Hey!! So i’m doing a research project on learning disorders in the US Education system, and how well that system is actually working and how it should improve. If you’re a student with any kind mental / learning disorder/ especially ADHD and are in school you should check out the form below!! it would mean a lot if I could get personal stories of how your experiences were / are in schools.
Give this lovely person a hand!
hello,, so I was diagnosed with ADHD about three years ago. I've been taking Vyvanse every since. I know that I inherited my ADHD through my dad so this outcome was inevitable. However I've been being told a lot lately that as I get older (seeing as I am still in high school) I have to learn now how to get off of the medicine. and I guess I'm not sure if I feel like I can or even want to right now?? do i HAVE to get off it at some point before adulthood?
Goodness no, you do not! Seeing as adult ADHD is a thing, you can absolutely keep taking your meds as long as they are working for you. The only exception I can think of is if you had any kind of other health problem where you couldn't take a stimulant. But other than that, you can keep taking ADHD meds for as long as you want--ADHD generally doesn't improve with development (and even in cases where it appears to, it's often because of symptoms being manifested in different ways). They are no more a "crutch" or "training wheels" than insulin is to a diabetic person.
So I'm 98% sure I have adhd/add, and I only connected those dots through reading about other people with symptoms identical to mine that are diagnosed with adhd because of them. My problem is that when I finally went in to check it out, my therapist doesn't want to diagnose me because she fears I just saw the symptoms online and adapted them after to explain other issues (that I don't believe exist). Is she on to something or should I find a new therapist?
I'd recommend finding a new therapist. It's always hard to accept, but there are bad and even harmful therapists out there. A good therapist would have asked you to explain more about your symptoms instead of brushing you off (especially in such an accusing way). I do want to clarify though, that a therapist cannot diagnose you with anything. Only a psychiatrist is licensed to do that. I promise there are better therapists out there! I've had to go through a couple duds myself, but I've had some great therapist experiences too. It's a relationship about trust, and if at any point you feel like your therapist is being hurtful, dismissive, or manipulative, get out of dodge.
Sorry to rant but I've been thinking I might have ADHD, but I'm scared to go and get tested because a) my parents are dismissive, I'm 20 so I could get tested without them but I feel bad without their support, and b) what if I'm not? I go to college (med school) and pass my classes and it's nowhere near as severe as some people have it, so what if I'm just lazy? Do you have any ideas how to get my parents on board? If not, a simple "you are valid" would be really nice :(
First off, you are valid.A point I like to make when it comes to ADHD is that even with the reputation of "Doctors are throwing around the diagnosis to push pills", ADHD is a very common disorder. It's not rare or unlikely for any person to have ADHD of various severity, though women and POC are massively underdiagnosed. As far as disabilities go, it's at about the same level as needing glasses or having asthma--extremely common, very treatable. I know that parental support means a lot, especially when it comes to your health. Possibly bringing it up in that context will be easier for them to get on board with. When it comes to worrying about if you're wrong about it, remember that if you feel like something is wrong or off, that's your brain/body telling you that something is off. We also tend to blame ourselves due to the anxiety that goes with ADHD.You're doing good by looking out for yourself and learning. And you're always welcome to message again with any updates!
I love every single one of you. Thank you for following, for dealing with my intermittent posting habits, and for always offering curiosity and insight, and really creating this awesome community. I run this blog all by myself, and every time you lovely souls reblog or comment or share ideas, it seriously makes my day. In case any of you were curious, my main is @heckedy-peg, it's mainly just things I find interesting or funny and sometimes health rants. You all are amazing.
sapphic girls with adhd? beautiful, radiant, and ethereal as hell 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼
Ultimate Hell: too tired to eat, too hungry to sleep
Hi, so I am new to this blog and I have ADHD. Do some symptoms of ADHD overlap with symptoms of OCD?
Hello, I have ADHD and OCD! From what I've noticed in myself, there is overlap in the inattentive department--my intrusive thoughts are always massively distracting and often keep me from focusing. I also feel like some of the impulse control with compulsions kind of feeds into my adhd as well.Any followers have info or stories?
Hi there! So I'm self-dx ADHD and I'm considering getting a professional diagnosis so I can receive accommodations at my university. Only problem is I'm afraid that any doctor who diagnoses me will insist that I go on medication, and I actually don't really wanna do that right now? Do you have any suggestions for how to handle this? Thanks!
Hello there! There's absolutely benefits to getting a paper diagnosis, especially when it comes to school and accommodations. And it's good to know that a doctor cannot require you to take medications! They can recommend medication and get you a legal prescription, but it's also understood that not every can take medication, for a variety of reasons. And if you start off without meds and then decide you want to try them out, just notify your doctor and talk about different types you can use, it's totally normal to take a bit of experimentation to find out what works for you!
hey this is probably really silly but I recently got diagnosed with ADHD inattentive type(like a month ago) and I'm hoping to find stuff to educate my mom bc she yells at me for stuff thats really hard for me to do/stuff i cant do/stuff i do to concentrate. I immediately thought of you ;v; Do you know of any good websites or blogs to send her? I have bad judgment and am only now really learning about it myself so I thought I'd ask someone else whos known for longer than me
I’m screaming I just wrote out this long post for you and it didn’t post I hate Tumblr mobile.
okay! let’s try again I guess!! hi! thank you, I love you!okay, so most of what I’ve learned as to help me and my studies and behavior. i I have some refs, but please, if showing your mom this stuff will just make her yell at you more, take care of yourself first because you are most important
okay. so! @adhd-community @adhd-is @adhdstudying @actuallyadhd @thatadhdfeel @adhighdefinition and @adhdofficial are all great blogs!
i dont use many websites, as most of what I need to know is for myself and my studies, apologies, but actuallyadhd has a website, so maybe you can refer to symptoms and these blogs and explain that there are some things that are extraordinarily difficult for you to do, even when they may seem easy for her.
I hope I’ve helped at least a little! I’m always here if you need me, and tell me if you need anything else! i love you!
This is my favorite fidget, and I've found the most effective one for me. It's a knot made of steel rings that slide over each other in endlessly entertaining ways. It's extremely quiet and nonchalant--I've used it during lectures with no issue. It takes no actual attention to manipulate, which is what I love most about it. It takes up the distractible part of my brain and lets me focus on what's important. I got this one from https://www.etsy.com/listing/174256776/fidget-mobius-puzzle-chainmail, they also have lots of colors and different sizes.
please stop calling your interests that mean a lot to you your “special interests”. special interest is a term for people on the autism spectrum, not for you guys to throw around like it means nothing. having special interests means the world to so many autistic people (especially young autistics) and seeing the term used loosely by allistics is kind of infuriating.
Also, special interests are pathologised as a symptom of autism, and using the term is a reclamation by actually autistic people. In the medical community, autistics having a special interest is considered a problem, therapies are aimed at forcing autistics to give them up, and they are forbidden to speak about them – even when it’s totally normal for allistics to have driving hobbies and interests.
For allistics who have ADHD and similar disorders, “hyperfocus” is a common term.
If you’re neurotypical, just say “hobby” or “passion” or “fandom” or something like that.
And from the point of view of an ADHD-er, a hyperfocus is less a specific interest and more a topic that is always easy and enjoyable to focus on, sometimes to a fault, because we’d much rather focus on enjoyable things than anything else, because to someone with ADHD, there is only Fun Amazing Fascinating Hyperfocus and Oh My God This Is So Boring I Want To Die, and there is no in between.
“Mildly interesting” is not in our experience wheelhouse.
I’m sorry if this is hijacking OP, but my point is the same, that a special interest is an autistic-specific term and experience, and also does differ from ADHD hyperfocus.
Can I just add: as far as I know, the ADHDer equivalent of the autistic term “special interest” is actually “hyperfixation.” Hyperfocus is the mental state of being super-focused on something, at that time.
So like, I could be hyperfocussing on maths homework, or reading, or random wikipedia research, but my hyperfixations might include an area of science, or a band, or a book series.
Thank you for the addition!
please stop calling your interests that mean a lot to you your “special interests”. special interest is a term for people on the autism spectrum, not for you guys to throw around like it means nothing. having special interests means the world to so many autistic people (especially young autistics) and seeing the term used loosely by allistics is kind of infuriating.
Also, special interests are pathologised as a symptom of autism, and using the term is a reclamation by actually autistic people. In the medical community, autistics having a special interest is considered a problem, therapies are aimed at forcing autistics to give them up, and they are forbidden to speak about them – even when it’s totally normal for allistics to have driving hobbies and interests.
For allistics who have ADHD and similar disorders, “hyperfocus” is a common term.
If you’re neurotypical, just say “hobby” or “passion” or “fandom” or something like that.
And from the point of view of an ADHD-er, a hyperfocus is less a specific interest and more a topic that is always easy and enjoyable to focus on, sometimes to a fault, because we'd much rather focus on enjoyable things than anything else, because to someone with ADHD, there is only Fun Amazing Fascinating Hyperfocus and Oh My God This Is So Boring I Want To Die, and there is no in between.
"Mildly interesting" is not in our experience wheelhouse.
I'm sorry if this is hijacking OP, but my point is the same, that a special interest is an autistic-specific term and experience, and also does differ from ADHD hyperfocus.
