I fucking wish I was 30
47, first time seeing a family doctor on the 30th, long road before diagnosis. And got an appointment for my finances. Now I need to make one for my teeth. I’m getting there.
If I can just keep at it a little longer.
Right?? The time stretching ahead of you like a vast unexplored country…
I didn’t get diagnosed until my 50’s. Now starting to get a grip on things.
It is just so tiring sometimes
I’m exactly like that, and I find it so strange. Usually, the brain adepts to a new situation, and that isn’t exactly new.
I plan everything as if I did not have ADD, and have done so even before I was diagnosed and had meds.
46*
I’m in this picture and I don’t like it.
Getting my shit together < the sweet embrace of the status quo
Yeah like it’s only a problem when I’m expected to cover the duties of the two friends who got laid off, on top of my own job description.
I wouldn’t need drugs to “lock in” if I wasn’t continually being squeezed for more more more focus more productivity more time more fucking unwavering attention.
It’s not normal! It’s this stupid grind culture that makes me disabled. When the workload is evenly shared I don’t need drugs.
That is exactly how I described it to my therapist when I started really getting my mental shit together a few years ago… past 40.
There has been another recent meme that says something along the lines of “do you know they let you raw dog ADHD your whole life as long as you get good grades?” and that one hits even harder. I’ve described my childhood academic performance to a few of my medical professionals as “I was the kid who was threatened with getting kicked out of the gifted program because I didn’t do my homework.” And honestly I don’t think I remembered the assignments existed. I think that was the year I started using big fat daily planners.
And along those lines, while some of us are venting about difficulty getting treated: In past decades I’ve hauled my ass onto psychologist offices for an ADHD diagnosis and treatment. Well, I’ve always done well on cognitive tests. And you’d better believe that my Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria makes me hyper focus on those tests like a mother fucker. So being told you’re essentially too smart to have ADHD is frustrating as hell when you have failed university classes and gotten fired from grown-ass engineering jobs because of a crippling lack of executive function.
And I want to be clear none of this is supposed to be humble bragging. I’m just assuming that the audience on Lemmy is dense enough with similar computer nerds that others can probably relate when I describe it plainly. My brain is not one to envy — let’s just say it has lots of Simpson-esque “speed holes” thanks to other more significant medical shit, lol.
Edit to add: speaking of RSD, the first time I read about the strong link between ADHD and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, my entire god damned life made sense. Why yes, my life has also been defined by crippling social anxiety!
But the silver lining there is that I am able to make things a lot better for my son (8) who is exactly like me, and I can teach my wife about the brutally powerful emotions in situations that just don’t phase other people.
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Ironically, I started actually building stuff when I hit 30.
Even now that I’m medicated I still do this everyday. Things are better, but medication has its limits.
It also doesn’t last all day, much to my dismay.
This time for real though
I brought it up to my doctor and got a referral to get a diagnosis, finally. That was 4 years ago. I need to ask again for another referral but keep forgetting/not being able to, while im there. If I can bring myself to do it, I might just ask my doctor to help me make the appointment while im there. :P
Make yourself a calendar reminder now while your thinking about it
Ouch 😵💫
I have a diagnosis but meds didn’t work, possibly because i live a pretty much sheltered life and was never forced into work, i did some jobs but i never lasted more than a year. The last 3 years i spent smoking weed and postponing my waking up. Now i’m trying psychotherapy again and i’ve been prescribed efexor.
But i feel more hopeless and spent than ever. I can’t feel interest nor curiosity about anything. Social interactions are pain, and what’s worse is that even with my closest friends it is now like that. I just feel like I’m not interested or capable of conversing with them, cause I feel no interest in any thing anymore…
So maybe you need to artificially create some sort of panic in your life. I look at your life and am jealous of the things discribe but you seem to be wanting in on what Im going through. So if that’s the case just need to be constantly panicked about something.
But i am panicked about everything, about my brain fog, my incapability of communicating or even wanting to comunicate with people, inability to cope with the world materially and morally crumbling down.
And mostly, panicked about my inability to not feel numb constantly about my panic
Im not a medical professional, first off. I dont really think you need to be panicked Im just saying you need something inside telling you this is urgent. That thing needs to float above all other things. For me, its easy because from the moment I wake up and its not there I will immediately lose my job and spiral out. Its an exaggeration, but really its not. If that drive isn’t there every waking moment its like letting go of the wheel while Im driving through the mountains. Sure I might make it 10-20ft.
But Id also say, its not great.
Mmm i get it know yeah, that stimuli that pushes you forward, fear can be harnessed and not just be a stopping force. Gotta say with the antidepressants starting to work i feel like i have the eneegy to feel and think something else other than desperation, finally
That was my problem off the meds. The intrusive thoughts were constant and crippling. Sure Id like to be un-tethered to this medication but I would really just be taking off the leash and shackling on a chain.
A fitting metaphor, if bleak














