I think I’ve got ADHD | ADHD Information

Hi everyone

I am 24 years old and I have recently been looking into adhd as I think I may have it. I certainly exhibit a lot of the symptoms and have taken numerous online tests which all revealed that I have a high chance of having adhd. I am yet to be properly diagnosed as I am unsure of how to go about it here in the UK and I am reluctant about discussing it with a GP as in my experience they have little knowledge or interest in treating psycholgical problems.

My main problems are chronic procastination, lots of boredom and frustration and feelings of severe underachievement. I get easily distracted when watching TV, reading or surfing the net. I have many plans and ideas, some grandiose and some trivial, which never get beyond the inital excitement and planning stage before I become very demoralised and feel overwhelmed. I feel under pressure a lot of the time even though I am sitting at home doing nothing all day. I daydream and talk to myself constantly and my head is always buzzing with thoughts. I can become quickly obsessed by something and excited about it and then couldn't care less about it the follwing day. I have problems with anxiety and have self-esteem issues. I worry quite a lot and suffer mood swings and have periodic bouts of depression.

I have read that adhd begins in childhood and this is where I am bit confused because as a child I was always attentive in class, achieved good grades and was not disruptive whatsoever. All my teachers praised my intelligence and my good behaviour. I was easily excited and I suppose hyperactive at times, especially during play, but then again most kids are.

When I went to high school, I remained in the top set throughout my time there although from about age 14 my motivation began waning considerably and I was off school a lot, either truanting or making other excuses not to go. I obtained fairly decent grades but my homework and revision for exams became pretty much non-existent.  I went on to do A-levels and the same thing happened and I achieved poor grades. I have dropped out of 2 different universities, barely taking any exams, completing little work and attending very few classes. I have spent the majority of my adult life unemployed and have never had a full time job last more than 3 months before getting depressed and feeling unable to cope with the mundanity of it all.

I know I need to see a specialist but I fear that because my symptoms were non-apparent as a kid, they will not diagnose me correctly. I told one of my friends I thought I had adhd and he took the assumption it was all nonsense and that I was basically just lazy and had other 'issues'. This is the opinion I feel most people I know would take so its hard to talk to anyone about it. Does anyone know if it is essential in the UK to get a referral from a GP in order to see a specialist? Are there other routes to getting a proper assessment?

Sorry bout the long post. Any advice greatly appreciated

cheers

I think I have ADHD, too!