ADHD Diagnosis - 10 months on!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ย. 2024
- Having a diagnosis of ADHD at the ripe age of 56 in January 2023 this year, was emotional!!
10 Months later I wanted to share an update on my journey so far. Did the meds work? How do I feel about my ADHD now?
Let me know in the comments if you've been diagnosed and if you chose to try medication, how did you get on with it?
Here's the link to my original video just after I had my diagnosis:
• ADHD in Women over 50 ...
And if you'd like to watch my TEDx Talk, ADHD in Menopausal Women, here's the link to that too:
• ADHD in menopausal wom...
It’s not that we lack focus it’s we focus too much and we don’t get to pick what we focus on.
Hi Bev! Thank you so much for doing this video. I'm 56 and have just been diagnosed with ADHD. Last week in fact. This came about as I sought help for poor mental health due to battles with menopause of the last few months. Because I went private, a friend mentioned the Panorama programme, which I watched yesterday. This threw me into turmoil and I've been awake all night worrying about it. But then I found your videos!! You have just saved me!!! I really can't thank you enough.
I totally understand the turmoil. But trust the diagnosis and now you can start to make sense of things. Lots of luck with this new chapter x
Hello Bev! I just found you today here through your Ted Talk 🙏 I was finally diagnosed at 51 last November…i tried Medikinet medication slow release and then tried the short release- i found alot of the side effects you described and also felt like i lost abit of ‘Tina’…so have stopped now and trying strategies that help abit! I’ve somehow held down my job in social care for many years but this is increasingly unsatisfying and I long to start my own business with Shaman and Reiki healing work..i’ve been qualified in these for many years but yet to fully take the plunge into making this my full time work…you are sowing seeds for me though! Thank you for your beautiful honesty and encouragement you are giving us all here 🙏❤️
Hi Tina. Thank you for seeking me out 😊. I have to say going out on my own has been the best decision. Not always easy but definitely satisfying. If you’re interested I have a brand new community over on Facebook called The Generation Exceptional Community for Midlife Women who may (or may not) be neurodivergent. facebook.com/share/g/as3k7GZoUXCcpUAo/?mibextid=K35XfP
My son has been diagnosed with it. I am 58 and diagnosed with deprsssion and or generalised anxiety disorder. Never tested for adhd. Did the test. 99% got it.
How are you feeling now you've had the confirmation?
Very interesting! I’m a 75 year old woman who only figured out I have ADHD about a year ago. My grandchildren were being diagnosed and that produced insights. I have researched ADHD intensely (hyper focus🙄) and the knowledge I’ve gained has helped me enormously. I’m a clear fit from childhood to the present. Like you, I manage myself differently now, and my husband is supportive. Now I can verbalize how and where I need his help, and he understands. I take 150 mg of Bupropion XL which is an anti-depressant, but also effective with ADHD. Although I had figured out how to manage my hyperactivity with exercise and my executive functions with technology, my emotional sensitivity and tendency to ruminate were still big issues. I’m not sure if the drug or the knowledge has helped me most, but I’m managing my emotions much better now! This has been life changing for me🙏🏼
Thank you for sharing. This is such a good comment for all those who question why we need a diagnosis as older women.
And that is it as well, finding a level of acceptance for ourselves. I have felt defective all my life. No matter what I achieve, nothing ever feels good enough. I also have the perfectionist 'gene'! 🤦♀
I totally love that you accept it. That's my strategy now. Also not masking it
Masking all the time was exhausting 😩. It's been quite liberating 😊
Hi Bev, great video. I enjoyed your Ted X talk and found it funny and insightful. I am in a family of ADHD, and never considered myself to have it as I’m not hyperactive! I’ve had a life of anxiety and depression, and learning about masking, has led me to wonder about myself. I’ve never fitted in anywhere, and untangling all your emotions to find out what is real and what is masking, has me questioning myself now. Xx
Thank you for taking time to leave a comment @carolhydon7324. It's strange how we often take many years to start to really look inside at what makes us who we are. It's a voyage of discovery 😊
Thanks. My sister (late 50s) and daughter (mid twenties) have just been diagnosed and tried then stopped medication. I don’t know any adult women who get on with the standard prescribed meds. My daughter certainly had already found lots of ways of coping. Yoga, improving home working/office balance, better nutrition (VERY important).
Yes medication wasn’t great for me.
Dr. Tracy Marks had a video a while back about a newish medication for executive function - it is not a stimulant medication. I have my appointment for meds next week and will be asking about that.
I had to retire from my library job due to health issues, not adhd, so now I am at home being a creative. I still struggle with motivation and keeping on track (currently have three different creative projects going because I lost interest in two of them). I might have a bright brain for a bit and then it crashes and things get really confusing around here. I would like to have a small business but getting started is intimidating. I don’t know anything about marketing or filming and it is all so much.
Thank you for sharing, and for your TEDx talk as well. Looking back, I started noticing changes around age 41 which eventually led to ADHD dx at 48. I never tried meds. A month ago, I was diagnosed with autism. I've heard that if you have autism too, the ADHD meds just amplify the autism symptoms. Recently I've decided that I'm done trying to fit into my neurotypical "role" and am shifting to self-employed. My mental health thanks me!
Good luck with self employment. I've found it life changing in many positive ways. 😊
The name is so misleading it delayed me getting help for most of my life, and it was internet memes that lead me to discovering I was so.
But the diagnosis does not define me; the condition does. Every second. The diagnosis clarifies me.
I love my dex - it makes the bridge between thought and action crossable. But if you choose not to medicate, there are strategies that can still help. See How to ADHD.
'Delayed sleep phase' is the trait of which you speak.
I totally agree. The name is completely outdated. Thank you for adding your thoughts 🙏
I always felt like "attention disregulation" is a better naming convention. 🤔
Yes. That's a much better description.
Gosh you have a doppleganger MaryJane on TH-cam. Good luck in ur endeavors❤🎉