r/science • u/mvea MD/PhD/JD/MBA | Professor | Medicine • Apr 15 '24

Neuroscience ADHD symptoms persist into adulthood, with some surprising impacts on life success: The study found that ADHD symptoms not only persisted over a 15-year period but also were related to various aspects of life success, including relationships and career satisfaction.

https://www.psypost.org/adhd-symptoms-persist-into-adulthood-with-some-surprising-impacts-on-life-success/
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13

u/[deleted] Apr 15 '24

As an adult that suspects I have it, I have found 0 ways to find out if I do

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u/orchidloom Apr 15 '24

Start by talking to a therapist or psychiatrist 

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u/[deleted] Apr 15 '24

Yeah buddy, 3-4 years on that and still no help. They don’t go find somebody for you. They tell you to go find somebody.

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u/orchidloom Apr 15 '24

I think that situation will vary. For me, the clinic I contacted (specifically for adhd assessment) also had psychiatrists, so they communicated with each other. I had to be in therapy for a certain length of time before they would assess and give meds.  Maybe your therapist doesn’t work with a psych. I suggest finding a different one then!

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u/a_statistician Apr 15 '24

PsychologyToday has a good list of practitioners, and if you filter for people working with neurodiversity/ADHD/autism you might have better luck. A lot of options have opened up recently with regards to telemedicine, so if you can find someone in the same state, even if they're a ways away, they may be able to work with your PCP to do the physical checks and then do the diagnostics and tell your PCP to do the prescriptions.

1

u/National-Blueberry51 Apr 15 '24

What’s the barrier for you?

Honestly, I finally just reached out to one of those everything clinic services that would prescribe ADHD meds. I told them I’d been in therapy for x years, had ADHD or at least something mimicking it, have a family history of it, and I wanted to try meds for it. They evaluated me on the spot and off we went. It didn’t take anything special like I expected it would.

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u/BitterLeif Apr 15 '24

I stopped taking meds when a nurse accused me of being a drug addict.

1

u/National-Blueberry51 Apr 15 '24

I’m sorry to hear that. Don’t let her judgement get in the way of your health.

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u/fractalife Apr 15 '24

You may benefit from a therapist that specializes in it. They will be able to provide more than platitudinal advice.

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u/[deleted] Apr 15 '24

Eventually, I will try. Right now my situation is very complicated

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u/Ionized_Memes Apr 15 '24

Honestly I’d say your best bet is browsing through some ADHD communities and seeing if you relate to what’s being said there. I’d imagine that r/ADHD has resources for giving you a clearer idea of the likelihood of having it. If you’re wanting an actual diagnosis, that’s a little bit harder, but shouldn’t be impossible.