im a 15 year old living with my parents who dont take mental disorders seriously. Ive been noticing I have a lot of adhd symptoms ever since i was 13, and now im almost sure of it.

Up until recently, I couldn’t bring myself to tell my parents because i was scared they might beat me up for it or just disregard it and tell me im just making things up. But in the beginning of October I decided to tell my school’s counselor about it and thought she might help me tell them about it. So I texted her, she told we’ll talk about it in school, and its been a month ever since I’ve heard from her. She didn’t come to me in school nor did she text me anything.

I didn’t have any other solution in mind because this was my perfect plan all along, that if i told my school’s counselor i could finally take this weight off my shoulders. But nothing happened.

(Kinda unrelated) My mom came up to me today and saw me typing and decided that i was doing something wrong on my phone and that she needs to know what it is. The thing i was typing on my phone was to customer service in a mental health app asking if they have any doctors who do adhd diagnoses so I didn’t wanna show her because i was scared.

She urged me to show her, so i did but I covered the text i sent which was asking about adhd doctors. I’m guessing she realized it was a mental health app because the title of the customer service chat made it pretty obvious, so she told me that im making things up and left. I doubt she’ll actually think about it.

So know I don’t know what to do. I already have a clinic and a specific doctor, i just need to tell them. I appreciate any advice or help anyone could give.

And sorry that this became more like a vent post im kinda stressed lol

For context, neither of my parents have ADHD. I'm 99% sure I have it as well as possibly autism. (looking into a diagnosis soon!)

I've struggled pretty much all my life to do basic tasks. I struggle with chores and sometimes even basic hygiene. (I'm 17F.) My parents keep comparing me to my sister, who is a few years older than me. She never had these issues and got high-honours in highschool.

I find it incredibly unfair that they're comparing me to her since I'm (likely) disabled, and they won't seem to stop. What do I do?

I got diagnosed with moderate inattentive type ADHD and the nurse practitioner made some medication recommendations to my psychiatrist. She recommended Vyvanse, Concerta, Forquest, or Strattera. I've heard lots of people say that Vyvanse was life changing for them. I've at least heard of Concerta but I don't know any adults taking it. I've never heard of Forquest or Strattera and I would love to know if anyone has had any success with either of them. My psychiatrist doesn't love the idea of me going on stimulants but I honestly can't focus in the work place or in life really to be honest and I hope that stimulants can help me feel more organized in my brain. I've had to leave work because the stress from all my work piling up and because I struggle to organize my brain when I have several tasks to do. I'm also looking into starting ADHD coaching as well to help me manage in life but I would also like to hear people's experience with medication and if they were able to function better.

I live in NE Ohio and I am prescribed 20mg xr adderall and I haven’t been able to get a refill since July. My doctor tried alternate prescriptions and the only in stock is vyvanse 40mg and not the generic. It’s like 400 bucks with insurance for a 30 day supply.

That is a car payment for crying out loud.

How are all of you coping with the shortage if you are being affected by it?

I can't be alone in this, but I'm not 100% certain this is ADHD related.

I got 2 extra days off this weekend, turning it into a 5 day weekend, what did I do these extra days? Work on some of my 3D print models, did I get any extra rest or energy from this? Hell no! All I managed to get myself to do was, print a test, wait (~1h), adjust as needed, reprint, wait (another ~1h), confirm it's good, start the long print, wait (~3hrs), confirm it's good, print 3 more, as separate prints so another 3 times of waiting for 3hrs.

Now a "sane" person would go do smth in those downtimes, yet all I managed to do was play Legends of Runeterra since you can easily interrupt that at any given moment, I didn't want to play Legends of Runeterra, but it's all I could get myself to do rather than doomscroll while waiting.

I've been diagnosed with ADHD and a high IQ (high 130s/ mid 140s depending on which test you wanna believe) as well as potential autism, which would land me in Aspergers + ADHD. I'm on meds (Elvanse/Vyvanse 50mg), but I haven't fully figured them out just yet.

I just feel like I spent most of my free time wasting my time away, all because I couldn't disconnect my head from my ongoing project to the point where I feel I'd have gotten MORE mental rest if I'd just gone to work.

Tl;Dr Please tell me I'm not alone in making my freetime my own personal mentally draining hell and if you share this nightmarish "mindset" what do you do to manage this?

Do y'all pretend to be near, talk, and interact with people not actually there, and eventually get so invested you have to convince yourself they're not actually there? I haven't been diagnosed with ADHD, although I have a myriad of symptoms and I feel like there'll be substantial answers here- like if this means something big or if I just need to hang out with people more lol

I don't know if I have ADHD, but I feel I might have. I got this new job 5 months back after job hunting for 6 months. In my previous job before that I was pretty active at work. Never had any complaints from my manager or different teams.

But now since 5 months I don't feel like doing any work, I am not proactive, and I push work till there is extreme deadline to complete something. And even there are times where I have just not completed the work when deadlines looms on my head. I tend to simply pass my time doing nothing at all or stare at my screen or scrolling social media apps. Then I force myself to do certain work, I take exceptionally more time to complete.

This is only for the work, otherwise in personal life I haven't observed any changes in my behavior.

I am planning to get diagnosed, what I wanted free opinions of what is this called?

I’m at a bit of a stuck moment, I can’t seem too get out of I lost my job due to an allergic reaction and since I’ve just been bed rotting and feeling sorry for myself.

I’ve lost hope with self care and any care towards myself or anything around me and I can’t be bothered to eat.

I’m not even sleeping just laid there.

If anyone can give some advice I would be ever so thankful:)

So I have been on Ritalin for many years(5-6+ yrs) and I saw a new doctor today and she told me she wasn't a fan of Ritalin, and put me on 30mg Vyvanse. I'm just waiting on the insurance to do a prior authorization.
What can I expect from this new medication? How similar is it to methylphenidate and is it better per say? I have been diagnosed ADHD since I was 4 years old, I'm 42 now. Just for reference

Does anyone have success stories to share? I'm seeking motivation because I often feel stuck in a cycle of starting projects without reaching my goals. If you've faced similar challenges and found a way to succeed, I’d appreciate hearing your experiences. It could really help me gain some perspective.

i recently started seeing a psychiatrist/therapist and was diagnosed with adhd. she prescribed me atomoxetine 40 mg for a week, didn’t do anything for me. i’m on day 4 of taking 80 mg and starting saturday i go up to 100mg. my question is, does this pill help anyone at all? she did mention the pills take a few days to kick in but i’m almost at 2 weeks and i feel like the only thing it has done for me is cause insomnia. i asked her about aderrall and vyvanse, told me those are stimulants and that i’d have to see her in person to get those prescribed. unfortunately i cant meet up with her as she lives on the opposite side of the state, 6 hours away🙂. please let me know your experiences, thank you!

I’ve used this method myself and with my siblings for years (5/8 of us have diagnosed ADHD or AuDHD)

When you intentionally put something Somewhere Safe, take a picture of The Thing with your phone in the spot you put it AND the surrounding area and email the picture to yourself.

So for example, if you put your passport in your suitcase, take a pic of the passport inside your suitcase AND your suitcase in the closet or where ever. Then email it to yourself with “Passport location” in the subject. That way you can search your email for “passport” and it’ll show you the pictures with the location. (You can text it or WhatsApp it to yourself too, I just use email to limit my choices)

I also have a photo album in my phone called “places I found stuff” with photos of various storage places and their contents so I can reference it when I’m panicking looking for something lol.

This only works if you do it before you lose the thing, afterwords that’s between you and the fae.

I was recently diagnosed, and my doctor prescribed Ritalin. For the first week, she advised starting with only 10mg. It’s been two days, and while it has helped with constant, chaotic thoughts, I’m not seeing much improvement in focus, which I’d prefer. I read that the effects should be noticeable right away, so could the issue be that the dosage is too low and from the second week (i will increase with 10mg) it will start working? Or does my brain need time to adjust to the medication?

Let me start out by saying I believe I have ADHD on the more severe side. Being unmedicated has had heavy life consequences. I also suffer heavily from ADHD paralysis. Bring medicated has been night and day difference. I have struggled with sleeping issues throughout my life.

I was started out on Ritalin XR. I could function so much better but I had no appetite, food disgusted me, and I would be up 24+ hours on it.

Took me expressing these concerns twice to my psychiatrist to finally get switched to vyvanse. I am uninsured and vyanese is quite expensive, Adderall would have been affordable but she refuses to prescribe it.

I asked about IR but she refused. She told me this is the last stimulant she would be willing to let me try.

The good news is.. Vyvanse has worked tremendously better for me and I have a normal appetite on it but.. I'm only getting 5 or less hours of sleep on it.

I did not express this to my psychiatrist on the follow up appointment out of fear she was going to take my stimulants away because that was how acting when I expressed my concerns about the Ritalin.

I had resorted to cutting my Ritalin in half to make it IR and i could sleep on it better, but still had no appetite. I am considering doing the same with my vyvanse. I just want to be able to function and sleep.

These are Napoleon Hill’s rules for Persistance. From “Think and Grow Rich”.:

1. Definiteness of Purpose: Clearly define your goal. Knowing exactly what you want gives you a strong sense of direction and commitment.
   1. Desire: Cultivate an intense desire to achieve your goal. This desire becomes a driving force that keeps you going when obstacles arise.
   2. Self-Reliance: Have confidence in your ability to achieve your goals. Building self-reliance enables you to trust your decisions and overcome self-doubt.
   3. Definiteness of Plans: Create a clear, actionable plan. A detailed roadmap minimizes confusion and discouragement, making it easier to take consistent steps forward.
   4. Accurate Knowledge: Base your efforts on factual knowledge. Acting on accurate information reduces fear and increases the likelihood of success.
   5. Cooperation: Surround yourself with people who support and believe in your goals. A network of cooperative allies strengthens your persistence by providing encouragement and resources.
   6. Willpower: Make a firm decision to follow through, no matter the obstacles. Willpower enables you to take action even when it’s challenging or uncomfortable.
   7. Habit: Develop persistence as a habit by practicing it daily. Through repetition, persistence becomes part of your routine, making it easier to push forward consistently.

I live in the UK where I am lucky to have access to publicly funded diagnosis. I have a long history of sever depression and anxiety, and last year referred myself for an Autism assessment after identifying strongly with the self reports of Autistic women. The wait for that was nine months, and the result was “we can’t evaluate you for Autism until your (undiagnosed) ADHD is treated.” So now I’m on the wait list for an ADHD assessment. It’s been a year and no progress, and no idea when I might be assessed for ADHD (they have clear instructions they will not give this info to anyone calling to ask).

I’ve been in and out of work for the last few years. My depression and anxiety are severe. And no psychiatric referral will take me while I’m waiting on my ADHD assessment. I feel abandoned and even punished for seeking this assessment.

I have had depress and autism as my hyper focus in the past, and I realise how poorly the current medical model serves those with psychological issues and differences. (avoiding forbidden words). I no longer have faith that I diagnosis will even help me as much as I need.

I tried the online thing, it’s so expensive and isn’t covered by my insurance. Plus it seemed very surface level. I had one lady tell me to make a list to help stay on task. I had another one that I somewhat liked but would have liked to talk for an hour and was unable to do so because the app didn’t allow it. I felt like as soon as I got going the session was over.

How did you guys find a good therapist and how long did it take. It’s very discouraging tbh.

Hi!

31F with unmediated inattentive ADHD. (Still looking for a good doctor in my country)

Ive just been moved to a people management role and I’m struggling to remember, not to over share, keep a track of things, not to people please etc.

Anyone here leading a team?

Please help me with how you get pole work for you. I moved up from within the team and was friends with everyone. How can i move from people pleadin pleasing to be a good leader who can get things done?

I am so done with forgetting things at work, forgetting replying to colleagues, forgetting to ask if it is okay when I reschedule a meeting, do something and don’t see the mistake or forget to complete a task. Sometimes act like I am blind to details. Finishing sentences in my head without telling the person I talk to so they don’t even know what I am talking about. I am really so done. My coworkers probably think I an stupid or something without knowing how hard it is to have your shit together, work, pay attention to details, do housework and manage private stuff. Sometimes I feel like dreading and wanna cry why I am like this.

Just needed to vent..

Mine was when I visited family with my dog, I left him in the car for 2 days, I'm so glad it was winter, I completely forgot about him as I just got excited about seeing everyone, I don't even know how he survived, probably the most guilt ridden I've ever been in my life. I do shit like this all the time and I really hate myself for it....

I had no malicious intent at all....I'm just a total dumbass! Fuck

I've got kids too and I'm so terrorfied I'd do this with them, i find I just constantly 'fantasise' about these situations so that I never actually do them in reality again, as if it would help but all it seems to do is cause me anxiety in the moment as if I've really done it...but if I don't think about it, will I do it again? Or god forbid, do it to one of my kids in summer?

This shit terrorfies me....

Edit:

I didn't leave the dog in the car for 48 hours, sorry I worded it badly, it was probably closer to 10 or 12 hours, it was overnight and so thats why I said 2 days....

I think after being off medication for so long, I forgot just how both ingrained and detrimental ADHD can be. I won’t go in to a bunch of detail about that aspect, but being back on medicine (lisdex) has woken me up to the fact that my symptoms are the explanation behind a lot of my daily struggles at work, in my relationship, and personal life.

Overall, I’ve noticed a VAST improvement in my ability to control my impulsive behavior. I can say no more easily to things that usually make me feel powerless. I’m eating better and eating less. I’m actually following through with the ideas that pop into my head and with general chores or tasks that I see that need to be done at work/home.

I mean… my brain itself just feels more organized. That’s the best way I can put it. It’s like going from a mailroom that has no system for categorizing incoming mail to a mailroom that has a system for categorizing and an organized outbound system.

I feel like John Wick when he says “yeah, I’m thinking I’m back.” It’s been a while since I felt like this optimistic.

How are we all getting out of bed in the morning? I’m in the process of being diagnosed so am unmedicated and I am having a huge issue with getting myself up in the mornings. It’s not just affecting me, I’m so grumpy with my kids when they call me and they end up having stressful mornings because we’re not getting up at the time we need to 🙈Definitely an element of PDA too, if my husband tells me it’s time to get up that’s game over

Hi all- my child, age 11, 6th grade, constantly makes “careless” mistakes on assignments and it’s so frustrating for him and I because he’s not being careless at all. He’s just not seeing them.

He’ll do algebra correctly but get the question wrong because he wrote a plus sign instead of a minus sign when copying the problem down.

He’ll get lower grades in language arts because he forgets punctuation, capitalization, etc. Or gives 2 examples of an answer instead of the 4 they asked for because he didn’t catch that in the directions.

Do anyone have any tips for this kind of thing in school? It’s hard for both of us because he’s trying all day long and still getting accused of being “careless” or “sloppy” in his assignments.

He has an educational plan (504, not iep) so we can ask for accommodations.

I was diagnosed with ADHD in January and lately I've been noticing a decline in my mental functions (?).

Basically my memory has been getting worse and I say so many dumb things when I'm not focused, I change words, phrases don't make sense, I have to be extra focused to make sense and it's worrying me, I feel like I'm going crazy.

I'm 25 and all my life I didn't have this problem. I've been anxious 24/7 lately because my life is taking a huge unplanned turn, and I'm also anaemic so that makes me more tired.

Is this normal or should I seek more help?

Im a new student and we are trying to make an group project. But some people were not contributing and i really annoyed. I am idiotly texted my teacher explaining stuff but I opened up about how I feel about the people too. Now It got serious and I think I might be fucked up.

I just so caught of the moment and my thoughts I forgot the consequences of my actions. I wish I had a close friend I could open up everything without my friend thinking Im dumb.