Hi everyone,
I’ve been told by others with ADHD that they think I have it. But I sometimes wonder if it’s not just bad habits / low willpower / low discipline / the internet and it’s short and fast instant gratification.
I have been to a psychiatrist and he said it sounds like I might have ADD/ADHD/something. (I don’t know the exact differences, as I’m new to it.)
Here are some issues (symptoms?) that I struggle with:
- Easily distracted.
- Easily overwhelmed / overstimulated by smells, noise / textures.
- Items in no. 2 make it hard to focus / work
- Mind is almost always running at 100km/hr.
- Been told I’m very random and my thoughts are very much so.
- Feels like a machine of thoughts are going off all the time in my head.
- Hard to relax / shut down.
- Can’t listen to music with any lyrics, gets stuck on repeat in my head for days and wake up at night with the song playing like a recording.
- Always extreme one way or the other, struggle with balance.
- Often jittery, tapping my feet, drumming with my hands on my lap.
- Jaw gets sore from clenching it all the time, even at night.
- Can’t listen to music for longer than 3 songs, and can only be instrumental / ambient.
- White noise is best, but makes me sleepy.
- Can’t listen to the radio or podcasts when walking or driving. Always want silence.
- Get worked up quickly, always an underlying tension in my mind and body.
- Can only spend time in small groups with very close people. Otherwise I want to crawl into a dark hole.
- Our town is too big, not even a city, want to live in the country. All the details and sound and litter and people and visuals drive me up the wall.
- I notice EVERYTHING.
- I can’t sit still for very long.
- I can get lost for hours researching a tooic IF I’m interested in it.
- Procrastination level is “over 9000.”
- Takes a LOT to get me to even START doing something I’m not interested in.
- Crap, I think this list is just going to keep going, so I’m just going to submit it now…
Some of the sensory stuff here smells a bit like the autism spectrum. Executive function issues also tend to fit under the ADHD/autistic umbrella. May be worth brushing up & seeing if any of that applies.
I agree that sensory sensitivities are also more common in ASD, but ADHD, especially in more severe cases, can also have sensory sensitivities as can OCD and other conditions.
OP I think there’s enough here to justify an evaluation by a psychologist if you can afford it / it’s available where you are. If not, reading about ADHD and applying some of those strategies will not hurt you. I’d recommend ADHD 2.0 as a starting point.
ADHD and anxiety are also comorbid, and some of your symptoms may be more about anxiety and might respond well to anxiety related interventions. ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) has several good workbooks about anxiety which could be helpful.
OCD doesn’t have to have rituals necessarily but that’s what most people think of as a hallmark of OCD. A differential dx like this is important, but hard to do without a professional who can help you not just list your symptoms, but assess the qualitative nature of them.
Regardless, it does sound like this impacts your functioning and happiness, I’m glad you’re reaching out and getting some support.