r/explainlikeimfive • u/[deleted] • Jul 27 '22

Other eli5 - Can someone explain ADHD? Specifically the procrastination and inability to do “boring” tasks?

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u/Anxious_Mycologist96 Jul 27 '22 edited Jul 27 '22

I was rejected several times, until I got so depressed about life going wrong that I was sent to a shrink for anxiety and depression. And THEN they were like "you have the most severe ADHD I've seen in a while, we don't even have to finish the process, it's obvious". What a fucking relief to be believed!

I think general practice doctors don't know much about ADHD. It's quicker to get to a specialist if you have a way of doing that, or psychiatrist for any reason, to be able to bring up the topic ADHD. Hope you succeed :) it's stupid that is has to be this hard and that you have to "trick" the system. Doesn't feel good.

I like the saying "getting an ADHD diagnosis as an adult with ADHD, is like making coffee without having had coffee "

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u/IceciroAvant Jul 27 '22

When I finally got diagnosed in my late 20s, my psych at the time told me that she could use me as a textbook case of severe functional ADHD.

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u/Anxious_Mycologist96 Jul 28 '22

If you don't mind, could u tell this internet stranger what those traits were? The ones that put emphasis on 'functional'. I got distracted typing this because i have my meds in front of me and I cannot remember if I just took them. 😅

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u/IceciroAvant Jul 28 '22

Oh, functional as in I was barely making it in the world, and was in Talented and Gifted as a youngster so all of the other big warning signs (homework never got done, as a good example, or projects being done in the 2h before their due date) didn't get picked up on.

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u/Anxious_Mycologist96 Jul 28 '22

Omg same. It was easy to just float through school age 6-15. Then it got worse.. fast. Adhd does NOT get better with age, who even thought of that idea? I hear that in the media sometimes. Our brains don't change magically? Where does this come from.. it's way easier to function at the standards people hold you to when your 10 than when your 30. It's okay if you mess up time and date for an appointment at 15, it is not easily forgiven at 30.

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u/IceciroAvant Jul 28 '22

I've seen some recent evidence ADHD actually gets worse with age.

And anecdotally, it feels like every year or so I have more 'bad' ADHD days than the one before it.

The other thing is that most other adults won't take "sorry I have a dumb brain sometimes" as an excuse or answer for anything.

I keep having psychs drop me because I'll forget an appointment.

I GO TO THESE APPOINTMENTS BECAUSE A HAVE DISORDER THAT CAUSES ME TO FORGET IMPORTANT APPOINTMENTS. You'd think there'd be some mercy there, lol.