How did you find out you have ADHD?

I asked for a test when I was 13 because I had known I was different from other kids since the age of 5. Because it went untreated so long, it made my chemical depression harder to manage to the point my school requested I be instituted. From that point on, my parents took my treatment and diagnoses very seriously. Testing is about a 3 to 5 hour process if done by an actual doctor. Don’t do it through the public school system; I have never heard good results come of that. Treatment for me started with therapy with dedicated time-management organization, tracking to ensure I get enough sleep, and I took on an extended release medication about a year after that process began. I was always taught it was something to be ashamed of in the school environment I was raised in, especially because I was a girl. “Girls can’t have ADHD”; they all just told my parents I was quiet, nice, and stupid.

I did lots of research on my mental health when I was younger, and eventually I became a psych student in college. I learned about adult ADHD symptoms in women which helped me realize I fit the symptoms, and then I looked deeper into ADHD and got tested and diagnosed in college during COVID. The internet was a great help for me in finding the symptoms women experience differently, and the counselors at my school helped me be able to get a formal diagnosis.

I took physiological and psychiatric treatment /sessions until my adolescent years even into my adult years and nothing changed. I just had to come to terms with accepting that my condition was a part of me that I needed to start embracing truthfully.

It wasn't until I became a teenager at the age of 13 that I was prescribed with medications that only made it worse imo as time went along I began to just wing myself off of all of that poison.

I was diagnosed at the age of 5 when my foster mother was having a difficult time trying to find a daycare that would accept me.

For my whole life I never considered I had adhd. All my symptoms I know realize are an issue we’re simply the normal for me;I lived every day with those symptoms and didn’t think there was anything I could do about it. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety at around age 14 I think? And from then I started experimenting with various medications. A few years later I was 17 and Prozac seemed to have the most positive effect on me. I didn’t realize it, but the few issues I still were experiencing after taking Prozac were adhd symptoms;the medication helped with my depression but in turn all adhd symptoms remained. I think they became more prominent then because of that. My therapist bought it up to me that I might have adhd and mentioned it to my psychiatrist. And now I’m here

I went in for an autism assessment and walked out with an ADHD diagnosis haha

I got diagnosed multiple times. Once with a therapist, but my dad ignored it and took me out of therapy. Again with a psychiatrist, diagnosed through written survey questions (over telehealth because rona). And again recently by another psychiatrist via a fun little thing called a TOVA test. If you’ve never taken it, never take it. It’s a boring thirty minutes of staring at boxes on a computer screen and clicking a clicker. Accurate assessment but boring for a combination adhd individual like myself haha.

i figured it out around my sophomore year of high school, and was self-diagnosed/self-advocated until around august last year when i got officially diagnosed. my psychiatrist asked me some checklist questions and then i was scheduled to do a QB test, and the results of that confirmed my diagnosis. a couple months later i went onto adderall to help with school work & also to help with my energy levels (my bipolar meds make me superrr sleepy).

I was formally diagnosed at 26 and put on meds. At 12, I was diagnosed clinically depressed, 19 with anxiety disorder, 26 was a big year since I had been studying psychology for my masters and brought it up with my therapist and doctor. I also was diagnosed with CPTSD but I do believe a lot of the root issue was my undiagnosed ADHD for so long. I’m more inattentive and spacey, so the usual “hyper activity” and inability to sit still isn’t as obvious because I “mask” constantly. My mom said they tried to diagnose me in elementary school but I was glad she decided to not put me on stimulants then, it forced me to do a lot of internal work in addition to adding medication in later to help the issues I have now.

I was diagnosed in 5th grade after tons of teachers kept dropping hints to my mom. She was told not to medicate me and held off until letting me try it the summer before sixth grade to see what would happen. I went from a C-B student to a mostly As (occasional B) student. I just wish she’d medicated me sooner because my lack of diagnosis caused me to struggle with basic math later in life.

Tiktok made me realize I was autistic but I tried to deny having adhd, I couldn't deny it anymore and got tested, and yup

I was diagnosed as a child, I think I was like 7? 8? I can't remember when/how exactly but through school, I had this councilor who'd go over how I felt, classes and such.

I was tested for it when I was about 11 years old. It was weird, because I didn’t understand what was happening. I went to a lot of doctors and therapists and gained a lot of self hatred from the frequent uprooting my disorder caused. When I was about 15 I finally started realizing there wasn’t anything wrong with me, I was just different.

I came to a realization that I might have it when I was driving and almost started crying because I couldn’t get to my destination vast enough. Now looking back I can see so many signs of it as I was growing up. I got officially diagnosed about 3 years ago. He had me do a few tests but I always like to share that on one of the tests I genuinely thought I did s good job and the man told me I scored in the 99th percentile for having adhd and I just started cracking up 🤣

Always known, but only got an official diagnosis last year — which was basically "yep, sounds like ADHD, here's a nonstimulant to try before we end up giving you Adderall" 🤣 it had been so hard for so long, and I mention it to ONE GUY and suddenly it's diagnosed.

I was diagnosed at 35 while in a mental hospital after a suicide attempt. I didn’t have a clue until the psychiatrist diagnosed me.

My parents always told me I didn’t have adhd, so I didn’t think I did. But when I got to college and my disorganized thoughts was really affecting my life, I referred myself to a psychologist. I got testing done which took about 6 hours. I was diagnosed in October 2021 at age 20, and I started medication in January 2021. There was a delay because I needed to treat my anxiety first before I could try stimulant medication. It felt so good to be diagnosed I finally understood so much pain I had been confused about. -a woman w inattentive type adhd

I was tested and diagnosed at about 5-7

I ended up asking for a test, because I was struggling in college wasting money on classes because I had to take them multiple times. I should have been tested along time ago, but my teachers/parents never noticed or suspected it, because I'm not hyper

I’m now 42, was diagnosed right before senior year of high school after pushing for testing. It went unnoticed bc I as they said “over compensated”. I had to work so much harder than everyone else. I’m functioning fine with the ADD. I’ve trained my brain and came up with coping skills that work. Activity listening. Check lists. Notes. Using a calendar and not depending on memory.

I just found out last year at age 38! Now so much of my life makes sense.

my doctor actually told my parents that there was a high possibility of my having adhd but my parents never really took it seriously until my senior year of high school. i came to the conclusion when i did more research and self diagnosed myself. about 2-ish years ago i got officially diagnosed with adhd by taking a bunch of written tests and had my family take tests on my behavior and gave it to my doctor and was advised to see a psychiatrist who asked my more questions and i got put on meds and it's been great ever since.. LOL