ADHD and Happiness

[uniQChick]

If you ADHD or just simply have questions, we'd love to answer them here or at "The I'm Asexy with ADHD thread".
There we exchange different ideas, support each other, share experiences about the effects of drugs, etc. If you are ADHD, then don't be shy and join us.
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Broken Wing: people may think you are "broken", but you are soaring like an eagle and being proud!
Smiling Cloud: happy and daydreamer, with mind flying somewhere in the clouds.
Tearing Onion: sad, having many difficulties in everyday life.
Distorted Mirror: looks at neurotypical population and thinks they are better, wishes to be "normal", but neurotypicals have different problems. So it's like a distorted view of surrounding.

[TheSmolFoxWeeb]

I know my about me page says adhd sucks, but I also have a hard time imagining what my life would be like if I didn’t have it

[Snao Cone]

I'm undiagnosed, but the past few years have made it clear to me that some of the things about me that are in line with ADHD are what make me feel most like my own person, and that I need to be able to apply them from odd angles to feel like I'm actually expressing myself.

[The French Unicorn]

I suspect I have ADHD and I really hate it because I feel like it stops me to achieving what I want to do. I mean, I am here writing on this forum, instead of writing the essay I'm supposed to write now...

[Iam9man]

I have (diagnosed) combined type and I’m sort of 50% proud of my neurological difference (can be an advantage in certain situations) / 50% wishing I found western society easier to navigate (I won’t go as far as stating I wish I was “normal”!).

[Iam9man]

Incidentally, I’ve met a few people with Inattentive type and more with Combined type, but I’m yet to meet anyone with Hyperactive-Impulsive type.

 

I wonder if this census will indicate that’s a less common (or maybe less commonly diagnosed) type? 🤔

[Janus the Fox]

ADHD is assumed under my Tourettes-Aspergers and under Bipolar Type 1, as 'I've already been diagnosed with enough already and any more will not do me any more favours having already complex disabilities and mental/neurological/physical health' (doctors/therapists words and I guess, anything more would be hard to believe or can be thought of as harmful self diagnosing)  Which is responsive to just the one medication I need to take that's life essential now.  For what I have I just take it day to day, I'm a bit intrigued in already having what I have already, with extremely few in the world experiencing the combination of co-morbidities.

[Iam9man]

1 minute ago, Janus the Fox said:

with extremely few in the world experiencing the combination of co-morbidities.

That’s interesting, as they individually are common (e.g. ADHD and Tourette’s, Asperger’s and ADHD, etc.) but I guess it’s unusual for someone to have several sets/pairings of co-morbidities?

 

Maybe an idea for a future census could be incidence of common co-morbidities with ADHD 😎

[NekoRain]

I have diagnosed ADHD and sometimes I don't really care about it, and others it defff feels like a curse. At the end of the day, it can't be completely cured and its more or less became a "part" of me in a way I think.

[NekoRain]

Just now, Iam9man said:

That’s interesting, as they individually are common (e.g. ADHD and Tourette’s, Asperger’s and ADHD, etc.) but I guess it’s unusual for someone to have several sets/pairings of co-morbidities?

 

Maybe an idea for a future census could be incidence of common co-morbidities with ADHD 😎

Its actually super common to have ADHD alongside other things. Clinical depression and anxiety happen in at least 50% of people w ADHD from what I remember. About half of people w tourettes also have ADHD (I also have tics but the exact condition is still being looked at). OCD and autism are pretty likely w ADHD too.

[Iam9man]

1 minute ago, NekoRain said:

Its actually super common to have ADHD alongside other things. Clinical depression and anxiety happen in at least 50% of people w ADHD from what I remember. About half of people w tourettes also have ADHD (I also have tics but the exact condition is still being looked at). OCD and autism are pretty likely w ADHD too.

👍

 

The ones I’ve seen most commonly mentioned are ADHD/OCD/Tourette’s, but I’ve separately seem ADHD/Bipolar and ADHD/Asperger’s as well.

[Snao Cone]

15 minutes ago, Iam9man said:

wishing I found western society easier to navigate (I won’t go as far as stating I wish I was “normal”!).

This is something I don't think people understand enough (neurotypical people, at least) — many neurodiverse people face obstacles because society has set obstacles in place. This is the case with a lot of disabilities, in fact; most barriers are created and not "natural" or inevitable. To restructure society for neurodiversity would take a lot of change, which is why we're stuck where we are in many ways, but that doesn't mean it's any less human-made. Choices were made to neglect the ways neurodiverse people operate. Society may not be able to remove all barriers for everyone, but it could do a better job. 

[Ceebs]

It's hard to be happy about something you didn't know about for many years that, combined with some other stuff, contributed heavily to life-altering problems and struggles. Sure there are some parts that I kind of like or am almost grateful for, but I don't know if they're worth the drawbacks and the pain.

[everywhere and nowhere]

Maybe... But, nevertheless, I have a negative view of medicalising differences. Lots of people are inattentive, hyperactive or something. Does it mean that they have a disorder? No. For me it's just a trait. The world would be a much worse place if everyone was perfect.

[uniQChick]

Since childhood, noticed that I was different from other children, but I could not define it and learned to love my peculiarity. So I went through life, full of problems and difficulties, but ... I thought that everyone lives like that. 🤔

Then I fell in love with ADHD person and started looking into this disorder. In the process, it turned out that I myself had ADHD and a bunch of other co-morbid disorders.

Yes, we have some difficulties ... For example, today I wanted to mow the grass, but I found other things to do. But it's okay, one day I'll mow it down.
Since I learned from childhood to love my difference from others, I am satisfied for the most part with my life. I'm proud to be ADHD!

[Guest]

I'm not sure whether I have it or not, but I can relate to many things people with ADHD experience. And sometimes yes, I do wish to just sit down and do the work I am supposed to do, but other times I like the way I think and do things, even if it's not exactly typical.

[Destranix]

9 hours ago, everywhere and nowhere said:

Lots of people are inattentive, hyperactive or something. Does it mean that they have a disorder?

Depends on serveness actually.

 

ADHD is not just inattetion or hyperactivity, it's a underlying neural problem, that causes symptoms including such categorizes as inattention or hyperactivity, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

In fact problems may occure that inhibit ones life not only in an external way (like forgetting to do important stuff, pay bills or being aggressive against other people, ...) but also in an internal way (mood swings or being unable to be satisfied, ...). Additionally this then may cause secondary problems (e.g, additional stress, self-condemination, ...).

 

 

[Sea Lemon]

I was diagnosed with combined type in 2020. It's difficult to feel anything other than resentful to be honest - it's made my life so much harder than it had to be, and having it go unrecognised for so long contributed to horrendous anxiety and depression. 

[lassiedogg]

Am diagnosed with combined type, but I put inattentive type cuz I disagree with that part of my diagnosis 😆

I was always incredibly talkative as a kid. I got in trouble in school daily for talking out of turn and not remembering to raise my hand before speaking. I just was so excited to get it out that I couldn't remember that I had to wait patiently! This resulted in me having 75% "yellow light" days, and sometimes even "red light" ones. (Yellow meaning I misbehaved somewhat, red meaning I seriously misbehaved.) I hardly ever remember having a "green light" (good behavior) day!
My grade report always said that I wasn't very good at paying attention in class, too. (Though sometimes they commented that I was doing better than at other times.)

My life has been pretty chaotic because of my ADHD. But it actually doesn't affect my work performance (once I finally managed to snag a job) too much..... that said, have improved since being medicated. I used to space out a lot and then before I knew it, the customer would be gone and I'd be left standing there asking "did they pay?!" 😅 Since taking my meds regularly, I haven't done that at all lately.

[lassiedogg]

19 hours ago, Destranix said:

Depends on serveness actually.

 

ADHD is not just inattetion or hyperactivity, it's a underlying neural problem, that causes symptoms including such categorizes as inattention or hyperactivity, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

In fact problems may occure that inhibit ones life not only in an external way (like forgetting to do important stuff, pay bills or being aggressive against other people, ...) but also in an internal way (mood swings or being unable to be satisfied, ...). Additionally this then may cause secondary problems (e.g, additional stress, self-condemination, ...).

 

 

There's also that for people with ADHD, stimulant medications relieve our symptoms by bringing our dopamine levels up to neurotypical levels. Also the fact that stimulants affect neurotypicals differently than they affect ADHDers.

[Destranix]

4 hours ago, Quest the Collie said:

There's also that for people with ADHD, stimulant medications relieve our symptoms by bringing our dopamine levels up to neurotypical levels. Also the fact that stimulants affect neurotypicals differently than they affect ADHDers.

True. I also thought of mentioning that.

[Grumpy Alien]

Undiagnosed because I’m a woman and if I have ADHD, it’s the inattentive type. And I was born in the 90s when this was considered an excuse for boys to be hyper. And my childhood had other complications. So I really never stood a chance at diagnosis. And unless you have money or live in certain places in the US, it’s next to impossible to get diagnoses as an adult. 
 

My mom is undiagnosed but definitely has ADHD with hyperactivity. My therapist strongly suspects I have inattentive ADHD. I’ll be 30 this year and it’s only in the past year that I’ve been made aware this was a possibility for me. 

I’d say I’m neutral to the idea? I mean it’s fairly new to me to apply it to myself. But I’ve always been the way I am. It’s just another name for one of the ways I feel like an alien.

[Skycaptain]

Uncategorised ADHD, just meh about it

[iff]

@uniQChick

 

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