Fulfillment at Any Age

Thanks Susan for helping bring adult ADHD to wider attention.

I wanted to offer some more specific guidance for adults that suspect they may be ADHD and who struggle with the issues you described. Incidentally procrastination consistently comes top of the problems that adults with ADHD themselves list when surveyed. The primary routes to support adults who suspect they are ADHD are:

1. ADHD Support Groups
   There are number of these around the UK and they are often a great first step in gaining insight into whether you might be ADHD, finding out about some of the unique strengths as well as difficulties in ADHD, discussing strategies to help and in understanding more about diagnosis and medications. Most groups in the UK are listed at www.aadd.org.uk which also offers much other useful information. I run a large group, www.simplywellbeing.com/tear-share-london-adhd-support-group, now based at UCL in London (close to Euston) that usually has over thirty attendees that have included business owners, students, teachers, psychiatrists, journalists, GPs and psychologists(!) who have ADHD themselves.
2. Diagnosis and medication
   Not often an easy process and one that may involve educating and persuading your GP that ADHD actually exists. Though the article mentions contacting psychologists and counsellors, sadly however precious few have any training whatsoever in ADHD and are certainly unable to diagnose adults with ADHD which must be done by an ADHD specialist - almost always an experienced ADHD psychiatrist. However although the NHS formally recognises ADHD (NICE report came out in March 2009) it has failed to effectively create adult ADHD services other than in few select areas. The route for diagnosis is via your GP and then by a referral to an ADHD specialist psychiatrist for evaluation and diagnosis. The primary national diagnosis centre is the Maudsley Hospital in London but it may take many months to finally get there to be diagnosed. Private diagnosis often costs over £700 but can usually be completed within a week or two. Once diagnosed ADHD medications may be offered. For many adults medications can make a significant difference in their quality of life and help with many of the issues mentioned in the article. Usually ADHD diagnostic/psychiatric services offer minimal other support than medication, though sometimes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is offered. It is highly regarded by the NHS but most ADHD adults find it to be only helpful if they also have depression and/or anxiety but not much assistance for core ADHD symptoms such as procrastination.
3. Education and Coaching
   As effective a solution as medication for managing adult ADHD symptoms is to educate yourself about the condition and to enlist the help of an expert coach in managing the problems. There are many fantastic books written, mainly by American authors on Adult ADHD, giving insight into the reasons for the differences and areas of difficulty. They often offer strategies and techniques to manage ADHD issues as well. However as ADHD is primarily an issue of "doing" not of thinking, most adults with ADHD are already aware that creating to do lists would be a good idea, their challenge is remembering to do them, being bothered to do them and finally in maintaining an interest in doing them! This is where ADHD Coaching comes in. In the USA there are now thousands of specialist ADHD coaches who help adults with their issues in time management, organisation, procrastination and decision making. There are also a number of ADHD coaches in the UK, who may coach in person or on the phone. Many coaches, such as myself, are ADHD themselves and are extensively trained in helping ADHD clients by sharing their experiences; providing education and support; and in working with and in encouraging clients to finding perhaps unconventional yet ADHD-friendly ways of handling their struggles. Again you can find coaches, such as myself, listed at www.aadd.org.uk, many of us offer a free initial call to help you determine whether we can help you.

Discovering you are ADHD is often the start of a major shift in life away from struggle towards acceptance and a focus on your strengths rather than weaknesses. For most adults it is an extremely positive turning point in their lives.

Regards

Andrew Lewis
Adult ADHD Coach Consultant
www.simplywellbeing.com

Ooops impulsively posted and meant to clarify tha I was talking about finding help in the United Kingdom!!

Andrew

Dear Andrew, Thank you so much for these helpful comments.
All the best, Susan

I have a lot of symptoms of ADD (not ADHD) but I'm afriad to go to a psychiatrist for fear they think I'm just there for adderall which seems to be the big college drug these days.

I can't tell whether its just my personality or if I actually have different wiring in my brain. I also have some generalized anxiety and I'm an introvert and I don't know how much this plays into it, too.I'm forgetful - I lose gloves, keys, hats every week though generally I do find them again ;) I misssed out on an entire story last week and didn't come back from daydreaming until the last sentence. I didn't even realize how much I missed until my husband retold the entire story. I daydream a lot. I've always been last minute, can lose track of time, and only in the last year have I gotten better about being on time because my job requires me to be on the dot. I have difficulty speaking sometimes because I can't think of the words and I get flustered.
When I'm really interested in something I can get hyperfocused and lose track of time that way, too. In the mistakes I made careless mistakes on tests (i.e. put the decimal in the wrong place) but again I've gotten a little better because my job requires it of me.

However, I'm not impulsive unless I'm anxious and I'm pretty good at organing and planning.

Do I have ADD? DO I need medication? Or is it anxiety? Or is it just characteristics of an introvert? AM I a hypochondriac? HAHA, maybe I'm just going crazy.

How does anyone know for sure if they have ADD? Doesn't everyone have some of these symptoms? I'm concerned I may have it as I have a lot of these characteristics but I also have some anxiety and I'm an introvert so I'm not sure what is causing what?

I'm forgetful, lose stuff all the time. I procrastinate, make careless mistakes on tests, last minute, daydream a lot even missed an entire story minus one sentence w/o realizing it until my husband told me. Can get hyperfocused if I'm super interested or worried about something, have difficulty speaking - get flustered with trying to find the right words.

At the same time I am pretty organized and a good planner, and I'm not too impulsive unless again I get worried or flustered and make careless mistakes. And compensated for my lack of inattention by self-talk to remember things and be on time.

Do I need meds? I'm going into a career soon that requires A LOT of focus and detail-oriented characteristics and time management so I'm a little nervous. Or can I get by as I have been
I know, I need to see a professional but I'm a little nervous they'll either shoot me down or give me bad news.