Late ADD Diagnosis: How Did It Affect You?

Hey, I just wanted to offer a voice to show you that you are not alone. I’m also a junior, and I’ve struggled with my ADD since childhood. I attempted to get diagnosis /treatment back in 2020, and still have not met with a specialist. Currently because of where I live scheduling is very backed up due to COVID. It’s really discouraging to not be able to get the treatment I need. Just wanted to let you know that ADD/ADHD is tough, but you’re not alone. I hope you get the treatment you deserve soon. Best wishes! :)

I was diagnosed when I was 18. I always felt like I was lazy and I took such a long time to do my schoolwork. I’d always have big goals for the day and I’d tell my mom about them and then at the end of the day I’d be so disappointed in myself that I could t get everything done and my mom would be super mad at me too because she just thought that I had so much potential but just wasn’t doing it. Moving school online for COVID was what made my ADHD so much worse because there wasn’t any structure and I couldn’t do any of my schoolwork on time. I realized it was ADHD and my mom agreed so a couple months later I was assessed. The first guy didn’t even talk to me so he said I don’t have ADHD hahaha but the second lady did talk to me and she diagnosed me. It wasn’t spotted before this point because I’m female and I had always done pretty well in school and not been disruptive. I do have combined type, but my hyperactivity is just in my brain and stimming so people didn’t notice it when I was a kid.

i got diagnosed at 19 and i think it would have helped me a lot if i were diagnosed earlier. instead of blaming myself for things i could have worked on them. or i could have tried some other strategies to work on things that bothered me

I was taken in for a diagnosis for ADHD many times but I always got turned away since my “grades weren’t bad enough” and the stigma that girls can’t have ADHD. I got diagnosed in May last year and I’m now a senior in high school. A lot of the time I would struggle with concepts and I just thought I’m stupid since everyone else around me would get it so much faster. I got multiple comments on the way I talked, and many criticisms on how I talked about some things. Not being diagnosed definitely made it harder for a long time because I was never PROUD of myself. Since I was unaware for so long, I wasn’t addressing my symptoms and formed bad habits, which is why it became more prevalent later in my life. It’s been a struggle since sometimes I feel like my condition is “not a real disorder” or that “everyone has it”. It can be frustrating but I’m learning and that’s all that matters:)

Being a female I think it was harder to recognize it earlier on and I wasn't diagnosed until my junior year in college. It definitely made me frustrated at my brain lol. But I also felt alone. I felt afraid to tell people because they would think I was incorrectly diagnosed just to get a stimulant prescribed to me because there is a lot of people who think some people don't actually have adhd. Anyway, I've learned to be more open about it recently and am learning other ways to manage besides meds which aren't enough.

I am currently in the midst of a diagnosis and I am in my junior year of high school. It sucks. I'm not a 7 year old boy running around playing with mud therefore obviously I'm faking and just need to focus more. I've been told that since I did fine in elementary school and middle school it must not be an issue. But it is. I struggle every day and I have to fight to get this diagnosis because my doctors say that it doesn't matter at this point because I'm practically an adult. It makes no sense.