I just recently discovered I might have adhd but I have not been tested.

The reasons for my thinking this are: I deal with constant lateness, huge difficulties with normal “adult” tasks, always procrastinating until it’s dire, getting sucked into one thing deeply for a long time that is not “important,” having lots of creative, unfinished endeavors, lots of clutter and overwhelmed very easily! I also sometimes just feel like I want to jump out of my skin! Thank you for your help!
Asked by Peace girl
Answered
05/09/2022

Hey there, Peace Girl! Thank you for reaching out with your question!

Wondering about ADHD as a potential diagnosis that you carry can be something that is confusing, relieving, frustrating, pretty much all of the emotions in between! You've been noticing that you deal with issues being on time, struggle with tasks that other adults feel are normal to do (maybe things like structuring day to day living, chores, etc), procrastination, getting lost in interesting but not necessarily pressing tasks, starting endeavors but not every completing them just because you're interested in them, but then getting looped into a new interest, having trouble keeping your space organized, and getting overwhelmed in your environment easily. Those definitely sound like some signs that you could be, at the very least, experiencing some executive dysfunction! The fact that you are not feeling comfortable in your own skin is a huge sign that you should be looking for an evaluation to see if ADHD is a factor in why you're feeling this way. 

Often, we see ADHD in childhood when kids enter school and they start to have trouble focusing and staying on task. However, this isn't the case for everyone. Some children do very well in school because it is structured and they are able to "mask" the symptoms due to the structure and resources that are provided to them through school. Those symptoms start to become more apparent usually in college or when someone starts their first "adult" job or becomes a parent for the first time. Those experiences require a lot of high level attention and executive functioning skills that may be difficult for a person with ADHD to "fake". Because of that, that person may become exceptionally overwhelmed, feel like there is something wrong with them, feel symptoms of guilt and shame, and may even develop symptoms of other mental health disorders.

(MA, NCC, LPC)