psychological habits that are hard to break, and a thick emotional wall. And I appreciate this video because this is still a problem to this day that someone would know condition they have but don’t know they have other one or multiple disorders. I love you Jessica you’ve helped me so much 🥰 these videos need more attention than ever.
Sending this to my mum immediately, thank you for this! I wasn’t diagnosed until a few weeks ago (on my 23rd birthday) and trying my new meds, it’s SO interesting watching other conditions reacting to it. I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression as a teenager, and nothing ever worked. Then I had trauma therapy for PTSD last year (now classed as ‘in remission’) and the ADHD symptoms became more obvious. The dx ended up REPLACING the anxiety/depression ones, and I won’t lie some of the PTSD symptoms have come back a little with the medication but thankfully not to an unmanageable degree, an at least I know where they come from. Thank you for this Jess and co!
What great timing Jess! I just became aware that I have high functioning autism alongside my ADHD. I wish someone would have figured this out sooner, it could have relieved decades of emotional pain. For those who have only been diagnosed with ADHD I highly suggest speaking with multiple Clinicians and doing your own research. And, similar to ADHD, don’t be fooled by media stereotypes of disorders. Often symptoms and presentations can look very different.
same.handful cousins were diagnose Aspergers in the past and ppl also had late speech ( i didn’t but was smart not smart other way plus out homelifes we’re very different). i suspected and it not diagnosed not a few friends think i may be duel, i patternize on auto in certain situations. i also have sons and well i see it in them but i also think their my husband is add and was never caught but he’s not gonna change now his perspective now and that’s okay. my dad at 55 was diagnosed with adhd m, and he had been okay (he hated the meds) - he also was super succesful before he knew he had adhd and basically found what suited him- he was a city firefighter and one his 48hrs off did carpentry. he loves math and hi adrenaline life or death stuff/ where there is a will there is a way
I went from learning disability to anxiety to ADHD and then now it's OCD. It truly doesn't make sense because people around me don't understand that my OCD doesn't make sense to their brain because it's ADHD OCD.
There's been some times that I feel like the ADHD tests I went through years ago was missing something. I still feel like I have some type of ADHD or something else. It just doesn't feel right to say everything's alright upstairs. I'm really considering going to get tested again to make sure, especially after watching this video. Thank you for uploading these awesome videos!
So, I’m an adult who was never diagnosed with ADHD, but I’ve been binge-watching your videos and relate to so much of it. Just wanted to tell you the videos have been so helpful. You’re awesome.
It's really important. My anxiety caused that my adhd was missed in diagnoses, so i had many problems.Thank you Jessica for sharing this helpful information🌱🖤
I to have ADHD thank u for being here for us that struggle u r an amazing person and don't ever give up in life no matter how tough it is we are here for u we love u
Thank you to the How to ADHD team for this video. 🤗 I also wanted to add that there is another co-morbidity that can come along with ADHD. It’s BFRB’s like trichotillomania (hair pulling), excoriation disorder (dermatillomania, skin picking), etc. these can also come along with other diagnoses like OCD. hope this helps or educated someone! 😊💕
I’ve had Trichotillomania sine I was 14 - I’m now 60! I’m not yet dx’d ADHD but I fit much of the criteria I’ve been reading. Time to talk to my doctor about testing.
@@brendatomlinson oh wow! I’m sorry you’ve been dealing with it for so long. I’ve had it since I was 12- now 20. I also have a dr appt soon to test for ADHD! I hope you find answers soon and thanks for sharing. 😊
I am SO happy to hear you advocate that having a substance use disorder doesn't mean that someone does not need or deserve treatment. I sought help for substance use and then was diagnosed with ADHD and trauma while there. Having a healthcare provider who was willing to "look at the whole person" and not just assume I am looking for drugs, is the only reason I received proper treatment and don't have to self-medicate to try to deal with everything
Yesss. Just yes. I'm so happy you brought this up! My ADHD was entirely missed through childhood because of a multitude of factors. Being a 'high-functioning', social, academic young female who has masked all her life, when anxiety and depression hit hard in my teen years, nobody really understood why. So a severe breakdown of my mental health at 17 resulted in multiple diagnosis' of panic disorder, CPTSD and BPD... I'm being diagnosed with ADHD at 23, as neurodivergency is something that runs in my close family, and it just makes total sense. There's obviously co-morbitities still there, but potentially I've been misdiagnosed and put on unhelpful medication over the years. It's reassuring to see that many humans here have experienced similar situations. Perhaps the psychiatric system will learn more, become more aware and thorough with investigations in the future. Particularly if there is a family history of ill mental health and neurodivergency. We can only hope! Thankyou for everything you do to raise awareness and destigmatise neurodivergency and everything that comes alongside it. You've helped me and others so much on our brain journeys 🙌💛✨️💛
I was diagnosed with Dyslexia when I was about 5 or 6 but I was JUST diagnosed with ADHD & anxiety like 2 months ago! I’m already feeling a lot better with my new medication and I can’t believe it took so long for me to get this diagnosis 🤦🏼♀️
This is so true. I was diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression first... And I spent years focusing on treating the depression because it was the worst. Now that I have an ADHD diagnosis, I've learned that many of the strategies and treatments we used that were designed for depression are actually the OPPOSITE of what we should do for ADHD. Ugh. I feel like I've wasted so much time and effort.
Yesterday I think I finally got my diagnosis. I was always told I had ADHD but I actually have complex ADHD with GAD (anxiety disorder) OCD and Bipolar disorder. You're TH-cam videos have helped me so much and not feel alone
I’ve known about my probable ADHD for over half my life, but I’m just coming to terms with it now, at 52. Talk about procrastination! Thank you so much! The dynamic of self understanding which leads to self compassion which dovetails into self love and self acceptance which is crucial for healing and creating our best selves is incredibly important and that’s the gift you give to so many. A couple of odd tendencies I’ve developed which I’m not sure if you’ve touched on yet since I’m new to the channel: 1. A habit of self sabotaging if things are going too well. I’ll seek out difficulties that place me in a state of urgency to assuage a sense of impending doom when things are too quiet if that makes any sense whatsoever. 2. Pre-arguing. I will anticipate people being upset with me in my imagination and stage arguments solely in my mind with the expectation that it will happen in real life so I should rehearse. Spoiler alert: It almost never does!
You inspired me over the past weeks to make a doctor's appointment. Today I was diagnosed with Complex Adhd. Im sitting here with tears in my eyes knowing my life can finally change. You had a part in that. Thank you for helping change my life.
My depression was diagnosed and treated first , and because some of the symptoms of depression overlap (difficulty focusing, lack of motivation ) they did get mildly better when my depression was better so I attributed it to the depression: BUT even when depression was managed I always felt like I was fundamentally broken until I got my ADHD diagnosis (at age 32)
I have been watching your videos non-stop for the last 2 weeks. I'm a teacher, local politician, mom, and about 20 other things. I also suffered with diagnosed trauma, anxiety, and depression (discovered all at different times). I am also an alcoholic who has been sober for three years now and just recently realized that I have complex ADHD. I relate to your personal story; my relationship with relationships has not always been healthy (ok, it is pretty damn scary). I spent a long time last night crying when I realized what this diagnosis could have meant for my birth mother who eventually died from her alcoholism. I'm usually pretty funny and make jokes about all of the things, but right now I'm just grateful for you, this channel, other brains, and a chance to work on the things that will help me be productive and happy in life. Keep it up, you are making many lives much better.
the BIGGEST result of getting treated for ADHD for me was my anxiety levels plunged. However, I had never considered myself an anxious or depressed person until adhd meds let me glimpse normal again. Turns out I was doing worse in that department than I realized (or would admit to myself). Since I wasnt focusing on those issues when I went to the psychiatrist I talked about the symptoms that pointed towards ADHD, instead of anxiety or depression. So many of my friends have had the opposite story. They have been to therapists and psychiatrists for years treating primarily depression and anxiety in so many different ways with limited success. They do have these things, and I don't think adhd medication would make the commorbidities go away, but so many of them have to fight so hard for stimulants or adhd diagnosis because their doctors want to treat the anxiety or depression first. I am frustrated with them while I watch them fight for what they need while my journey was comparatively easy, just cause I came in single minded. Thank you for the video, I might send some friends the article.
I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Depression, ADHD. I wanna say I even have dyslexia. I love how you explained your trauma with ADHD - "My ADHD would make me impulsively repeating patterns that reenacted that trauma." I love that, thank you, it makes me feel so much better.
My friends are starting to think that I have autism(most likely Asperger's), even though my ADHD symptoms are more prominent and have actually caused the same amount of trouble for my life as my suspected ASD. This video kind of helped me with that situation.
I was one of those half! I was originally diagnosed with anxiety and depression first. Which I do definitely have but like you said, treating those 2 only didn’t help enough. This last round of eval found the ADHD and finally pinned down that YES I DO have dysgraphia. The validation was so powerful. I wish I knew this as a kid.
Got diagnosed with GAD and depression back in 2014, looked at (and then dismissed) for bipolar and then only now getting assessed for ADHD. Since I self-diagnosed my ADHD a few years back and have put in place coping strategies while waiting for the official diagnosis process I have found that my depression & anxiety have mostly gone and have a feeling they were mainly a result of my untreated ADHD.
Hi Jessica, I've very recently discovered your channel and I am super pumped to learn more about this. I was diagnosed with mild Tourette's when I was a child and always associated my social struggles to it. In fact at the time little info was known or available. I tried med treatment but it just knocked me out in school and made that while environment so much more difficult. I was finally diagnosed with ADD as an adult while seeing a therapist for helping me deal with my son's death. I never realized how deep the ADHD rabbit hole went until I stumbled upon your channel and I kept funding myself, repeatedly saying," Me too?!" as you described one symptom after another. It's an absolute pleasure learning about my "stuff" from you. You're a very engaging teacher. Thanks. Moe
Jess this video is great. I'm still overwhelmed to learn how many of us have gastrointestinal issues, or pain issues, and how sometimes it feels like we can't figure out if the ADHD is the chicken or the egg OR if it's simply a comorbidity.
I was diagnosed with ADHD (and a few other things) around 33. So no wonder I was being told as a child stop interrupting. Then 10ish years later I was diagnosed with moderate PTSD. So I was born with what I told my Dr, the bonus package. About 4 diagnosis have some overlapping things, it's no wonder I've been so quick to react instead of respond. So frustrating. I'm glad this channel exists.
I have ADHD and OCD, so having difficulties with focusing while also obsessing over things has definitely been a journey. As a teenager, I got therapy to help me deal with my compulsions and intrusive thoughts, but didn't get diagnosed with ADHD until I was an adult. I have definitely seen how the two effect each other, and while it is easy to focus on the negative, I see both as a blessing as well. The ADHD along with the OCD helps me to hyperfocus on stuff I'm interested in and get things done! Multitasking is also a bit easier for me than for most people because of it.
As a 32yo, I was diagnosed 2 months ago. I was diagnosed with ADHD Combined Presentation, PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Your channel has helped me a lot. I actively sought treatment and met obstacle after obstacle. I just took my medicine for the first time this morning. Your videos kept me from being AS nervous. Thank you.
My ADHD has gone untreated for most of my life, and managing my frustrations at work has been difficult as of late. I took medication on two different occasions (as a child and then as an adult) and neither one worked well or was enjoyable to be on. This really makes me want to see someone about a reevaluation and possibly another approach at treating it. I’m like 40 now, and I’d like to get my stuff together at some point (if anyone ever does this at any point) and go back to school. Claude Monet didn’t get serious about painting til he was around 40, so I have plenty of time left to work on me.
What I love about your videos is that anyone that is new to your channel can just jump in on any video and understand the language you use to explain things. I've followed you for a while now but I just sent this to my cousin and niece who is recently diagnosed.
All my life I thought I was just a very nervous person …😢 .. I was diagnosed with ADHD May 2021@age 42. … I believe I’m also a highly sensitive person, I also believe I have auditory process disorder , sensory processing disorder, of course all this causes me anxiety and depression.. 😔
I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression when I was 22. Treatment never worked for me that well. After a while I just stopped trying and self medicated. Now in my 40s I finally found out I have ADHD. It's made a lot of things make sense. I am getting the help I need and improving my life.
Grew up with trauma and anxiety and had periods of depression. Got diagnosed with depression and GAD in my early 20s and didn't get my ADHD diagnosis until I was 25. Finally getting a mixed treatment helped a lot, I'm still struggling a lot, but it's helped me function better.
ADD and OCD can be so challenging for me. My compulsions usually revolve around researching. So I sometimes end up hyperfocusing about the subject I am researching about, which I am doing to negate the intrusive thoughts
2e here! You were the very first video I've seen about ADHD. I literally cried when I heard somebody I haven't known describing me almost 100% accurate. THANK YOU!
For me, anxiety was like a secondary emotion. My psychologist treated it first, because it was obviously diseuptive. The treatment worked, and when it got better, it’s like this other….thing was still there. We explored that other thing, and I was assessed for ADHD. I find out the results next week. 😬
Only been diagnosed with anxiety and depression a few years ago. I never took adhd into consideration, until i started informing myself about it out of couriosity. Been quite an eye-opening journey, and i'm looking to get tested specifically for adhd soon. Thanks a ton for your content, it's super helpfull and really made a difference for me already, whether i'll be diagnosed or not, that new angle to approach things seems to work for me. Glad i found your channel
Thank you, having been diagnosed with multiple learning disabilities as a child I think this may be part of the problem. I don't like self-diagnosis but I don't know how to get diagnosed as an adult. When I was a kid they did not use the term ADHD they use the term add and I get the remembering impression that that was something you did not want to get diagnosed with. There was money in dyslexia but not so much for those kids. If you could do a video or have resources for adults to get diagnosed that would be an amazing help.
There are evaluation tools online, like at ADDitude magazine. If you take a filled out one to your primary care manager, they should be able to give you the right kind of referral
Today was emotionally amazing! I was (re)diagnosed this morning and know a little more about how to start treating my ADHD. It took a lot out of me to walk into that office this morning because for the last 20 years of my adult life everything felt fine and that was my normal, additionally my father raised me to figure things out, have thick skin, and get things done - basically masking a lot of who was me. I was diagnosed at age 8 but my parents never did anything to help resolve or treat me. They were told I would grow out of it and I was left to my own vices. This path started because of one video a while back, trying to better understand my son to help him and then realizing, "Oh wow! that and this and that, OH and that too, is me!!!" Thanks!
I've only been diagnosed recently with ADHD-I, my therapist recognized a lot of herself in me because she also has it. I was diagnosed first with Dyscalculia and hyper sensitivity. while never getting help for hyper sensitivity I did got tools and extra time for my dyscalculia. I went in therapy for burn-out and eventually starting to deal with trauma but it's weird how now I only got the diagnosis of ADHD at the age of 24 while the rest of it got on the front line before it.
Hi! I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 7 and I have never seen any video that came anywhere close to identifying my feelings and issues until this channel. Thank you for having this channel. I am often told I don't have issues by those who know me and my inability to explain the invisible barriers doesn't help. I get great support from my family, but I have noticed there aren't any support groups for ADHD in my local area (South Australia) and the government support groups don't seem to even acknowledge ADHD as an issue really. So I am ridiculously happy to have found this channel and thank you for your support
My first session with my therapist - where I told her I recognized myself a lot in ADHD testimonies -, she told me she wanted to test me for ADHD, Autism, and Gifted Children (I'm 20 by the way). And I'm pretty sure I've been battling with burn-out and/or depression since at least two years at this point? University really f*cked me up. PS: I'm not diagnosed for anything at this point, because we've been trying to deal with symptoms first, and diagnoses take a long time anyway. Also what kind of therapists are allowed to give what diagnoses is complicated.
The first time I heard about this channel was when a university counselor asked if I had ever considered my mental issues might stem from ADHD, and she showed me one of your videos during our session. At the time I had no idea how ADHD manifested in adult women and I associated it with hyperactive, unfocused, bouncing off the walls, bad grades. so I brushed it off, convinced it was just anxiety and depression, and thinking she was being lazy during our counseling session. I wish she’d pursued that a little harder, because now I find myself wanting to seek someone to help diagnose it when I don’t have the same resources I did in university. I’m glad I stuck around on this channel-it’s been so helpful and I always regret not looking into it more and taking my therapist seriously.
Can we share this globally?!?!?! I need you in my country!!! My mom used to tell me "stop watching these kinds of videos" even after I begged her to just listen but she is so STUBBORN! Your videos have been UNBELIVEABLY helpful to me I cannot express how much I appreciate you.
I give you a fun one: ADHD and Gender Dysphoria. Gender dysphoria causing anxiety and depression. But treating gender dysphoria isn't something that happens until you personally figure it out and then push against the system to make treatment happen. There's no system in place anywhere, that I am aware off, that doesn't negatively impact you somehow when you try to Access gender affirming treatment.
Yes! I'm so glad mine is more mild and I can get away with just changing how I dress, but I also have a bunch of other things, one of which is a joint issue where my bones don't always stay in place, making it hard to bind my chest. I read somewhere that taking progesterone could fix some of my issues with being AFAB, as well as the joint issues and dysphoria (according to a non-binary TH-camr), so I'm hoping to ask my GP about a progestin only birth control as it should be easier to get access to. Maybe then I can wear a proper binder without ribs or a shoulder going out of place.
For me it's mostly body dysphoria. My body just feels wrong without curves. Over time I stopped enjoying moving in it, stopped caring for risky ADHD stuff that caused damage. I am littered in scars. I have two weeks of estrogen now, and my depression, that BARELY was controllable with 200 mg Sertralin, is almost gone (had no money to get antidepressants because state made an error) I have started a random project on the weekend - AND I FINISHED IT !!! This might be the first time in a decade. The first time since my mechanical building stuff or art projects in school ! I am not kidding. The fog has lifted enough that I can think ahead and dodge the worst bullets. Instead of every complication, every bad situation, tearing and ripping on my emotional Armor. I don't have to burn willpower any more to keep going.
First thing I was diagnosed with was general anxiety disorder. Then it was depression. Followed up with ADHD, social phobia, PTSD, and dyscalculia. Now I'm on a waiting list for an ASD assessment in my 30s. This video is so helpful. Thanks Jessica!
Haven't watched the video yet, but had to pop in to say: I was just recently told that my diagnosis of "idiopathic hypersomnia" may be the cause of virtually all of my ADHD symptoms and more. Apparently the treatment is similar to ADHD, so I'm seeing if that can help (since getting treatment for ADHD is such a struggle). My first appointment is March 25.
Yes, yes, and yes. I was originally diagnosed as "manic depression" (now called bipolar), but the ADHD diagnosis followed not too long after (and I'm fairly certain that first diagnosis was just ADHD "flooding" mislabeled as there were ALWAYS triggers, even if it didn't seem so to those outside of my brain). Now I'm curious if the ADHD diagnosis is/was correct (if it's ALL the idiopathic hypersomnia) or if I have both and what that means. I know that since the start of Covid, my Executive Function has been critically broken and I can't figure a way out of that.
I got officially diagnosed with ADHD today actually, after a two year long process. It’s been medically recognized since I was 8, but I wasn’t able to get a diagnosis because I wasn’t prioritized because I’m not interrupting my class or smth, and it apparently wasn’t bad enough. But my physiatrist have recognized both some form of anxiety and depression, but adhd is the main focus, since I’m 14 and if I don’t get help I won’t be able to continue to grade 10, because I won’t be able to get proper grades. This channel helped me deal with it in the meantime and to have good coping mechanisms:)
Your videos often hit topics and points of discussion that no one else does; Usually, I cannot immediately watch your videos due to the overwhelming emotion and sense of connection/empathy they provide, which is also something not often experienced with other sources. Thank you for doing what you are doing! - Cognitive Science Major slogging through finals week
I tihnk the most important take away is that it's always a good idea to self reflect before-during-after getting help. It's not only normal but OKAY to not feel like the treatment worked, just means that it wasn't right for you for a number of reasons (like everything mentioned in the vid). And you're the only one that will know what works, those in your support circle should be open to exploring whatever possibilities. If not ditch'em, you deserve help that will support you and your choices. I went through a whole decade of being treated for anxiety and depression, only to learn that these were being fuelled by the realization that I'm autistic, and that that was probably why none of the treatment/tools I received worked. The whole time too I had the feeling that I and everyone else was missing something. It wasn't till I came across vids/art about adhd/autism that I even considered it and I'm glad I decided to explore it. I've learn that just a majority of what I learned tool wise simply won't ever work, and that the new tools I am learning are going to take a LOT longer to fully be implemented. So I can finally stop sprinting in the opposite direction and start leisurely walking the right way. love the vid as always, gives me an excuse to word vomit all over the comment section about mental health LOL. But also to spread what should be more commonly known things or at least talked about WAAAAAYYYYY more.
Growing up I thought that I was just defective, but it wasn't until I was in my 50's when I was molested by my "Occupational Provider". That's when everything went to "it". I was diagnosed with "GAD, MDD, and PTSD". Many years later I was diagnosed with ADHD, Because of that, and help from my Physicians Asst. I 'm on my way to sorting this out. Seeing light at the end of the tunnel took a lot of frustration out of the equation. Thank you, Tom.
Perfect timing. Thank you! I’ve been in a terrible depressive episode again lately and I this is exactly the topic I’ve been trying to research ahead of my psychiatrist appointment tomorrow.
I LOVE this video! Thanks so much for speaking to this, Jessica! I am a psychologist with ADHD who is developing expertise in treating ADHD. I'm always surprised when people come into my office and hear for the first time that their (insert other mental health condition here) is being impacted by their ADHD and vice versa, regardless of how long they have known about their ADHD and comorbid condition. Thank you thank you thank you for bringing this topic out of the shadow!
Thank you for this video! Hope more professionals prepare to better detect comorbidities! And shout out to the team of 4 psychologists who, for 3 years, never considered something else could be the cause of my executive dysfunction while treating my binge ED while one of them labeled it as laziness and despite the far-reaching consequences it's had in my adulthood for 12 years already. Yes, I'm resentful it had to be ME that, for the second time in my life, realized I could have ADHD and self-referred to officially get a diagnosis (the first time was for my BED... because before that, for my primary care doctors I was just overweight and sedentary).
I've always had issues with Anxiety. I was officially diagnosed with Anxiety and ADHD last year (27). Did a more in depth psych evaluation and learned I also have Dyscalculia. Now I'm figuring out strategies that work for me now that I know my brain a little better. This channel is amazing.
Thank you for this video! I'm one of those who was diagnosed with a mental health disorder as a young adult, but my ADHD was missed. I was prescribed medication which actually made me worse because it exacerbated my ADHD, which, because I didn't know I had ADHD at the time, made me feel like I was too broken to be helped. Now that I know I have ADHD and that likely the mental health stuff is a result of having it go undiagnosed for 30+ years, I'm doing a lot better. Getting the right diagnosis is so important! Thanks again! Your channel has been invaluable to me as I learn to manage my ADHD! 💕
You're welcome! That sounds like such a frustrating and disheartening experience -- glad to hear you did eventually get things worked out, though! Even in spite of the disheartening experience. 🧡
What they they originally diagnose you with and prescribe you?
Same here, Cameron.
Was diagnosed with depression about 18 mths after chemotherapy (I flew thru chemo, the ‘depression’ came later) and was prescribed an anti depressant (Citalopram) that ADHD is a known contraindication for... made me procrastinate even more, even more sofa bound and I lost my job.
Saw a psychiatrist who immediately recognised I was in full ‘overwhelm’ / ‘limp mode’, took me off Citalopram immediately and I started feeling better.
- the ‘double whammy’ was that Citalopram had given me bigeminy, (an irregular heart beat) within a week if taking it!
My psychiatrist was furious with my GP for not stopping the citalopram immediately just based on my heart issue! (I went to ER at 1am thinking I was having a heart attack!!
Bigeminy was spotted in ER and after having to wear a heart monitor for 24 hrs, the cardiac specialist (instead of taking me off citalopram), put me on a a beta blocker, Propranolol (that made me more tired)
Psych took me off both and monitored my heart for 6 mths before I was allowed to start ADHD meds.
Absolute farce.
Sounds so much like me. Just diagnosed.
Similar story here. Thanks for sharing! ❤️👍
My anxiety disorder was diagnosed first, then the ADHD. Managing my ADHD in a healthy way has led to a huge improvement in my anxiety. Turns out I'm less anxious about losing my job when I'm able to meet deadlines for my job. Just wish the ADHD had been identified before I went to college and struggled so much.
I relate to this so much.
Any advice / tips for meeting deadlines with ADHD?
@currytardis put them on your calendar and set reminders. I use Google calendar, but you can use an app, a paper calendar, a planner, bullet journal (which I also use), etc.
@@currytardis break it down into smaller pieces, sometimes the first thing on my list is to even just open the software I need and get everything set up, then when I come back I don’t have any set up to do and I’ve already gotten the first part of the task done. No step is too small to be a step.
I was treated for my anxiety first and i became more impulsive with my ADHD and said things i never would've said otherwise with intrusive thoughts.
I was diagnosed with ADHD and ASD at the same time, which was good. However, I wasn't diagnosed until I was well into my 60s, which was unfortunate. My therapist said she was surprised by how "successful" I had been in my career. My thought at the time was "Thank you. I think..."
And I thought 22 years was a long time to spend messing up my life because of a misdiagnosis... kudos to you!!!
I got diagnosed with ASD only a few weeks ago (I’m 20). My mom was shocked because I was “always fine.” (Hint: I wasn’t fine). I have ADHD too, I got diagnosed at 16 even though it was always obvious (again, my mom thought I was fine without needing to go to the doctor for help- we only went bc I asked).
I got the “I’m surprised” responded when I was diagnosed with both ADHD and autism as well. I remember people told me before my diagnosis I was faking it. I’m starting university this august 2022 to study rocket science lol. My ADHD diagnosis was at 16 and my ASD diagnosis was at 17. I got a general anxiety disorder diagnosis at 12 but it got dismissed because I knew it was ADHD but my doctor refused to test me and said it was anxiety instead. That was wrong. The ironic thing is I got a pretty severe form of ADHD as I almost maxed out points on the test lol. The testing center was stunned by how high I scored. The person doing my test said there’s no doubt I have ADHD.
@@nixthelapin9869 I got my ADHD diagnosis at 16 and my ASD diagnosis at 17. I pushed for 6 years to get those diagnosis
@@Sophie_Miller_Wx My condolences on having to deal with such hardship! I hate that people have to go through such things in order to get proper diagnoses, then good luck getting treatment anymore. If it ain't non-narcotic their hands have been tied to the point they can't do anything further. It's a darn shame that we can't treat mental health as the important resource it is
“My adhd symptoms were more obvious after a traumatic event” - This. I am the same and I have people telling me I don’t have adhd because it wasn’t as obvious before this event, citing you can’t become adhd as an adult. Looking back it was always there. I reached out to my middle school counselor and he said he knew I was adhd but didn’t discuss it or evaluate officially for it because he didn’t like the treatments at the time. 3 years later from my traumatic event and I’m still reeling.
Wow, "He didn't like the treatments at the time" 🤯 How is that HIS call to make?!!! How many other students did he let through the net without diagnosis because of his bias? I would be making a complaint at the school to investigate his decisions!
Same! I had a traumatic even during the beginning of lockdown which is when I decided to seek help
The whole pandemic, my ADHD has been worse. It got really bad after I caught COVID 17 months ago and I'm still struggling with a lot of symptoms from that. Glad i got help again a few months ago
What the heck?! That's like a major violation on the side of the provider. They should have diagnosed you!
I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression YEARS before ADHD, and even that only happened by chance when I stumbled upon an article about ADHD in adult women. If I hadn't found that article, who knows if I ever would have been diagnosed.
Do you still have the article? I'd be interested.
SAME 😅
Do you happen to have the article
LITERALLY me.
How did you get diagnosed?
Due to the depression and anxiety, I find it impossible to start getting help since I think they'll think I'm faking or say it's just my other diagnoses. Any advice?
I have been diagnosed with adhd only a few months ago, with me still being a sixteen year old girl. I already had the suspicion after I watched a few of your videos but my parents didn’t believe in that. Even after being diagnosed by a literal doctor and taking medication they still don’t really acknowledge it. I have learnt so much from watching your videos and have cried multiple times when I realized how much adhd had impacted my life. I feel like I have no one to talk to about this and I also feel like I am being dramatic sometimes. Like I’m only using adhd as an excuse for all my careless mistakes… anyways, thank you for making me feel less alone in this! I will continue to watch every one of your videos.
Having ADHD without good support is hard. I actually didn't realize until very recently how very much ADHD has impacted my life even though I've been treated for over a decade. I'm glad you have meds and this channel
I’ve been diagnosed since I was in kindergarten and my mother still doesn’t want to fully accept it. She doesn’t consider me ‘normal’ and would tell me she just wanted a normal girl who can do well in school and what not. I’m 16 too and it’s really rough to like yourself when your own love ones won’t. My uncle doesn’t believe in adhd and says I should just get hit more even thought adhd is a whole disability. I know what you are going through. If you ever want to talk about it I can give my insta or snap.
@@fishwantmewomenfearme3720 I am sooooooo sorry you have to deal with such lack of support. I like seeing that you are proactively firm in being true to your self and reaching out to build the support system you are being denied. Hurrah, you!!
@Anna R You have support here. Keep working hard. You are not alone. You are willing to learn the tools and firm in your resolve. Unfortunately, your support system seems to be stuck in fear about how to support you. You are showing them another way. Hurrah you!!
@@evansfamily8156 thank you so much :) I’ve just realised if I don’t support who I am then no one will
I had been doing therapy for about 2 years and my therapist had mentioned before that she identified depression symptoms, but believed they were not a cause, but a consequence of something else she wasn't able to identify. Then one day, after a lot of research (including this channel's videos) I very carefully said "I had some reasons to believe I might have ADHD, and I wanted to know if we can explore that possibility.". I remember her face CHANGING, like she went "oH!" 😂 I'm so happy that she fully listened to me and was super helpful in guiding me through the next steps after that!
I've been having such an awful time with my adhd at the moment, especially in college and I sent these videos to my support staff and they thanked me for sending them and said they were really helpful. Due to these videos, staff now do training on supporting people with adhd so thank you ❤
Oh my gosh - that's awesome!! You're welcome -- but kudos to you for sharing it with the support staff! 😊🧡
Which ones did you choose to send? If you have a list, I want to send it to my teachers!
Going to college with ADHD, even when they have accomodations, is SO difficult. so all the more power to you... I couldn't do it when I tried. 😞
@@sisyphyus as someone who just graduated in December after 9 years of pretty complicated schedules, 2 different universities and needing to retake classes over the summer...I TOTALLY feel you. But it is so worth it! Making sure you have a support system of friends and family to help you keep on track and cheer you on, combined with people at the college or university who can support you and want you to succeed is important. It might be worth the effort to try again now that you are better prepared and equipped.
I wish you the best of luck in whatever you do. You got this!
@@TheDoctorsDancer I didn't have a support system before and I'm one of the many that "self mdicated", which there is a slew of backstory there I won't get into, which caused part of the problem before. Right now I am focusing on getting financially more stable than I was before with my Fiance-elect (we're engaged, just no ring and no date just yet) and I got together. I will be going back to school in the next couple of years after I take care of some of the dental damage from self medication :-/. and thank you for the well wishings and congratulations on your success!
I went in for Depression and Anxiety. Once we kind of got that under control. my Doctor asked me about ADHD, we did a Test, and BAM! ALOT of my answerers were answered. 2 years later. My son started showing signs of Autism. I did research to help him and Realized that this was the missing puzzle piece in my Personal Puzzle.
A big part of my counseling sessions each week is my therapist helping me determine if my reactions to things that happened that week are based in my ADHD or in my PTSD. And learning how to manage my adhd symptoms while staying away from my PTSD triggers is a huge part of my healing process.
I was just diagnosed with ADHD and PTSD last week. Hearing your method of separating your reactions is something I will absolutely bring up with my therapist.
@@miadietrich7347 *blink blink* wow I can’t believe I could help someone lol. That’s great! I hope that helps you! I spent months trying to mitigate a behavior that I thought was ADHD related but it turned out I was having a trauma reaction instead and now I do a lot better.
What are some ways you determine this? Super interested as it’s something I’d like to work on
@@laureng3830 Oh! Um, well I was having a pretty severe panic attack during certain events that I really want to be at to support my wife. I thought it was related to my ADHD because the environment was overstimulating so I made sure to time my medicine so it kicked in when the event started and I brought fidgets and listened to music but I was still melting down. I had a panic attack so severe after one that I had my first night terror that night. Talking to my therapist she asked about the people around me at those events and I mentioned a lot of parents of some of the athletes (my wife is a college coach) who would get loud and rowdy and were often close to me physically. The event I had the worst reaction at a parent directly yelled at me when I told him to calm down. We determined that what’s triggering the most for me is from my PTSD of living in a house with a very loud and often physically aggressive parent. I was having a trauma reaction because the parents near me were triggering my fight of flight and it wasn’t just overstimulation from my ADHD. And now I watch from inside where it’s quiet and keep noise cancelling headphones in and stay away from parents during the events. I know that’s anecdotal and not super specific but it helped to look at the people around me and not just the venue’s noise level. It turned out that certain reactions were making me mentally re-experience trauma and I felt unsafe. It wasn’t just the fact that the venue was busy or loud. If that helps?
@@sageordnung7188 Dude...I'm self-managing and knowing where specific symptoms are coming from is something I have never considered as important. I went through trauma, and man...well...Thanks for the new thought :)
I literally just got out of an intake phone call to get tested for ADHD, and it left me feeling a little hopeful but also a little discouraged, like "what if this isn't it" so this video came at the perfect time. I feel very not-alone in my uncertainty. Appreciate you and your community so much
I'm in a very similar boat, and have been for a while because the system is yikes, and I wish you the best of luck
Appreciate you and our* community so much
Welcome :)
Don't be discouraged! It sounds really stressful to figure out the delineation of conditions. Get a professional to do this. One thing that I know for a fact ; get 3rd party help when you're completely over your head. Same thing with life and work ; I build a team around me who can handle things that I can't whole I use the capabilities I do have to contribute where ever possible.
@@jasonosmondfernandes8525 Thanks for the encouragement :)
And boy, if building a team around me is not my exact struggle at work right now. They like to have conversations where we discuss ways to do things that work for everybody and then...they go do the opposite. But I will hang in there and keep having the conversation!
@@kaybart you're most welcome. I understand the challenges. It's like herding cats. ;) for me I was fortunate that I found 1 person who complements me. Then we built from there. It's about filling in the gaps of competence and capability. Ask the people in your surroundings what they think about a particular issue. What would they do about it? Their input can be most interesting. I hope you will be pleasantly surprised.
Struggled with depression on and off since I was a kid. Started getting treatment for my depression a little over a year ago and finally discovered that I have had ADHD this whole time at the age of 44. Wish I had this diagnosis 30 years ago.
look at how strong you are for being the person that you are right now
For real man, better late than never. I’m real happy you found out!
same and im 51. Although it turns out im bi polar and awaiting adhd appointment
This video is a little eye opening for me. My insurance changed and my new psych wants to focus on my anxiety over ADHD and I have been SO MUCH LESS PRODUCTIVE at everything even more so than when I wasn't on ADHD medicine. My anxiety was probably one of my main motivators actually pushing me to do things.
I'm having a similar experience - feels like a lose/lose situation 😅
Exactly, when I'm not anxious I don't feel motivated to do anything, so I get depressed. With anxiety I get overwhelmed and have nervous breakdown every couple of months, but still can function in between.
Not doing anything feels like being dead alive
totally relatable... I was at a therapist who only talked about my anxiety and depression and gave advice on how to deal with that when I saw that it was hard because ADHD also causes problems with those too, so some stuff that works for those who only have anxiety didn't work for me much... so yeah learning and dealing with all comorbidities is important!
oh yes!! i also have asperger's syndrome, so for anxiety, i need INFORMATION!!! not someone helping me to momentarioy feel better... how do i know what i feel,!!?? i need to function. and not shut down. i am rarely feeling my emotions. i have thoughts and physical sensations... they are overwhelming enough. if i am with other people, i feel THEIR emotions... mine come later.
ADHD With Anxiety! They are friends and they help each other so often! Wasnt until recently I was talking about work and worry (same therapy doc for three years every two weeks to chat) and given xanax that now pairs nicely with my stimulant - now they are friends and when my comorbids come out to gang up on me, now I have some friends to step in to help!
Such an important topic. And I’d like to add, while I know you’re talking about mental health disorders here, issues in other systems in the body often also co-occur. Conditions like hypothyroidism and sleep apnea can have very similar brain symptoms too due to various mechanisms, and because of that people with both can get missed, and then their concerns can be completely disregarded by professionals if treatment for one isn’t helping the other.
woah wait, I'm in the process of figuring out if I have hypothyroidism. How do you mean similar brain symptoms? Is there an article I can read about this? would my adhd indicate i might be more likely to have hypothyroidism? Could my adhd symptoms actually be my thyroid?
I have many questions now, awesome comment. If you've got somewhere I could read up, or if you are the expert I could email directly I would be super interested.
@@annamonson212 I'm not an expert but I've had subclinical hypothyroidism in the past, and the fatigue/brain fog definitely overlaps for me!
@@annamonson212 as far as I know hyperthyroidism is one of the physiological problems that's actually recommended to rule out before giving an ADHD diagnosis bc it has many of the same symptoms, like brain fog, trouble concentrating and stuff like the other comment here said
Also, a LOT of people with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, as well as people with Mast Cell Activation Disorder are also neurodiverse. Those are physical disorders, but they often go along with each other AND with neurodiversity.
Funny, I am getting checked out for both! But I have had ADHD symptoms that don’t have anything to do with my thyroid since I was in Kindergarten. So I think I had ADHD first, then after hav big 2 kids and letting go of a healthy diet because of stress and anxiety due to ADHD I now might have a thyroid issue.
For anyone seeking diagnosis, it is SO SO SO important to continue going to someone you trust who will validate what you are going through. And when it starts to slow down or if you're feeling it isn't helping anymore, vocalize your concerns. I was starting to think about finding a different therapist, because I didn't feel like I was making progress. A few weeks after I felt the stagnation, the diagnosis and all of the pieces came tumbling together. Keep going. Keep doing the work figuring yourself out. Open up to this person you paid to figure it out with you; tell them all the things you can. You got this.
Like Jessica said in her most recent video on journaling, when we feel like things aren't going well we feel like it has "always" been that way. Looking back through our journal, or asking our therapist for a more objective viewpoint can give us the "reality check" we need to adjust our perspective. So, I second your comment. Keep going back each week, and do speak up when you feel like you are not making progress. It may take a while before you trust/believe (think/feel) that the progress is actually happening. Even when I started to believe it, I minimized it by saying, "yeah I'm moving forward but only about an inch" and my therapist gave me my new mantra: "Progress is progress" -- in other words don't judge the progress, just keep doing it. I'm finally experiencing what I always believed a good therapeutic relationship could be - and it took a while to get here (especially because of disappointing or even bad therapeutic experiences in the past).
I feel like this channel's helping not only those with ADHD/Complex ADHD but also those with different mental conditions, thank you.
I've just been recently been diagnosed with ADHD and these videos have given me such an awesome feeling, I feel like I'm not alone anymore like someone actually understands how I feel. Everyone would just laugh at all my "quirks" without realising how badly it's been effecting me. I saw your video on TedX and I almost cried when you said we're not alone. I just wanted to say thank you!
I also just got diagnosed and watching these. They’ve given me such a sense of understanding and belonging
@@Jaseyrae213 same I've been diagnosed with depression and anxiety as well, and what she has said is exactly how I feel. It's amazing how eye opening it is
Was diagnosed last year and felt the same. Knowing others are dealing with similar issues somehow makes it easier to process. You're definitely not alone, good luck!
I have severe anxiety and adhd and seasonal depression but my adhd masks my other problems and I use my adhd so people don’t ask about my depression and anxiety bc it’s hard to talk about what I feel. But you have helped my open up and talk about it. Thank you ❤️❤️
I totally understand this I was diagnosed with ADHD first but I also have autism and wasn't given that diagnosis until 11th grade it was really hard cuz while I was getting help for my ADHD a lot of the things that they thought were ADHD were really autism and we're being treated the wrong way
For example the fact that a lot of noise bothered me wasn't always because I couldn't concentrate but because I was getting sensory overwhelm
So your autism was missed? I feel like the same thing happened to me. Do you know how it was missed the first time?
Thank you for sharing! I only have an ADHD diagnosis, but I've started to think I have autism also. My therapist has said she focuses more on symptoms than diagnoses, but as you describe, I think that might not always be optimal.
Hi, this is the first time comment. I was diagnosed ADHD and ASD at the age of 38.
I was very thankful to finally meet a doctor who gave me the right diagnosis in two decades.
Until then, I was prescribed with wrong medications that made me worse and worse….
I appreciate my present physiatrist.
I really enjoy your you tube and I subscribed for it.
Last but not least, I just found this you tube a minute ago, when I saw your first TED talk.
This is how I got here. Great TED talk, I loved it!! (from Tokyo, Japan)
This channel enabled and empowered me to go get help. Finally having someone else truly *hear* me when I talk about my struggles and provide the help I desperately needed has been profound. I'm medicated and the relief I feel at finally being able to just *do* is indescribable.
Great job finding the help that clicked with you! That's wonderful!! 🧡 And we're honoured to have been part of your ADHD journey. 😊
Thank you so much for this video! Too many people think its JUST ADHD or it's the only one people focus on when you tell them your conditions because its a more commonly known and "relatable" condition through stereotyping. I was misdiagnosed with BPD almost 15 years before I was properly diagnosed with ADHD and ASD. The change in how I thought about myself and how I "fit" into my previous diagnosis never felt right and why most of the treatment solutions never worked well. I do look forward when ADHD and ASD in adults can be given better plans for those who have been diagnosed late (considering we might have a lot of old patterns to change). ♥
I finally got diagnosed with ADHD about a month ago with the help of a brain scan/map and this would have never happened if it wasn't for this channel. Now my life is somewhat easier knowing this and of course taking the medication.
They say that the medication isn't magic, and not to rely on it too much, but that's BS. They only say that because they feel nice, but people without ADHD feel so much nicer when they take it, because they don't have a dopamine deficit. For us, it just makes it possible to get motivated without it feeling like torture.
I have trouble getting that point across to people.. That trying to do a normal unpleasant task without the meds, is like asking a normal person to do something HORRIBLE, like punch a baby, or eat poop. There's just major, major conflict of interest...
@@omuArdeid you're right. but personally i wouldn't bother making others understand. remember even doctors weren't aware of it in the past let alone other people. wish you the best.
What type of brain scan was it or what were they looking for? Unless it's unrelated and personal, of course. I just want to know if I can ask about that for me too.
@@MaRaMa-ARTZ it's called a Quantitative EEG Analyses. look it up. i'll warn you that it could potentially be somewhat of an expensive test, so do your research on it and make sure your insurance is covering that if you can't afford it. but i didn't know about such a test i just filled a form that i wanted to be tested for adhd at the doctor's office and that is what they did. i'm not sure that is the only way to be diagnosed but that is how i was. good luck.
@@MaRaMa-ARTZ I was diagnosed last week, but not through a brain scan. I did a full psych evaluation with a psychologist that specializes in ADHD. We did cognitive testing and surveys, but no brain scan was needed.
I'm prob twice your age... ADHD was the first diagnosis I got as a teenager back in mid 90s, more came later for sure. Thank you for helping me understand things, cuz your vids really do relate and hit hard. It may have been the first diagnosis, but it's been relatively untreated (self treated) until more recently, in my 40s. Sent a few of your vids to my mental health team already. Gonna do the same with this. Thank you!
How timely! My husband and I were discussing this very thing last night! I'm in the process of getting an "official" diagnosis so I've been BINGING your content. Thanks for bringing intelligent and helpful information to all of us, Jessica and the team!
The very same and wishing you luck on your journey Katlyn
Awwwww, well I hope the video is able to help in some way! 😊
@How to ADHD it did! My initial symptoms were diagnosed as anxiety after giving birth. So I've been learning to deal with that. But after lockdown and isolation, the suspecting ADHD started to peek through, my guess is not having to mask all the time since there were no social norms to conform to for a long time. I'm looking forward to diving into this topic deeper in therapy. 😊
@@Firegen1 Thanks! You too :0)
I’m with you. Was diagnosed with C-PTSD ten years ago after years of problems (mid 30 at the time). I just found out I have ADHD and it explains so much. This video is incredibly helpful.
I’ve been diagnosed very recently with OCD and severe anxiety. I had a childhood diagnosis of ADHD, but with minimal family support I didn’t understand how to cope with it. After getting reevaluated and seeking therapy I find that I can find good ways to cope with my major feelings.
My autistic brother has adhd, and my mom also suspects that I (who has adhd too!) may be autistic. Being neurodiverse can be a tough, yet wonderfully beautiful experience.
I have 2 brothers with autism and I’ve been suspecting I could possibly have it as well bc I related more to adhd/autism memes where they showed adhd and then someone with adhd and autism and it’s like hold up…I do that…
This is definitely true for me. I wasn't diagnosed with adhd until I was in my early 30's. I was also diagnosed with several other conditions including severe major depressive disorder, at one point bipolar (though I think that was a misdiagnosis), anxiety, panic disorder, insomnia, and ptsd. It took 6 years after being diagnosed and numerous different psychiatrists before before I actually started receiving any treatment for the ADHD. They kept focusing on all the other conditions, however, once my anxiety and depression were better managed, was when I realized they weren't the problem all along. The biggest issue was my adhd, which I finally started receiving treatment for that as of the beginning of this year, and it has made the biggest difference in my life. On meds I am so much more functional than I have ever been in my life. I just wish it didn't take so long to figure it out and start treatment.
I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety first... Like when I was 8 years old. I wasn't actually diagnosed with ADHD until I was 36. I was also then diagnosed with binge eating disorder. I've been diabetic since I was 25 and that definitely was related to my compulsion for eating carbohydrates. A lot of people don't understand food addiction. To be honest until I got to your channel I didn't realize how much my ADHD factored into how I cannot control the way I eat. I was told at 30 that I would be dead by 55 if I could not control my blood sugar. 10 years later I still couldn't do it. I actually had to have a pretty intense surgery in order to get my sugar under control for the first time in my life. The channel has been incredibly eye-opening for me. And I cannot thank you enough for putting out this content!
10 years of treatment for depression and anxiety, including medication, therapy, and TMS: ... I was kind of functional? But after 6 months of being diagnosed with ADHD and having it treated, I'm finally starting to live up to my potential
Hello Alice
I have been trying to find this out forever, I’ve been diagnosed adhd since I was really young but I’ve always felt it is not the only thing going on
I didn't get diagnosed til i was 30. Everyone just thought i was weird. I always wondered why i was so different. At least now i know. I also got diagnosed with bipolar. Now i know why i act the way i do n can get help. Thanks to a new amazing doctor who actually listened to me.
I'm autistic and just now (as an adult) trying to figure out if I have comorbid ADHD or if it's just symptoms of the autism. I feel overwhelmed by trying to make the distinction as the two share a lot of overlap.
I'm with you there on the "it's hard to tell if I've got this comorbidity because there's so much overlap" thing, just in the opposite direction. Definitely got ADHD, though, because unmedicated, I down coffee like water, and it either barely does anything or sends me to sleep. 😅
There's definitely a lot of overlap for me but some things I found to be different for both is 1) not able to focus on anything I like or don't like 2) dropping hobbies super quickly 3) brain going way too quickly 4) falling asleep or yawning a lot when I'm bored, even if I want to focus on something but my brain decides it isn't interested
I have both ASD and ADHD Inattentive Anxiety and Depression PTSD and RSD
Thank you for the thoughtful reply. 😊
It's so hard when you have a lot of comorbidities already, I am dealing with some other things and feel bad about how much there is.
♥ I can't tell you how SEEN it made me feel to see dysgraphia mentioned after years of avoiding bringing it up so I wouldn't have to then explain what it is since most people haven't ever heard of it.
I agree!
Thank you so much for the content! I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was young and my peers who didn't understand often made me feel as though it was just an excuse to have more time to do work or a free pass to retake a test if I forgot to take my meds that day. I eventually stopped taking meds because I was convinced that I should be able to function properly without them and that they were bad for me even though I wasn't experiencing any adverse side effects. When I found your channel it gave me a level of validation I haven't felt in a long time, if ever, and within the month I had an appointment with a general care physician and started back on my meds. I've also started using a planner which is something I could never stick to and I've been in a better place mentally than I'd been in a while. All of this and I've only been watching your videos for a little over a month or so. You have helped me on so many levels and I really hope you see this because I think what you're doing is so important and I can't say enough about it. Your content is so important and informative and beneficial I really can't say enough. Thank you Jessica
I managed to get diagnosed with severe ADHD and anxiety at the same time. We started treating ADHD first. It really seemed like the anxiety was being significantly helped by taking stimulants. And then life got stressful. And I basically internally collapsed. So now I'm on a stimulant and an SSRI. Treating the anxiety seems to be helping my continued "ADHD" issues like trouble focusing and completing tasks. It's turns out it's hard to focus or tackle hard projects when I'm having anxiety attacks, lol.
My doctor tried to treat me for anxiety when it was my ADHD causing it and I should have been treated with ADHD. I refused the anxiety treatment until I got testing for ADHD six years later because I knew something was up. I got ADHD treatment and it helped a lot
Oh yeah, I completely can relate. My untouched trauma was getting worse and aggravating my ADD. I had become completely dysregulated in every way. After a year at the clinic I'm at now, I feel I finally have the correct diagnosis; including PTSD, depression and generalized anxiety. I hate labels but what else do I call it, ya know? Not one of us is born perfect, we all have a story, too. I'm glad this channel is here!
My depression was diagnosed first, in part because I had masked so much of my ADHD symptoms due to shame. That shame also made the depression so much worse, if not outright caused it. It wasn’t until I sought out an ADHD diagnosis after relating strongly to friends’ descriptions of their ADHD, that the treatment I was receiving for my depression really started to click. And once I started medication it was a revelation. I could finally truly see that I had been struggling, and blaming and judging myself for struggling, for years when my brain is literally just wired different.
Getting treatment for my ADHD did more for treating my depression, than purely treating my depression did.
💯 LOVE the way ADHD interacts with each of comorbidities was animated! 🎉 Also, this video was....needed! Thank you for the attention to detail, research, creativity, kindness, and passion that clearly are poured into each and every video!
I was diagnosed with depression and OCD first and I was devastated. I knew I had ADHD too but was so upset that it wasn’t recognized first because it was the biggest challenge I was facing. When I finally got diagnosed it was such a relief because I was finally able to get a handle on the thing that was ruining my life.
Hello sarah
I have adhd, depression and, psychological habits that are hard to break, and a thick emotional wall. And I appreciate this video because this is still a problem to this day that someone would know condition they have but don’t know they have other one or multiple disorders. I love you Jessica you’ve helped me so much 🥰 these videos need more attention than ever.
Sending this to my mum immediately, thank you for this! I wasn’t diagnosed until a few weeks ago (on my 23rd birthday) and trying my new meds, it’s SO interesting watching other conditions reacting to it. I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression as a teenager, and nothing ever worked. Then I had trauma therapy for PTSD last year (now classed as ‘in remission’) and the ADHD symptoms became more obvious. The dx ended up REPLACING the anxiety/depression ones, and I won’t lie some of the PTSD symptoms have come back a little with the medication but thankfully not to an unmanageable degree, an at least I know where they come from. Thank you for this Jess and co!
Hello Steph
What great timing Jess! I just became aware that I have high functioning autism alongside my ADHD. I wish someone would have figured this out sooner, it could have relieved decades of emotional pain. For those who have only been diagnosed with ADHD I highly suggest speaking with multiple Clinicians and doing your own research.
And, similar to ADHD, don’t be fooled by media stereotypes of disorders. Often symptoms and presentations can look very different.
same.handful cousins were diagnose Aspergers in the past and ppl also had late speech ( i didn’t but was smart not smart other way plus out homelifes we’re very different). i suspected and it not diagnosed not a few friends think i may be duel, i patternize on auto in certain situations. i also have sons and well i see it in them but i also think their my husband is add and was never caught but he’s not gonna change now his perspective now and that’s okay. my dad at 55 was diagnosed with adhd m, and he had been okay (he hated the meds) - he also was super succesful before he knew he had adhd and basically found what suited him- he was a city firefighter and one his 48hrs off did carpentry. he loves math and hi adrenaline life or death stuff/ where there is a will there is a way
I went from learning disability to anxiety to ADHD and then now it's OCD. It truly doesn't make sense because people around me don't understand that my OCD doesn't make sense to their brain because it's ADHD OCD.
Hello Monica
There's been some times that I feel like the ADHD tests I went through years ago was missing something. I still feel like I have some type of ADHD or something else. It just doesn't feel right to say everything's alright upstairs. I'm really considering going to get tested again to make sure, especially after watching this video. Thank you for uploading these awesome videos!
So, I’m an adult who was never diagnosed with ADHD, but I’ve been binge-watching your videos and relate to so much of it. Just wanted to tell you the videos have been so helpful. You’re awesome.
It's really important. My anxiety caused that my adhd was missed in diagnoses, so i had many problems.Thank you Jessica for sharing this helpful information🌱🖤
I to have ADHD thank u for being here for us that struggle u r an amazing person and don't ever give up in life no matter how tough it is we are here for u we love u
Thank you to the How to ADHD team for this video. 🤗 I also wanted to add that there is another co-morbidity that can come along with ADHD. It’s BFRB’s like trichotillomania (hair pulling), excoriation disorder (dermatillomania, skin picking), etc. these can also come along with other diagnoses like OCD. hope this helps or educated someone! 😊💕
I’ve had Trichotillomania sine I was 14 - I’m now 60! I’m not yet dx’d ADHD but I fit much of the criteria I’ve been reading. Time to talk to my doctor about testing.
@@brendatomlinson oh wow! I’m sorry you’ve been dealing with it for so long. I’ve had it since I was 12- now 20. I also have a dr appt soon to test for ADHD! I hope you find answers soon and thanks for sharing. 😊
@@maiahN Thanks so much, Maiah. I’m learning so much from the amazing people in the comments, like you, as well as Jessica.
I am SO happy to hear you advocate that having a substance use disorder doesn't mean that someone does not need or deserve treatment. I sought help for substance use and then was diagnosed with ADHD and trauma while there. Having a healthcare provider who was willing to "look at the whole person" and not just assume I am looking for drugs, is the only reason I received proper treatment and don't have to self-medicate to try to deal with everything
Yesss. Just yes. I'm so happy you brought this up! My ADHD was entirely missed through childhood because of a multitude of factors. Being a 'high-functioning', social, academic young female who has masked all her life, when anxiety and depression hit hard in my teen years, nobody really understood why. So a severe breakdown of my mental health at 17 resulted in multiple diagnosis' of panic disorder, CPTSD and BPD... I'm being diagnosed with ADHD at 23, as neurodivergency is something that runs in my close family, and it just makes total sense. There's obviously co-morbitities still there, but potentially I've been misdiagnosed and put on unhelpful medication over the years. It's reassuring to see that many humans here have experienced similar situations. Perhaps the psychiatric system will learn more, become more aware and thorough with investigations in the future. Particularly if there is a family history of ill mental health and neurodivergency. We can only hope! Thankyou for everything you do to raise awareness and destigmatise neurodivergency and everything that comes alongside it. You've helped me and others so much on our brain journeys 🙌💛✨️💛
I was diagnosed with Dyslexia when I was about 5 or 6 but I was JUST diagnosed with ADHD & anxiety like 2 months ago! I’m already feeling a lot better with my new medication and I can’t believe it took so long for me to get this diagnosis 🤦🏼♀️
This is so true. I was diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression first... And I spent years focusing on treating the depression because it was the worst.
Now that I have an ADHD diagnosis, I've learned that many of the strategies and treatments we used that were designed for depression are actually the OPPOSITE of what we should do for ADHD.
Ugh. I feel like I've wasted so much time and effort.
Totally agree to this
Yesterday I think I finally got my diagnosis. I was always told I had ADHD but I actually have complex ADHD with GAD (anxiety disorder) OCD and Bipolar disorder. You're TH-cam videos have helped me so much and not feel alone
I’ve known about my probable ADHD for over half my life, but I’m just coming to terms with it now, at 52. Talk about procrastination!
Thank you so much! The dynamic of self understanding which leads to self compassion which dovetails into self love and self acceptance which is crucial for healing and creating our best selves is incredibly important and that’s the gift you give to so many.
A couple of odd tendencies I’ve developed which I’m not sure if you’ve touched on yet since I’m new to the channel:
1. A habit of self sabotaging if things are going too well. I’ll seek out difficulties that place me in a state of urgency to assuage a sense of impending doom when things are too quiet if that makes any sense whatsoever.
2. Pre-arguing. I will anticipate people being upset with me in my imagination and stage arguments solely in my mind with the expectation that it will happen in real life so I should rehearse. Spoiler alert: It almost never does!
You inspired me over the past weeks to make a doctor's appointment. Today I was diagnosed with Complex Adhd. Im sitting here with tears in my eyes knowing my life can finally change. You had a part in that. Thank you for helping change my life.
My depression was diagnosed and treated first , and because some of the symptoms of depression overlap (difficulty focusing, lack of motivation ) they did get mildly better when my depression was better so I attributed it to the depression: BUT even when depression was managed I always felt like I was fundamentally broken until I got my ADHD diagnosis (at age 32)
I have been watching your videos non-stop for the last 2 weeks. I'm a teacher, local politician, mom, and about 20 other things. I also suffered with diagnosed trauma, anxiety, and depression (discovered all at different times). I am also an alcoholic who has been sober for three years now and just recently realized that I have complex ADHD. I relate to your personal story; my relationship with relationships has not always been healthy (ok, it is pretty damn scary). I spent a long time last night crying when I realized what this diagnosis could have meant for my birth mother who eventually died from her alcoholism. I'm usually pretty funny and make jokes about all of the things, but right now I'm just grateful for you, this channel, other brains, and a chance to work on the things that will help me be productive and happy in life. Keep it up, you are making many lives much better.
the BIGGEST result of getting treated for ADHD for me was my anxiety levels plunged. However, I had never considered myself an anxious or depressed person until adhd meds let me glimpse normal again. Turns out I was doing worse in that department than I realized (or would admit to myself). Since I wasnt focusing on those issues when I went to the psychiatrist I talked about the symptoms that pointed towards ADHD, instead of anxiety or depression.
So many of my friends have had the opposite story. They have been to therapists and psychiatrists for years treating primarily depression and anxiety in so many different ways with limited success. They do have these things, and I don't think adhd medication would make the commorbidities go away, but so many of them have to fight so hard for stimulants or adhd diagnosis because their doctors want to treat the anxiety or depression first. I am frustrated with them while I watch them fight for what they need while my journey was comparatively easy, just cause I came in single minded.
Thank you for the video, I might send some friends the article.
I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Depression, ADHD. I wanna say I even have dyslexia. I love how you explained your trauma with ADHD - "My ADHD would make me impulsively repeating patterns that reenacted that trauma." I love that, thank you, it makes me feel so much better.
My friends are starting to think that I have autism(most likely Asperger's), even though my ADHD symptoms are more prominent and have actually caused the same amount of trouble for my life as my suspected ASD. This video kind of helped me with that situation.
Btw as of 2022 the diagnosis is just autism spectrum, the icd-11 is up to date with the dsm-5 now
I was one of those half! I was originally diagnosed with anxiety and depression first. Which I do definitely have but like you said, treating those 2 only didn’t help enough. This last round of eval found the ADHD and finally pinned down that YES I DO have dysgraphia. The validation was so powerful. I wish I knew this as a kid.
Got diagnosed with GAD and depression back in 2014, looked at (and then dismissed) for bipolar and then only now getting assessed for ADHD. Since I self-diagnosed my ADHD a few years back and have put in place coping strategies while waiting for the official diagnosis process I have found that my depression & anxiety have mostly gone and have a feeling they were mainly a result of my untreated ADHD.
Hi Jessica, I've very recently discovered your channel and I am super pumped to learn more about this. I was diagnosed with mild Tourette's when I was a child and always associated my social struggles to it. In fact at the time little info was known or available. I tried med treatment but it just knocked me out in school and made that while environment so much more difficult. I was finally diagnosed with ADD as an adult while seeing a therapist for helping me deal with my son's death. I never realized how deep the ADHD rabbit hole went until I stumbled upon your channel and I kept funding myself, repeatedly saying," Me too?!" as you described one symptom after another. It's an absolute pleasure learning about my "stuff" from you. You're a very engaging teacher. Thanks. Moe
Jess this video is great. I'm still overwhelmed to learn how many of us have gastrointestinal issues, or pain issues, and how sometimes it feels like we can't figure out if the ADHD is the chicken or the egg OR if it's simply a comorbidity.
Hello Alicia
I was diagnosed with ADHD (and a few other things) around 33. So no wonder I was being told as a child stop interrupting. Then 10ish years later I was diagnosed with moderate PTSD. So I was born with what I told my Dr, the bonus package. About 4 diagnosis have some overlapping things, it's no wonder I've been so quick to react instead of respond. So frustrating. I'm glad this channel exists.
I have ADHD and OCD, so having difficulties with focusing while also obsessing over things has definitely been a journey. As a teenager, I got therapy to help me deal with my compulsions and intrusive thoughts, but didn't get diagnosed with ADHD until I was an adult. I have definitely seen how the two effect each other, and while it is easy to focus on the negative, I see both as a blessing as well. The ADHD along with the OCD helps me to hyperfocus on stuff I'm interested in and get things done! Multitasking is also a bit easier for me than for most people because of it.
Same here. Except it doesn’t help me in any way
As a 32yo, I was diagnosed 2 months ago. I was diagnosed with ADHD Combined Presentation, PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Your channel has helped me a lot. I actively sought treatment and met obstacle after obstacle. I just took my medicine for the first time this morning. Your videos kept me from being AS nervous. Thank you.
My ADHD has gone untreated for most of my life, and managing my frustrations at work has been difficult as of late.
I took medication on two different occasions (as a child and then as an adult) and neither one worked well or was enjoyable to be on. This really makes me want to see someone about a reevaluation and possibly another approach at treating it.
I’m like 40 now, and I’d like to get my stuff together at some point (if anyone ever does this at any point) and go back to school. Claude Monet didn’t get serious about painting til he was around 40, so I have plenty of time left to work on me.
What I love about your videos is that anyone that is new to your channel can just jump in on any video and understand the language you use to explain things. I've followed you for a while now but I just sent this to my cousin and niece who is recently diagnosed.
All my life I thought I was just a very nervous person …😢 .. I was diagnosed with ADHD May 2021@age 42. … I believe I’m also a highly sensitive person, I also believe I have auditory process disorder , sensory processing disorder, of course all this causes me anxiety and depression.. 😔
I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression when I was 22. Treatment never worked for me that well. After a while I just stopped trying and self medicated. Now in my 40s I finally found out I have ADHD. It's made a lot of things make sense. I am getting the help I need and improving my life.
Grew up with trauma and anxiety and had periods of depression. Got diagnosed with depression and GAD in my early 20s and didn't get my ADHD diagnosis until I was 25. Finally getting a mixed treatment helped a lot, I'm still struggling a lot, but it's helped me function better.
ADD and OCD can be so challenging for me. My compulsions usually revolve around researching. So I sometimes end up hyperfocusing about the subject I am researching about, which I am doing to negate the intrusive thoughts
My rap sheet:
-ADHD (both inattentive and hyperactive)
-OCD
-General anxiety
-Tourette's Syndrome
🥳
2e here!
You were the very first video I've seen about ADHD. I literally cried when I heard somebody I haven't known describing me almost 100% accurate.
THANK YOU!
For me, anxiety was like a secondary emotion. My psychologist treated it first, because it was obviously diseuptive. The treatment worked, and when it got better, it’s like this other….thing was still there. We explored that other thing, and I was assessed for ADHD. I find out the results next week. 😬
Only been diagnosed with anxiety and depression a few years ago. I never took adhd into consideration, until i started informing myself about it out of couriosity. Been quite an eye-opening journey, and i'm looking to get tested specifically for adhd soon. Thanks a ton for your content, it's super helpfull and really made a difference for me already, whether i'll be diagnosed or not, that new angle to approach things seems to work for me. Glad i found your channel
Thank you, having been diagnosed with multiple learning disabilities as a child I think this may be part of the problem. I don't like self-diagnosis but I don't know how to get diagnosed as an adult. When I was a kid they did not use the term ADHD they use the term add and I get the remembering impression that that was something you did not want to get diagnosed with. There was money in dyslexia but not so much for those kids. If you could do a video or have resources for adults to get diagnosed that would be an amazing help.
There are evaluation tools online, like at ADDitude magazine. If you take a filled out one to your primary care manager, they should be able to give you the right kind of referral
Today was emotionally amazing! I was (re)diagnosed this morning and know a little more about how to start treating my ADHD. It took a lot out of me to walk into that office this morning because for the last 20 years of my adult life everything felt fine and that was my normal, additionally my father raised me to figure things out, have thick skin, and get things done - basically masking a lot of who was me. I was diagnosed at age 8 but my parents never did anything to help resolve or treat me. They were told I would grow out of it and I was left to my own vices.
This path started because of one video a while back, trying to better understand my son to help him and then realizing, "Oh wow! that and this and that, OH and that too, is me!!!"
Thanks!
I've only been diagnosed recently with ADHD-I, my therapist recognized a lot of herself in me because she also has it. I was diagnosed first with Dyscalculia and hyper sensitivity. while never getting help for hyper sensitivity I did got tools and extra time for my dyscalculia. I went in therapy for burn-out and eventually starting to deal with trauma but it's weird how now I only got the diagnosis of ADHD at the age of 24 while the rest of it got on the front line before it.
Hi! I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 7 and I have never seen any video that came anywhere close to identifying my feelings and issues until this channel. Thank you for having this channel.
I am often told I don't have issues by those who know me and my inability to explain the invisible barriers doesn't help. I get great support from my family, but I have noticed there aren't any support groups for ADHD in my local area (South Australia) and the government support groups don't seem to even acknowledge ADHD as an issue really. So I am ridiculously happy to have found this channel and thank you for your support
My first session with my therapist - where I told her I recognized myself a lot in ADHD testimonies -, she told me she wanted to test me for ADHD, Autism, and Gifted Children (I'm 20 by the way).
And I'm pretty sure I've been battling with burn-out and/or depression since at least two years at this point? University really f*cked me up.
PS: I'm not diagnosed for anything at this point, because we've been trying to deal with symptoms first, and diagnoses take a long time anyway. Also what kind of therapists are allowed to give what diagnoses is complicated.
The first time I heard about this channel was when a university counselor asked if I had ever considered my mental issues might stem from ADHD, and she showed me one of your videos during our session. At the time I had no idea how ADHD manifested in adult women and I associated it with hyperactive, unfocused, bouncing off the walls, bad grades. so I brushed it off, convinced it was just anxiety and depression, and thinking she was being lazy during our counseling session. I wish she’d pursued that a little harder, because now I find myself wanting to seek someone to help diagnose it when I don’t have the same resources I did in university. I’m glad I stuck around on this channel-it’s been so helpful and I always regret not looking into it more and taking my therapist seriously.
ADHD, BPD, Fibromyalgia, eating disorder, anxiety and depression lol
Can we share this globally?!?!?! I need you in my country!!! My mom used to tell me "stop watching these kinds of videos" even after I begged her to just listen but she is so STUBBORN! Your videos have been UNBELIVEABLY helpful to me I cannot express how much I appreciate you.
I give you a fun one:
ADHD and Gender Dysphoria.
Gender dysphoria causing anxiety and depression.
But treating gender dysphoria isn't something that happens until you personally figure it out and then push against the system to make treatment happen.
There's no system in place anywhere, that I am aware off, that doesn't negatively impact you somehow when you try to Access gender affirming treatment.
Yes! I'm so glad mine is more mild and I can get away with just changing how I dress, but I also have a bunch of other things, one of which is a joint issue where my bones don't always stay in place, making it hard to bind my chest. I read somewhere that taking progesterone could fix some of my issues with being AFAB, as well as the joint issues and dysphoria (according to a non-binary TH-camr), so I'm hoping to ask my GP about a progestin only birth control as it should be easier to get access to. Maybe then I can wear a proper binder without ribs or a shoulder going out of place.
For me it's mostly body dysphoria.
My body just feels wrong without curves.
Over time I stopped enjoying moving in it, stopped caring for risky ADHD stuff that caused damage. I am littered in scars.
I have two weeks of estrogen now, and my depression, that BARELY was controllable with 200 mg Sertralin, is almost gone (had no money to get antidepressants because state made an error)
I have started a random project on the weekend - AND I FINISHED IT !!!
This might be the first time in a decade. The first time since my mechanical building stuff or art projects in school !
I am not kidding.
The fog has lifted enough that I can think ahead and dodge the worst bullets. Instead of every complication, every bad situation, tearing and ripping on my emotional Armor.
I don't have to burn willpower any more to keep going.
@@custos9209 That's great! And yeah, when you have the ability to be yourself, it's so much easier to find motivation.
First thing I was diagnosed with was general anxiety disorder. Then it was depression. Followed up with ADHD, social phobia, PTSD, and dyscalculia. Now I'm on a waiting list for an ASD assessment in my 30s. This video is so helpful. Thanks Jessica!
You're welcome! We're happy to know you've found the information helpful. 🧡
Haven't watched the video yet, but had to pop in to say: I was just recently told that my diagnosis of "idiopathic hypersomnia" may be the cause of virtually all of my ADHD symptoms and more. Apparently the treatment is similar to ADHD, so I'm seeing if that can help (since getting treatment for ADHD is such a struggle). My first appointment is March 25.
Yes, yes, and yes. I was originally diagnosed as "manic depression" (now called bipolar), but the ADHD diagnosis followed not too long after (and I'm fairly certain that first diagnosis was just ADHD "flooding" mislabeled as there were ALWAYS triggers, even if it didn't seem so to those outside of my brain). Now I'm curious if the ADHD diagnosis is/was correct (if it's ALL the idiopathic hypersomnia) or if I have both and what that means. I know that since the start of Covid, my Executive Function has been critically broken and I can't figure a way out of that.
It feels like this video was made for me
I got officially diagnosed with ADHD today actually, after a two year long process. It’s been medically recognized since I was 8, but I wasn’t able to get a diagnosis because I wasn’t prioritized because I’m not interrupting my class or smth, and it apparently wasn’t bad enough. But my physiatrist have recognized both some form of anxiety and depression, but adhd is the main focus, since I’m 14 and if I don’t get help I won’t be able to continue to grade 10, because I won’t be able to get proper grades. This channel helped me deal with it in the meantime and to have good coping mechanisms:)
Your videos often hit topics and points of discussion that no one else does; Usually, I cannot immediately watch your videos due to the overwhelming emotion and sense of connection/empathy they provide, which is also something not often experienced with other sources.
Thank you for doing what you are doing!
- Cognitive Science Major slogging through finals week
I tihnk the most important take away is that it's always a good idea to self reflect before-during-after getting help. It's not only normal but OKAY to not feel like the treatment worked, just means that it wasn't right for you for a number of reasons (like everything mentioned in the vid). And you're the only one that will know what works, those in your support circle should be open to exploring whatever possibilities. If not ditch'em, you deserve help that will support you and your choices.
I went through a whole decade of being treated for anxiety and depression, only to learn that these were being fuelled by the realization that I'm autistic, and that that was probably why none of the treatment/tools I received worked. The whole time too I had the feeling that I and everyone else was missing something. It wasn't till I came across vids/art about adhd/autism that I even considered it and I'm glad I decided to explore it. I've learn that just a majority of what I learned tool wise simply won't ever work, and that the new tools I am learning are going to take a LOT longer to fully be implemented. So I can finally stop sprinting in the opposite direction and start leisurely walking the right way.
love the vid as always, gives me an excuse to word vomit all over the comment section about mental health LOL. But also to spread what should be more commonly known things or at least talked about WAAAAAYYYYY more.
Growing up I thought that I was just defective, but it wasn't until I was in my 50's when I was molested by my "Occupational Provider". That's when everything went to "it". I was diagnosed with "GAD, MDD, and PTSD". Many years later I was diagnosed with ADHD, Because of that, and help from my Physicians Asst. I 'm on my way to sorting this out. Seeing light at the end of the tunnel took a lot of frustration out of the equation. Thank you, Tom.
Perfect timing. Thank you!
I’ve been in a terrible depressive episode again lately and I this is exactly the topic I’ve been trying to research ahead of my psychiatrist appointment tomorrow.
I LOVE this video! Thanks so much for speaking to this, Jessica! I am a psychologist with ADHD who is developing expertise in treating ADHD. I'm always surprised when people come into my office and hear for the first time that their (insert other mental health condition here) is being impacted by their ADHD and vice versa, regardless of how long they have known about their ADHD and comorbid condition. Thank you thank you thank you for bringing this topic out of the shadow!
Thank you for this video! Hope more professionals prepare to better detect comorbidities! And shout out to the team of 4 psychologists who, for 3 years, never considered something else could be the cause of my executive dysfunction while treating my binge ED while one of them labeled it as laziness and despite the far-reaching consequences it's had in my adulthood for 12 years already. Yes, I'm resentful it had to be ME that, for the second time in my life, realized I could have ADHD and self-referred to officially get a diagnosis (the first time was for my BED... because before that, for my primary care doctors I was just overweight and sedentary).
I've always had issues with Anxiety. I was officially diagnosed with Anxiety and ADHD last year (27). Did a more in depth psych evaluation and learned I also have Dyscalculia. Now I'm figuring out strategies that work for me now that I know my brain a little better. This channel is amazing.