I think I have ADHD, But the Psychiatrists in my country thinks ADHD is only for Children.
I show most of the symptoms of ADHD.
1. Forget things like keys, wallets, etc
2.Very fidgety when no one's around.
3.I am preparing for the GRE but I can barely focus and hence got a 302 the first time.
4. Felling very sad
@cristina869
I have ADHD and I tend to forget things,talk a lot, always have to move and I can never seem to be interested in just one thing like singing or painting if you do most of these things you may want to ask your doctor if you could get tested for ADHD
@StarGazer4 I checked up with a doctor today, and he said that adult ADHD mostly
isn't real. However, he said that I should meditate and exercise for 1
month and remove all distractions to see what happens then he might
prescribe medication.
I am a bit skeptical of what he said today.In
his credentials he's a doctor originating from my country who is
practicing in the US right now but he is skeptical of most ADHD
situation it seems.
I also realized that I forgot to tell him some of the symptoms like I keep missing deadline for example
I actually forgot some of my symptoms mid session.
@cristina869
The problem if I just can't find a doctor in my country who'll diagnose me, this doctor told me to do meditation, and breathing exercise, Do pomodoro technique and such but he said it's not ADHD its mild depression. He told me to do these for 1 month and talk to him again.
But I just forget about it every single time. I honestly don't know what to do.I have a GRE exam coming up and I can't afford to waste time. I only have 1 month til my exam and I can't focus at all.
Can you talk to another doctor? Are you in the U.S.? There are so many doctors in the U.S. that work with adults with ADHD. I also recommend checking out Additude.org for helpful ADHD info, plus info on conditions that are often comorbid with ADHD.
I did that too! Also, I was asked what my most difficult symptom was, and that actually changes! Sorry for all the frustration you're dealing with.
ADHD affects all executive functions, so it may be difficult for you to start or maintain an exercise or meditation habit.
@easyScarf7950 Do you know why ADHD screening tests are so so expensive?
It's just a bunch of questionnaires?
I don't know. It doesn't make sense. I was diagnosed by a psychiatrist who interviewed me. My insurance paid for it. You can take a free symptom checker quiz on Additudemag.com, but it doesn't replace a diagnosis. Apparently diagnosing adults with ADHD is somewhat of a new thing. Do you have health insurance that could pay for a diagnosis?
@easyScarf7950 Is this the most accurate?
out of the online ones?
what do you think
I think the symptom checker will give you a better idea of which condition or conditions you have. It's very thorough. I recommend it. And even if it doesn't help, it's worth a try. That's the thing about ADHD- you need to try different things to find out what works best for you.
The website is full of articles on everything related to ADHD, including for women. It's up to date, with information from experts like Ned Hallowell; people who have done cutting edge research and written super helpful books, while having ADHD themselves.
Recommended tasks:
Set a timer to look at Additide.org for just as long as you need (1 hour, perhaps)
Set an alarm to study.
If you have trouble focusing, try changing your environment. Play music, find something to play with (a fidget toy). Figure out what type of environment helps you focus. Engage your senses- is there a scent that might help you stay motivated and focused? Is there a beverage that makes you happy? I like green tea with honey when I need to focus.
Have a dopamine "snack" to give your brain a break and a boost. Have a little treat, step outside, do an activity that you enjoy, but for a set amount of time.
Make a complete list of your symptoms as you learn more about ADHD. You may have symptoms that you are not aware of, or that you don't have the words to describe.
Find and talk to experts on ADHD about getting diagnosed. Your doctor seems to have hidden under a rock during all the breakthroughs in ADHD research.
Sorry, that's additudemag.com.
@easyScarf7950
This is what I got
what does this mean?
Thank you for taking the ADHD Symptom Test for Adults
Please
share and review these results with your medical provider. The ADDitude
team has also suggested next steps and further reading below.
Your Score: 19 (Out of 24)
The higher the point total, the greater the likelihood that you show signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
It's not a diagnosis. You have a majority of ADHD symptoms, so your likelihood of having ADHD is high.
Sorry to hear your country doesn't take adult ADHD seriously and doesn't prescribe stimulants. There are other options, though. I'd like to help, if I may.
@easyScarf7950SA seems like it.In my country ADHD drugs are illegal, the stimulant type.
So there's this suspicion that anyone claiming to have ADHD is a wannabe drug addicts or something similar this resulting in them to have this strange reluctance to diagnose or even take Adult adhd seriously.
And these people are stubborn as ***.Nothing will change their mind, no matter the research.
Can I help you set goals and create steps for working toward them? It seems that you might not get far with the doctors in your country, at least not in time for your GRE. I used to he so overwhelmed with my symptoms and my messy house, that I would never clean it. Then I got a friend to give me 10-minute challenges, and I had a therapist give me strategies to help me focus. That's just am example of how I've been able to make progress. You might not need a professional diagnosis as badly as you think, as long as you know what your weak areas are and have resources and strategies for working around them.
@easyScarf7950 Are you preparing for the GRE?
or did you prepare for the GRE?
Its just so hard to do?
Btw this the score I got for ADHD
and I got 43 out of 60 in the inattentive ADHD test on aptitude.com
what does this mean?
Thank you for taking the ADHD Symptom Test for Adults
Please
share and review these results with your medical provider. The ADDitude
team has also suggested next steps and further reading below.
Your Score: 19 (Out of 24)
The higher the point total, the greater the likelihood that you show signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
I don't know what the GRE is, but I could help you stay on track I you don't mind messaging back and forth.
I also have inattentive type ADHD. We're not particularly hyperactive, but we do sometimes get fidgety. Some common difficulties with inattentive ADHD: ability to focus on boring or difficult tasks for long periods, self-motivation, task initiation, planning, organization, working memory, information processing, distractability, task switching.... Often we have this cool ability to focus on interesting tasks for hours, but it's hard to end those tasks to do something else.
Hi Cristina. Passing your GRE seems to be your biggest goal for the next few weeks or so. What are some things that you have tried in the past to help you focus? Did anything help? Is there anything you would like to try?
Can you walk me through a typical day for you? That might help us identify ways to make your life simpler.
Also, what is one thing you learned from looking at additudemag.com?
If I remember correctly, the GRE is the test you take to get into grad school, right? If so, great work making it so far into your education and sticking with it!
@easyScarf7950Yes I deleted all distracting apps from my phone and pc
Installed stay focused extension in my browser to block distracting websites like youtube and other social media.
Cleaned up my table to avoid distractions.
After all that I still get distracted by a bottle or a logo or something like that.
Excellent progress! I am impressed! If you had a small fidget toy or object that you enjoy holding/playing with, do you think that might help you keep your eyes on whatever task you are working on?
@easyScarf7950 If I can somehow focus on something my hyper focus does kick in then its all good.But activating hyper focus is really what I need.
I will try using a fidget toy perhaps.Another thing I noticed that ocean waves, fireplace sounds etc music helps.
Still the distractions are a big problem.
Hi Cristina! How is your studying going?
@easyScarf7950 very bad
I keep getting distracted.sadly
Another thing you can try is body doubling. You can invite someone to sit in the same room as you and do something quietly. That helps some people who get distracted easily.
Does making your studying extra time-sensitive help? Like, setting same-day goals and timers?
Also, do you set alarms for taking breaks? You might get distracted because you need a break. If you take frequent, scheduled breaks you might be able to get more done.
@easyScarf7950no
should I
Give it a try. Set alarms to take breaks and alarms to get back to work. Or, before you study, mark a section of your study material as a stopping point, and when you reach that point set a timer to do a more restful, enjoyable activity.
Mark multiple stopping points so that you have several short-term goals for the day and plenty of breaks in between.
How are you doing, Cristina? I hope you are giving yourself plenty of rest.
