Adult ADHD: Getting Diagnosed, Treatment, Traits 

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If only I can stay focused enough to find a doctor my insurance covers

The best thing about RU-vid is that you can read comments while you’re watching videos. Otherwise I couldn’t have done it. On another note, I can’t finish this video. I need to find another one to watch.

The hyper focus is really a trip man. If there’s something I find I’m interested in or it’s something new I can spend a few days-a week absorbing EVERY bit of information possible to only completely drop it a week later 🤦🏻‍♂️

all my life I've been told I'm just lazy but I so badly want to focus but my mind just blacks out and next thing you know I'm thinking of something completely irrelevant

I literally had to put the speed of this vid to 1.5x so that I could focus.

Wow. I'm either super hyperfocused or I'm unable to focus on anything.

I felt like a loser and an imposter for the majority of my life and thought I'm just not cut out to do the things I wanted to do.. Thank you for your video, I'm hopeful that I'll find my own way to achieve my goals now

OK...I'll admit, since filming this video a few weeks ago it has become slightly more difficult to visit a Doctor...but don't worry, they'll still do teleconferences.

Who's reading the comments just to keep you focused on the video 🙋🏽‍♀️

I just started getting tested for ADHD. at 29, I'm very optimistic to overcome issues I've had my whole life.

At 54, as a restaurant worker (high paced, high stress environment), with a son who has been diagnosed, I am seeing more of the symptoms of ADHD in my own life. Looking back, I can see how it has shaped my life, and how I have had to cope.

I can’t keep my job.... didn’t matter how hard I tried. I can’t never be on time for anything. Even forcing myself to get ready early. Shit sucks.

Before I was diagnosed, in my 20s, I tried cocaine a couple times and I couldn't figure out why it was a big deal. It was cool to feel like I could easily behave like a "normal" person, but I couldn't understand what was so fun about it. Feeling calm and clear, and having full control over my impulses is supposed to make me want to party? lol I get it now.

Tbh I find ADHD really cool the quality of work that I produce when I procrastinate is amazing and I remember useless memory from years ago.

I've been anxious and "depressed" with low self esteem issues all my life. I've been treated for depression with SSRIs and I recently learned that ADHD is actually made worse when someone takes SSRIs due to the serotonin. Definitely interesting looking back at my history with anti-depressant medications.

I read that you can not outgrow it but symptoms might dissappear due to lifestyle change or learning to manage it without knowing you have it

I am a final year Medical student. I have so extreme hyperactivity and anxiety that my jaw muscles gets sore by over use. Mood swings also makes me depressed when i think about my future. Every step is like a mountain to me. While hyperactivity to fields other than medicine really depresses me further. It's like a chaos. And the addiction to stimulant drugs will have a disastrous withdrawl which also scares me to death. Anyways Thanks alot for the detailed explanation on Adhd.

This makes me finally feel validated

That is so relatable! I often feel like I hit a physical and a mental brick wall if I try and do any work from a stuffy little desk, or I just want to talk to people if I got to a library because it's too quiet, it's too boring, there's not enough happening. But then I take my study to a crowded and busy cafe, or a bar, or to a park bench and order loads of coffee and sugary snacks- and suddenly it's like boom! Ideas start flowing where I want them to go, and I can actually make a bit of progress.

It's been 30 min and still didn't finish this vid yet.....

Hey! I LOVED your video, I've been diagnosed in adulthood and my ADHD has been missed completely when I was younger. I've been treated for insomnia, anxiety, depression, hormonal problems - none of which worked, but nobody wanted to test me for ADHD even when I asked. But be careful with "50% people outgrow ADHD" NOBODY outgrows ADHD. Most of us learn many coping mechanisms for our symptoms, often not even knowing about having ADHD and about 30% of us learn to function as a "standard person" as we enter adulthood but the symptoms never go away. They are still present, but some ADHDers are able to cope effectively without medication or therapy. It's just that all of us are different :)

Wow. thank you so much for making this video! The factors of overdiagnosing ADHD and prodrug vs pro lifestyle was very interesting to learn about! I think I have ADHD, and have been eager to get an assessment. However after watching this video I feel like I could settle on the fact that I am on the ADHD spectrum, and that it may not be necessary to officially diagnose me. I have really struggled with self image, frustration and depression, and only lately have considered my struggles to be secondary to ADHD. I have ever since thought that I NEED the diagnosism not necessarily to start medication, but for me to start accepting and understanding myself - but maybe it is enough knowing that I'm on the spectrum. I really needed to hear that, you earned a new subscriber!

I'm 53 going through diagnosis. Everything makes sense now. When you talked about you getting angry when in hyperfocus ... its the only symptom that bothers my husband. I had to apologise to both him and my son and explain it so they can understand why its like poking a sleeping bear!

Dude ..this is a GREAT video ! Thanks !

THIS VIDEO IS AMAZING DAN!!! WOW! Thank you!!!!

I was zoning out even while watching this video, lmao. It’s a pain in the bum, because it’s hard for me to concentrate even on things a like.

I'm 30. The diagnosis has positively impacted me so much. God I wish I was younger. X

I used to go to study at the library and i literally left the library and walked out for about 2 times every half an hour.. And i was about to fail my admission test for college bc the girl sitting at the front desk had a problem with her headphones that i could hear what was she hearing and i asked my friend after the test if he had that trouble but he said he heard it and he was still able to focus, i never stand still to a chair and if I'm supposed to i started moving my legs and hands and move from left to right and yes I'm that person who says come on let's pay the bill and leave or go have some coffee, and i usually get comments from everyone to stop moving too much

Yesssssss, love the trance music. Helps me focus alot

6:24 Not going to lie, I listen to trance music too. At least the aggressive stimulating kind. The bassline and structure of it reminds me of the focus and sequences I sort of want in life, but don't have.

That intro is perfect 🔥

this is literally me man, I know that feeling of hyperfocus though, it's so blissful and productive

I’m on my diagnosis journey and I find it incredibly hard to focus with noise. I used to work in a high pressure office environment, if there was too much chat and carry on in the office I would find it hard focusing (unless I was under pressure or my emails had built up to the point things were being missed) I used to wait until everybody went home (I was the manager of my team and we were all friends) then I would focus on what I needed to do. That’s the only difference to the things you were explaining. The biggest negative for me was I can’t follow instructions if I don’t write things down it goes in one ear and out the other. Tedious tasks were such a block 🥱 but when I was under pressure once I worked a full 9 hour shift, took my laptop home. Had dinner and spend time with the kids. Then when they were in bed I worked through the night and went to work again for another 9 hour shift. I’m too stubborn too lose and can focus when under pressure but your right we can’t choose what to focus on and if your brain isn’t enjoying the task at hand good luck 😂

Diagnosed at 4 with adhd but my dad didnt want to put a child on meds. then depression at 13 then anxiety at 21

Very interesting! Thank you!!

I have tried explaining hyperfocus to my friends as: if I get into it, which is usually on some scientific research on a random topic I remember 10 yeara later but O.K. the house could be on fire, I won't even bother to notice it. Probably would burn together with it.

Came to this video because I was looking at my personality type and now I am here

Relate to most of this except, if I'm at a restaurant with friends and we get into a really interesting conversation, I want to stay and chat, even have a second coffee and dessert if I have to. Also, I'm very sensitive to sound. I'd be climbing up the walls in the pub environment you described. Give me the library every time.

I often hear when I ask advice on getting things done that I just need to learn to discipline my mind. Or before I created systems for myself to not lose things (a suggestion from my current guy), a previous bf suggested I just learn to be present. It's really hard to be present. 😭

The one that's finished their food made me laugh so much! 😂 I'll be chewing my last mouthful on the walk back to the dishwasher 😂

I'm trying to stay focused on this video and it's not easy

You seem to only address adhd and not Adhd-PI. Adhd-PI aren't hyperactive just extremely inattentive. I can zone out and sit or lie down. I mostly numb. I forget things consistently and I struggle being punctual. I do fidget. I lose interest in jobs quickly and struggle maintaining interest in new skills to change careers. This has led me to suicidal thoughts and self harm. I space out at work and in leisure. I struggle with socialising, mostly dominating the conversation and then being mental critical of myself afterwards. But I am definitely not hyperactive as you describe.

Someone (with doctors degree in psychology) once told me that "ADHD" is a genetic trait, and about ⅓ of the human population has it. (On a spectrum) As you said Dan, some people get through live easier than others.. but still have ADHD. In my earlier years I was really struggling with my ADHD, (even went through a depressive phase), but I learned to love it. And I want to encourage others to learn to love "it" and themselves, too. ...I am so happy that the world is changing to a better place for "different" people who "do not fit" ..

It's funny how different perspectives we people have on workloads due to our experiences. Like, we recently moved to Spain from Finland, where our working hours are settled by the law and people are not allowed to work more than 40 *max 45 hours per week. And if the employer brakes this rule and kinda make one work more hours, it will get real troubles with occup, health and security guardance. But here in Spain, we're littl bit confused, cause the working days a easily about 10 h and more and there's no any chance to leave office like at 17 pm. (if arrived 8.30 am). Like when and how people manage to exercise and spend time with the kids.?🤷‍♀️

The last example about medication was on point 👍

Thank you, Dan!

Great video, thx!

At 24 I think I have this work is a major struggle for me I get very bored and cannot stay focused on mundane tasks.. I got diagnosed with anxiety. I feel misunderstood . I’m always day dreaming and only can be focused when playing video games lol it’s hard to let it go or turn it off 😭. I can’t stay organized I’m always losing this I don’t want to lose my creativity if I was to take medicine. Bad at time management as well. I think it’s sad how ADHD gets overlooked smh they always think we are lazy or we don’t Care.

I was diagnosed with clinical depression at 17, I'm 26 now. I've always thought there was something "more" to it but pushed it aside. I've been educating myself the past few months and have begun to realize more and more that a lot of my trouble could be due to ADHD, not just my depression or because I'm weird. I have depression, I have anxiety, I have a skin picking disorder (undiagnosed, my own fault), I feel funny saying "ticks" but sometimes I get this feeling like my brain is tingling... Almost like overstimulation. I just think way too fast for my body to keep up sometimes, so I make a lot of verbal noises subconsciously (this is something I've done for as long as I can remember). I have a slight stutter, and I trip over my words a lot (very embarrassing - again it just feels like my brain goes too fast for my mouth). What you said about being in a busy place - YES. THANK YOU. I've tried explaining this to my partner. If I'm trying to work and really focus, I need external stimulation, mainly noise - music, a podcast, YT videos, I don't care I need something or else I'll start making noise (again, usually without even realizing). The list goes on but it just feels like the more I learn that ADHD isn't what we were all taught to think it is (being hyper/not being able to focus), and the more I watch people my age explain their symptoms and struggles... It just feels like my mind is blown. I will never say I have ADHD until I know for sure, but I'm genuinely feeling I may have gone undiagnosed. For reference as well I'm FTM trans, and at the time of my diagnosis for clinical depression I was just coming out of the closet.

Good one!

I was told my a friend of friend that they said to write down about 5 very positive mental affirminations.

My question is how does it affect you when driving a car? I have hard time to switiching focuse, usuly strong coffe or energy drink with high caffein helps but only 45-1h30 min.

Yeah I have to disagree with that busy environment. I have ADD with sensory issues, meaning if I need to really concentrate I need quiet environment but nothing too comfy like at home. If there are too much people, too much noise, too much different smells etc I cant concentrate on the task like reading or writing because I notice everything else. And then I get annoyed as I dont do well with stress. Of course if someone has hyperactivity it might help them as it isnt as dull when there is something happening around them.

Holy crap, I am 45 and I exhibit everything you have shared. I need to talk with my doctor and undertake a change in my life. I am tired, so very tired.

I’ve been thinking I might have adhd. But I’m not sure. I tend to hyper focus and have object permanence. I have bad anxiety and depression. My brother and I were tested for adhd when I was little and my brother was diagnosed but I wasn’t but now I’m not so sure.....

I was diagnosed with hyperactivity when I was younger. And all my life I’ve felt depressed and anxious. Should I get checked on? This pandemic has made me high stressed

I really hope they update ADHD to Attention Regulation Hyperactivity Condition at some point, or maybe even a better more accurate way to say it. I’m 30 and after struggling to find what evidence points to for a decade I only weeks ago learned it affects emotions and hyperfocus as well as attention lack. I’m one of those diagnosed with anxiety and also considered to have depression or a mood disorder but they never pinpointed anything beyond anxiety because I think my weird unpatterned mood stuff is all based around what happens with ADHD and external factors from my life and potential traumas growing up blended, not because I have depression as a chronic thing, not because I have another mood disorder, etc. In short, I may have been lead down a proper path sooner if the title of the condition was actually accurate to what it wholly entails

I know for sure. Not only was I plagued by pathological impulsivity all my life but I couldn't focus, couldn't finish what I started, had rejection sensitivity dysphoria and suffered from severe depression. I was constantly in trouble and 'trouble'. Disaster followed disaster. Now stable on ritalin all my ADHD traits have been alleviated. I've achieved at least some stability and haven't broken the law since. Furthermore my lifelong depression that responded to nothing else is finally gone. I wouldn't even consider going off it, or adding another med and if forced to do so, there would be severe consequences. I'll be back where I was and certainly not a father or husband. Likely incarcerated or dead.

Are you in Spaiiiin you said??? I live in Spain, and i struggle to find any spcialists in adult adhd close to me. Malaga area. Its mostly for children. Do you have any tips, please?

Hi, do you think I should take an ultrasonic dopplerography, EEG or something else to go see a specialist ? I have the EEG ready to go before seeing a local neurologist this week, and so I'd like to come prepared because the waiting list was long - I actually made my appointment two months before.

Any advice on paying attention to what I’m reading/ watching? I get 3:30 seconds through, pass out, then my brain feels really distracted and I am struggling to remember what I was watching/ reading. So I start again, maybe get 1 minute. 30 seconds and I pass out again. I really struggle with paying attention. I have severe M.E, autism, POTS and I suspect adhd.

I was put on Zoloft a year ago & I concur that it makes it worse.. So worse that I've been unable to do anything to try & change the situation even though I knew it wasn't helping. It has left me even more unable to get things done & procrastination is now next level to the point that that's all I do with my time.

I went to my gp over a year ago and he gave me a referral. My assessment is in 4 month’s time and it can’t come soon enough, glad I took the initiative and got in contact with my gp, all my life I’ve been called ‘lazy’ by my parents and teachers and told that I just need to apply myself more

This is the video where I was looking for👍

Everything about this video...everything. I don't want to quit my job, but I'm so bored. I'm finally seeking professional advice and have an appointment with a psychiatrist in a few days. Diagnosed with depression a few years back but the meds aren't doing anything for me now that my environment has changed. Wishing myself luck in getting help and answers

7min in is 100% gold info

Concerta has been a life saver for me!!!

I'm going to see if I can be assessed. But the waiting lists go for years. 🙃 I have been putting it off for a long time because of doctors dismissing other issues I've had in the past.

anybody tell you, you look like Jay Culter? Great info by the way.!

I always amaze people with how I actually find it very relaxing and can fall asleep easily when the TV is loud, someone is cleaning, and there's a group conversation about anything 🤣 in the same environment, I can actually block out the noise and hyper focus for hour and hours on one task, and when my mom asks me if I want to take a break, I'm like "why? I'm not done yet" 🤣 this leads to wicked awesome projects in school 👏 but definitely procrastination 100% on anything not immediately due 😂 I do worry that I probably have some form of ADHD, as I do relate to a lot of what you said with how coffee relaxes you and keeps you focused 😅 both me and my sis think we likely have a little ADHD and possibly mild dyslexia, but I'm literally in an honor society and thriving with the adrenaline of deadlines 😂 luckily, I've trained myself a little better because my mom is a huge stickler, and always does things ASAP, so I do my best to do that aswell but without the rush, there's little passion behind it, and it leads to half-hearted work that needs a lot of revisions 😂 I figure I must be doing something right though since I tend to spend lots of time truly understanding the material so I can better explain it to those who ask for help 😀

Is this why energy drinks make me feel calm? Lol

Some people is diagnosed with ADHD and autism (ASD), as many traits overlap and makes it a different experience. For example: can't focus on a noisy environment but still being hyperactive

I had to watch this a few times. But I’m all this

when I was a child I was diagnosed with ADHD will I be able to be diagnosed with it as an adult or is there something I need to do or show my doctor. I was younger and my mom couldn't afford medicine but as an adult(20) I'm well off and can afford it now.

Great info! Thanks for adding some details that are outside of the status-quo of what people typically think of when it comes to ADHD. Forgive me for getting completely off track here, but quick note on comments @9:50. I don't mean to be contrarian, just want to express an opinion I think is important. Because there are silly conspiracies surrounding topics, doesn't mean their underlying concerns aren't valid. Structuring a mental position around a disbelief of a conspiracy serves to overlook logical and rational underlying considerations (unless I've misinterpreting your comment). When viewed through a different lens outside of "conspiracy", there are distinct questions that need to be asked surrounding the safety of many health systems. Fluoride is a great example of this. Fluoride molecules are small enough to pass through the blood-brain barrier and have been scientifically shown to accumulate in the central nervous system in animal studies. I can provide sources if needed, but these can be easily found through reputable online scientific journals. Fluoride is applied by a dentist topically to the teeth, as well as contained within almost every availabe tooth paste, again applied topically. Why does it make sense to be in the drinking water of highly developed countries with access to topical fluoride and dental care? This doesn't mean it's a grand conspiracy to enslave citizens, it could simply be an antiquated method of providing dental care based on outdated science, conceived during considerably different times in history. Recognizing the vast amount of outdated systems currently in place makes this not-so-surprising. David Bellinger, a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, wrote that the findings still need to be replicated and that no one study could determine the safety and efficacy of fluoride. But, he added, "These considerations notwithstanding, the hypothesis that fluoride is a neurodevelopmental toxicant must now be given serious consideration." Source: edition.cnn.com/2019/08/19/health/fluoride-neurotoxin-canada-study/index.html I guess my point it - I often hear these types of topics discussed dogmatically, as if science dare be questioned just like a religion. The same force that motivates you to appropriately inform others on ADHD is the same force that motivates me I suppose. Could it be safe? Absolutely. Does the discussion need to be had and not brushed off as a "conspiracy theory"? Absolutely.

The “vicious lizard” comment when u bring up hyper focus took me OUT lmaoooooo I do that all the time fr

Liking Trance music is actually a symptom of ADHD

Can medication that causes drowsiness cause a paradoxical reaction in people with ADHD? Benadryl causes me to be awake for days but caffeine causes my mind to turn off so I can sleep. Anyone else have that experience?

I have a question concerning caffeine and ADHD, as I'm suspecting I may have ADHD but don't actually calm down from caffeine as a stimulant but space out a lot more and have extreme anxiety(have never tried other stimulants so I don't know about others). Does that mean I can't actually have ADHD and it's something else instead? I'm about to make an appointment with a therapist, just wanted to know this specifically because it has been bugging me a bit. Thanks for reading!

When I found out about my enfp personality type. I thought “I’m not adhd I’m just enfp!” But fast forward 3 years and I am struggling to focus and complete or even start the things I enjoy. I went ahead to get assessed and I got diagnosed , but I haven’t followed up. Or started medication. I don’t know how I feel about it all. I’m worried it changes my personality . Sometimes I think it’s a modern problem because we live in a fast paced digitalized world anndddd here in the US is very work and productivity focused. And a lot of the work that pays well , I just feel that I’m not wired to do.... it’s frustrating.

There Hass to be another way to make connections to spend time with friends and family some of us don’t have those

I hope I can acc finish revising for my exams

Heavy metal and fast paced rap puts me to sleep and sooths me.

This is quite complicated. What about the effects of trauma in the brain & nervous system? This can also cause you to be on overdrive & difficulties concentrating. How do differentiate the effects of, for example, long time childhood trauma, from adhd/add?

How does one find a doc who can diagnose adult ADHD?

Your speaking about one dominant subtype which is the impulsive/hyper active there is also the inattentive and the combined … maybe you want to include all the types when u talk about adhd

I couldn’t focus because of something on the wall on the upper left

I think I may have adhd but I’m not sure, specially because It had never affected my life too much, like I do struggle with focus, restlessnes, controlling my emotions and some other synmtoms , but other thant that, Idk I just life a normal life, I have friends, I have really good grades at school... Should I try to get a diagnosis or It’d nor even worth it?

As a spanish girl who had attention and organization problems all her life and it's thinking about seeking someone to asses me.One of my fears is bc in this period of my life my attention problesms does not affectme so much, But it did affected me a lot in the past, when I was at University. Now that I'm not studiying and doing work with animals not that much :/

I got diagnosed Adhd when I was 6

I love putting videos on 1.5 times speed, the problem is when I don’t pay attention because I’m reading the comments I miss 1.5 times more of the video

Is moxo an accurate test ??

It's the nuanced nature of these neurodivergent traits that honestly leave me feeling so confused. I've always felt like I was somehow different, but never questioned why. Then I got in a relationship with an autistic partner who was like yeah.... You're quite likely neurodivergent. And I was like huh.... So I went off and started researching autism in women, as that sounded to me to be the more plausible cause. But what I found was I relate to about a third of traits described. Enough to make me wonder is this what it is? But not enough for me to think yes, this is the answer, these are my peeps. I told my partner this and they were like yeah, I reckon you're more ADHD. But I'm finding it harder to find similar lists of traits in women, since so much old research is on hyperactivity in boys. So of course that doesn't relate to a woman in her 30s. So all this just leaves me feeling like I'm not neurotypical, but neither do I have a strong connection with what I'm hearing described, so what is my brain even doing?? Ya know 😢

I'm concerned that I don't have ADHD and that I am, in fact, trying to apply things I'm bad at to something I'm not responsible for, perhaps to avoid blame or in hopes that taking a pill would solve these problems. Perhaps my attention is just pretty bad and that's it, there's no disorder and I'm dealing with totally neurotypical problems, in which case I'm not sure what to do about it.

Hey Dan! Could you please help and possibly give me some insight? Any help would be greatly appreciated. What if there is someone who struggles with most, if not all the legitimate symptoms of ADHD but still find themselves feeling anxious on let's say... Adderall? Is it possible that person (Child) was misdiagnosed? Or is it possible stimulant meds like Adderall might not be the right ADHD meds for said person? Perhaps a NON stimulant ADHD medication would be viable? Any help would be greatly appreciated?

2 minutes in and I'm focusing on how it seems like he has 2 different shades of hair color because of the lighting... help. I'm also scrolling through comments and may have missed a minute of info lol

So I’m 28. I have to wait for 2 years before getting diagnosed. I’m so frustrated

Woah I’m early!

Hyperfocus is so bizarre. If I'm into something, yes, I can hyperfocus on it, but I can guarantee you that I will forget everything else in the world. I can have an entire list of things to do, but if I really get into a project, I will completely forget something that is really important, like submitting paperwork by a certain time. (paperwork I've probably had 2 weeks to submit but procrastinated on) Or will be so engrossed in what I'm doing, that I lose all track of time (timeblindness) and then realize "oh my gosh, what time is it? Am I supposed to pick up the kids?!" or realize it's 7pm and I haven't even started dinner..........or I've burned it.