What is auDHD? Autism and ADHD Combined | The Neurocuriosity Club 

Internal screaming/meltdowns are extremely adaptive, like you said: Safer... but it's at an extreme personal cost that no one externally can see, evaluate, or even understand really.

I was diagnosed with ADHD aged 42. I have been told for years that i am autistic. I have two kids with both ADHD and autism. I have only come to understand that i am autistic in the last few months aged 45. Now i know why my life is on hard mode.

I got my ADHD diagnosis the year before my autism diagnosis. Both together explain SO much of my 40 years of life and I'm honestly kinda pissed that I spent so much of my life feeling like I was a failure of a person when in reality, I was just a totally different operating system. Or, as one person so kindly put it, I wasn't a failed dog. I was a cat who did such a good job of pretending to be a dog that most dogs had no idea I wasn't one. 😂

I thought I didn’t feel a lot for most of my life. Then I realized I was actually angry all the time. And then it clicked when I found out what being disregulated feels like to me (spoilers, it’s anger) 😬

I've said that AuDHD is sometimes like car whose brake and gas pedals are pushed the same time. The casual observer doesn't notice anything special going on, but it's really straining the engine and finding the balance is hard (kind of like the over/under stimulation). I often feel like I need to rest but I'm not able to as I want to use the free time to do something interesting etc. Also I just recently found out about the seven types of rest people need, and while my hobbies give me some kinds of rest, I should really focus more on making sure I get all kinds of rest I need.

I feel like there are many ways audhders self-medicate, even unconsciously, with other things than substances. for example, i used to need to eat a whole tablet of chocolate before starting a demanding task for my executive function, in order to provide to my brain a sufficient enough dopamine level to be able to start

3:49 Re: emotional dysregulation, we need to remember that many of us* have also experienced significant trauma, often in childhood, so post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or complex PTSD (C-PTSD) can add to the lability / fragility of our emotions. An unexpected reminder of a past traumatic experience can easily trigger a PTSD/C-PTSD flare, which - at least in my experience - is often difficult to distinguish from a "pure" neurodivergent meltdown or shutdown (I sometimes wonder if truly "pure" melt/shutdowns exist). * autistic, ADHD, AutDHD, and/or otherwise neurodivergent

Bro why am i crying 2 minutes into this! Ive never self diagnosed myself with anything but even just the inital explanation hit so close to what ive been feeling for actual decades.

The black and white thinking - Can that look like Very frustrated and anxious about something ambiguous but being okay with the thing being ambiguous once we're able to determine it's a genuinely ambiguous thing and not just that we don't understand the thing? Cause like, I Really hate ambiguity unless I'm sure the thing belongs in the 'ambiguity box'. And the ambiguity box is usually acceptable to me though I do still often feel the urge to poke at things in it to try to figure them out 😅

I flipped out once after being tormented for two weeks. I could postpone the meltdown with the idea that the situation would end after two weeks. When it didn't, I had to deal with both the continuation of the horrible situation but also losing my job if not back on time. I locked myself in the bathroom to have a complete melt down in never had before. Needless to say nobody cared for the reasons of my meltdown, and I was only shamed for having a meltdown. All my meltdowns are internal. I can't get the image of a whole police squad throwing themselves on a man having a meltdown in his cell. He was in his cell and couldn't hurt anybody, the police was called and they came in full force on the man. I will be forever hunted by the terror of that poor man. I think it was in Belgium. So, I always think don't give them an excuse to lock you up and throw away the key.

Definitely seeing a pattern here. I so have special interests, but only until my adhd gets bored and finds somthing new to hyperfocus on. The Special special interests I will get back to at some point. I forget to eat for long periods of time then get hangry and have no idea why. I can feel.the breeze of a person coming into a room and miss Ive cut myself and I'm bleeding.

❤ This is one of the best videos, if not THE best video on the topic I have seen so far, so thank you! Found out that I am AuDHD at age 48, in research mode for 2 years now. Got my ADHD diagnosis age 49, trying ADHD meds for the first time at 50, still waiting on autism assessment (2 year waiting list). Many struggles throughout my life, many other diagnosis, nothing ever helped … Still on my journey to find out how to improve the quality of my life. And of my AuDHD kid!

I got ADHD from my Mom and autism from my Dad, meaning that I am a bundle of pure insanity! Also, I related to all of these traits you mentioned, so I'll say for sure that this video was very helpful! (Or at least, I THINK it was, I didn't pay attention to a few points, but I tried to) Thank you very much for teaching people about auDHD, you're making the world a better place! I wanted to give you more compliments, but my brain completely blanked out and it got so full that it's empty, or it's so empty that it's full.. Help???

As a child I used to describe what I now recognise as my shutdown mechanism as "the little man in the back of my head". When things got too much, he would flip a switch and take over to make sure I looked OK on the outside so I could get on with silently screaming inside. It meant I had no direct access to the outside, but at least I kept smiling. Looking back, I'm sure I probably didn't _actually_ look OK, but everybody thought me weird anyway, so hey.

I usually say "undiagnosed neurodivergent", but truthfully this is the thing that I believe describes me the best.

AuDHD here and new sub. Thank you soooo much for your thoughts on addiction. Sober now, but alcohol was my crutch when I needed it and I might not be here without it.

I can’t do ‘area of expertise’ cause it feeeels like it demands exceptionalism. I am very INVESTED in this area. Area of INVESTMENT perhaps. But if you demand me to tell you stuff about it. Thats just nerve wracking. It demands I be some sort of advertisement for my interest and if I’m not perfectly ‘academic’ about my interest ohhh it’s ~not that important~ to me. Uh no! Some people aren’t invested in a manner you can relate to. It feels like savant expectations. Nope nope nope I explode. My interest is simply so invested that if you suggest I need to think about it less, invest less attention to it, or suggest it’s not worth my attention, I explode into a flaming rage. How dare? That is my. SPECIAL. Interest. The word works for some. (Ofc I loved the rest of the video but this part made mY black n white thinking go ‘ew no’. Happened earlier today too when I dismissed a recovery cafe cause it took too many steps to apply for what I thought would be comfortable and straight forward. But I realize okay yeah it probably works well for the people it works for, so it’s not like, the worst of suggestions/place. So I’m not against the term for others but I just. Whew. Hit with the ‘NOOOOO!! Don’t call it that for MEEEE’ in my head. I have to find a way to word that if i wanna send this video to anyone cause the rest. Ough. I feel people just. Don’t get. Emotional Dysregulation and Meltdowns and the Pain Pain Pain of feeling like you’re spiraling out of control with no hand hold! OUGH. It’s been a rough year for that too. I hope u can consider what I said despite the perhaps pressured way I worded it- for future chats bout special interest and other terms for such investments. I just feel a lot of shame around people assuming I’m like. An expert in my interest. I know more about it than others would maybe, I may be invested in parts no one else is, and it’s just. Hard to share sometimes. It doesn’t feel very ‘expert’ sometimes.

I’m legally blind and had never heard of people not using the term “time blindness”, I wonder if some people feel the same about face blindness. I’ll still be using them because they make sense to NT people but yea

When you have auDHD it can be hard to remember which symptoms come from where 😅

First of all, I loved your video and your style. Brava on the whole thing, I get the amount of work that is. I was happy to be educated and to see more resources for AuDHD folk. I never had help like this when I was growing up, so by necessity, have had to be masked my entire life. I would have been killed or maimed if I hadn’t. I wish you had covered the reason WHY people mask, being the and very real and many-times experienced danger of living as ourselves in a heavily mundane-normative and punitive world. It’s important to address how our true selves are Othered, Penalized, Incarcerated and Killed on a regular basis, due to prejudice against neurodiverse folx in the mainstram. Plus the soul-deep damage that masking does to us. I keep uncovering layers even after decades of work on myself. We all do. It’s not only not easy to unmask, many of us who value our lives *can’t* unmask. Some may live in a safe bubble, but that does not speak to the experience of the masses of neurodiverse folx in the world. I am a 64 year old psychologist with a 35 year practice in helping victims of such violence deal with their trauma. I am also AuDHD & cPTSD (a video on this tripe-threat diagnosis would be great) from birth with no meds, help or anything but Othering, Minimizing and Silencing. Plus a lot of violence done to me without my will, which nearly all women with the AuDHD codiagnosis experience. That kind of trauma takes a lot of work to recover from, and that’s who I’ve worked with in my career. Every single one of us would love to see more on the psychological nuances of these issues. You do good work. Thanks!

It gets even more complicated if you've also got OCD as OCD and ADHD are often found together and they tend to mask each other. It's common enough that I recommend anybody with either diagnosis insist on being evaluated for the other. Most folks don't, but there's a sizable minority that do and when I got my dual diagnosis, it was a new thing that hadn't been possible for very long. At least from a diagnostic perspective. But, if you've got both, an ASD evaluation is probably a good idea as OCD+ADHD can be confused for ASD and ASD can be completely missed if you've got both.

That stimulation window piece spoke the most to me! It's one of the prominent factors of employment satisfaction and retention.

That was helpful. I was just diagnosed with AuDHD at 53 yrs old. I like the analogy of being at war with yourself. Does feel like it. Thank you 💗

Yep....I'm 52, and I am an AuDHDer; bipolar/mood and anxiety disorder; OCD and C-PTSD. I was raised by a COVERT NARCISSTIC "mother". Everything you said is me 100%

YES! Someone else who rubs their fingernails on their lips! I usually stroke one of my thumbnails on my cupids bow, it just fits so perfectly and feels so calming 😌

Loved this you know your stuff. I got diagnosed at 26 it was blatantly obvious for years. With my background in occupational therapy you are the most knowledgeable on the topic on the RU-vid platform.

honestly i've been loking for this kind of video for so long. i know now that i'm audhd but at the time when i wasn't sure and looked for more information, only a few videos have been as helpful as this one could've been to my doubtful self.

I have a question. So criterion C and D for autism spectrum disorder say that symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (but may not be fully manifest until life demands exceed limited capacities or may be masked in later life through compensatory strategies), and that they must cause clinically significant impairment in at least one area of life. This is REALLY hard for me to understand. Because I did have autistic traits in early childhood, but they didn't really cause me issues and when they did it was a lot more of an occasional thing. Now that I am older they are starting to cause more problems especially since I am almost an adult. I get overstimulated A LOT more often than I did when I was young, and ever since developing a lot more social anxiety (because I was an outgoing kid but was seen as weird and was being bullied/ CONSISTENTLY rejected because of my autistic traits like special interests and social behaviors in elementary school) the social deficits are becoming more obvious. But because they weren't as strongly present in childhood I don't know if I fit criterion C. since it was a more occasional thing that got worse as I got older. What confuses me about criterion D. is that I don't understand when something is clinically significant. I don't understand any sort of threshold between "normal" and "abnormal" especially when it comes to struggles. I do have issues almost daily (somedays being a lot worse and somedays where I have none), but I can't tell if they are strong enough issues in daily life to constitute autism, since at the end of the day autism spectrum disorder is a disability. Are you able to explain these more in-depth? This is the main thing hindering my understanding of myself and my suspected autism (not fully self-diagnosed since I don't understand those 2 criterion).

I was diagnosed last year with both ADHD and autistic spectrum disorder, aged 64. I so much hope that I had been diagnosed earlier. I have had so many problems. To name one, I had meltdowns, just as you described them, and I did not understand what was going on, and my family was also at loss, because usually I was not like that. I had alexithymia. I was like blindfolded in my social relations. I hated noise and crowds and scratching clothes and changes. I was extremely absent-minded and chaotic. My moods changed very quickly and I was mystified: what is the matter? I had to learn to start tasks and complete them and it was hard. I was clumsy and hit myself to things so that I was always bruised. I had difficulties sleeping because my mind was so active. Etc etc. If only somebody had come and said: no, you are not a freak, you are not lazy, cold, overemotional, bad and mad, but your brain just works differently.

Diagnosed ADHD. Self-diagnosed Autism (I have taken every accredited test and fall within the 90-99% likelihood). This video is one of the most comforting and relatable videos describing Audhd I’ve seen. What a gem 💎 I wish I could find a therapist or friend like you! Thank you!

Autistic inertia is what got me unexpectedly diagnosed for ASD in 2002. So, starting and stopping is a well-known autism thing. Perhaps it factors into ADHD as well, I’m not sure about that: my statement “mind without an off switch” got me towards also getting an ADHD diagnosis last year. I do not have OCD as far as I understand it, nor do I have an anxiety issue. Also, autistics can’t filter out all our sensory inputs so as a result, I think, comes along the issue of not being able to habituate to various sensory levels things such as mobile device alerts, which led me as a huge factor into autistic burnout last year due to moving into an obnoxious open office environment with a lot of talking as well as mobile devices with alerts at MAX VOLUME which the owners drowned out but set off my fight-or-flight response all the time. And yes, I do have auditory processing disorder, and that sucks in that environment so bad.

i was shocked when you mentioned the rubbing your finger nail across your lip bc i’ve never heard of anyone else doing it and i’ve been doing it for as long as i can remember. i am currently just getting into trying to get evaluated but have started to realize all these little quirks or personal struggles i have daily all sound like autism and just now addressing that!

This made me feel seen so much!! I relate a lot. Sorry if this is going to be long… I had my diagnosis last week (an almost 5 hour session) and the psychologist was pretty sure I have ADHD but not sure about autism because, hold and behold, I quote his words “autistic people don’t care about making friends” (I would love to have more friends to hang out with my same interests but it’s SO hard socialising and maintaining friends) and “autistic people live in their own world, not really aware of the outside world”… he also took the DSM-5 book and literally started reading symptoms in children and saying that they don’t really apply to me. Okay sure, but I also forgot to tell him a lot of things that went on in my childhood and current situation and I’m so frustrated and confused. It’s funny because what made my whole 27 years of my life make sense was a specific video about autism (mind you, I did 2-3 months of INTENSE research beforehand). I’ve had a depersonalisation episode and I’m having frequent shutdowns, really struggling here… :/ in the end, I feel like an imposter 🥲

I was diagnosed with ADHD Combined a couple of years ago. I believe I also have the symptoms of Autism & DCD. Watching in 🇬🇧

I really think I am both. I feel so stuck because I need help to move forward, but I need money to be able to get the help I need… but if I could maintain a job and function I feel like I wouldn’t need the help. It’s so hard, and I just don’t know what to do. >.< So I’m making do with what I have. It just so often feels like a losing battle. Thank you for the video.

I'm glad I found this video and your channel in general. I was thinking I might have one or the other for a very long time, and you explained all of that very clearly. It feels like I have 90-95% of these symptoms... Even though I can't get assessed by a medical professional right now, it gave me some peace of mind and courage to continue fighting. It's always great to realize what's actually going on and why... Thank you.

Just got my diagnosis for AUDHD at 43 years old after my 8 year old son got his autism diagnosis. Nearly fell off my chair when she told me I have ADHD too never would of guessed at all

I often tell people that I have two sleep modes: Sleep is for the week, and I sleep for a week. :)

Thank God by the time I knew I was AUDHD (diagnosed ASD 12 years ago, ADHD not yet diagnosed but increasingly obvious) I'd already found myself on the CAS, trialing medical cannabis; it's the difference between life or death, being able to dampen down the aftermath of a meltdown.

Psychology is my special interest or recurring hyperfocus mainly because I had the feeling something is wrong with me since I'm a teenager (maybe it's ADHD, mabye autism or maybe AuDHD or something different entirely - still haven't figured it out completely)

Thank you so much for this video! You did a wonderful job explaining this experience.

I was surprised by this video. I clicked by it feeling sure, but you gave us quality information on this dual diagnosis! Yay! Thank you!!!!!!! ❤

damn this video is making me cry, Im fighting to get my AuDHD diagnosis right now and I've been reading a lot about both of those things but separate and I have the constant feeling that when it's JUST ADHD I'm missing some core things even though the rest fits like a glove, and the exact same when its JUST autism. Hearing someone talking about stuff I've always felt like emotional desregulation is so liberating, I always thought I was imature, that I was simply "wrong" and needed to try to be better (even though it led me to just pushing feelings away and having meltdowns when it became too much). I've also been high masking since a pre-teen, and I only realized it recently. And people always say "well, if it's so tiring just unmask" as if it's that easy, you are the first person that described how hard that process is thank you

Fantastic affirming video! Absolutely golden. You are amazingly gifted at explaining this crazily complicated subject. My internalized stigma just evaporated. One huge step closer to me having the strength to get my diagnoses. Thank you thank you thank you!

The whole masking thing was completely OK with me during all the COVID chaos. I suddenly pitched steeply down mentally wise while at work, years after COVID; after suddenly realizing that a physical mask is also like an emotional mask that covers parts of your face. I was in a really good mood the day when it happened, and I was stupid to take the physical mask off because they were renovating the building, I don't believe that it was asbestos, but it was fiberglass none the less. Was also essentially in Satan's behind at the time temperature wise, while being in a building that temperature wise feels like hell itself. Know that working in the trades is not meant for everyone, and if you do, do not let it drive you insane!

You are soo amazing in describing these symptoms, it helps me so much with finding words to use when i see my doctor soon. I really want to say thank you for your work and content. And btw you are soo beautiful, you have such a nice smile. ❤

I love you Meg! And living for your hair changes:) perfect

This is hands down the most helpful and comprehensive video explanation of both autism and ADHD I have ever seen. It puts it together so well! I’ve struggled for so long to do that but keep going around in circles. Thank you! 😊❤

That's the best description of masking I've heard. ❤

Idk what to say right now, but feel I must say something. All I can come up with is thank you. Thank you so much for being who you are and making this video... it's just hitting me so hard rn I don't have words, so just thank you, thank you so much ❤❤❤

Autism/adhd and empath, the empath part makes certain things extremely hard. Peoples emotions and energy radiate through me and can cause chaos in my head in certain places. The one place i can be where i feel as 1 is hiking through the woods because of all the stimulation all at once. It gives me a euphoric feeling when i am there. My "BLAH" days are explained well here, i don't know how i feel at allllllll!! It can go for days sometimes and i am very unproductive but i will listen to music and stim. Learning more every day, thank you!! I could feel your emotions when you were saying how much it hurts!! I cried👍😎👻🤪🌶♾️

It's a fantastic video, so true and so important to be talked about. I appreciated you included the contradictions of having both, compensations from each and why it's so challenging to have diagnosed both at once if the doctor is not applying a holistic view. Well, it all is so important, even if it doesn't change the hard time in life having both, cos is easy to see how it looks and feels incoherent to deal with the traces of ADHD and Autism combined.

Wow! I have all the traits you've mentioned!! I self-diagnosed as Autistic and have had other Autistic confirm it, but also have had strangers ask me if I'm ADHD or Bipolar... Maybe I'm actually AuDHD? But living in Japan... there's very little support for mental health issues and getting a diagnosis online is so expensive there's no way I could afford it without winning the lottery! I love this information, thou! Thanks for gathering it together and presenting it so nicely! You're adorably cute and remind me of my bestie! I wish you all the very best! 🥰

Super interesting and helpful video. Thanks. Helps us to feel less strange and alone to know there's others like us. I'd like to hear more of your perspective on dysregulation (and self-control or lack thereof) of various aspects of our curious brains including emotions, attention, energy/motivation, tolerance/handling of demands, etc. Dysregulation seems to be a common attribute across numerous parts of the AuDHD life.

I like the term "resource roundup". I've been doing this for myself, friends, and clients and didn't have a name for it. Thanks!

Thanks for this video, I already knew that I’m adhder but recently got conscious of my autism condition as well. Audhd really describes how it feels to be me. I also do inward meltdown and they hurt a lot. I now have to learn how to do them in other ways that will be less armful.

Before diagnosis, I thought I was having panic attacks, which supposedly make an individual feel like they are dying. Realized after diagnosis that those panic attacks I thought were happening were more likely meltdowns. They are painful, and they feel like the world is crashing down on top of you. And they can be so exhausting because your whole body goes through it that I can't stay awake the rest of the day despite being a well-seasoned insomniac. I also want to say that I've had my AuDHD diagnosis for about a year and a half now and kept doubting because of the hyper/hypo stimulation. I thought I couldn't be autistic because I could deal with my socks for example, or really loud music, but then put me in front of the buzzing freezers at the grocery store and suddenly I can't handle it. Just wanted to say, your description of that narrow window makes a lot of sense and has me a lot less doubtful. Thank you for your explanation!

One time I was in full meltdown status and all my dad did was scream at me. When I said “do you think I enjoy this? Like do you think this is fun for me?” And he said “you know, sometimes I think you do.” And when I was saying how unfair it is that I am the only one who has to go to therapy, he told me that he will never and I said “why are you too manly?” And he said yes. Lmao.

Great explanation. Very clear and easy to understand.

Our family has one member with aspergers with associated learning disorders, with the cusp of Add + Adhd, with perverse language disorders, development delay and the list goes on and on and on the different disabilities, disorders, you need to be prepared to learn, and you need an enormous amount of patience. How it is for us, when one is functioning, the others are not. When the others are functioning the autism is not. It goes into rest, silent, dormat mode for a time so it goes from one to another, without warning. Plus the long list we have had to deal with that is beyond challenging for all including the medical and specialists and all the other fields, such as education that have had to deal with it. We got there and stil getting there. Yes we go through what you go through. Its about having emotional intelligence to deal with the emotional dysregulation, including the build up, its like a bomb that can go off for the whole family, but you can learn, we go through that and within a very short time, we are back in peace, quiet what we really are , we have and know how to deal with it and are experienced at it, and the member is really good at naming emotions. They don't feel emotion, but they hear it in people's voices. Even if people try and hide it, they can still hear it.

Thank you so much, I’m 29, and only now understanding all of the trauma that I’ve had. Crying

Very informative information! Thank you !

Wow, I definitely have ADD. But this is a huge eye opener for me. The meltdown makes a lot of sense to me. Then, 10 minutes later, Im good. I was told I get frustrated fast but bounce back quickly.

I found you at the right time, wow. Been down the trail of 'wow autism is resonating with me, like A LOT, maybe I am AuDHD' Your video came out just over a month ago, wonderful breakdown and explanation! Thanks! (also, the subtitles had a heyday with this, 'be a DHD' "Ah yes, I do fancy myself as a Dial Home Device")

Now that you mention it, special interest can be a bit of an issue for some of us as it's not like I'm actually interested in most of that stuff, it just gets in my head and is incredibly uncomfortable to the point of having a breakdown as I continue to binge on whatever information. And, each time it happens with a new area, it just gets faster and faster.

When you explained it I now know what you mean. Never in my life have I heard that terminology though for it. It's just a dual diagnosis.

I was diagnosed with autism in January 2023 and was then diagnosed with ADHD in December 2023. At the age of 50/51. I've never known who I was/am, so it's been a nightmare. I have tried medication (concerta), but it made my feel like i was medically masking.

Excellent content!!❤

I got my official dual diagnosis recognition of Asperger’s and Combined ADHD in 2023 at age 42 as well

Honestly, I suspect that me and my bf are both audhd 😅 no wonder that every our day is filled with comedy and drama in the same time. We were at the verge of breaking up several times but can't let go of each other too. Emotional disregulation, feeling wierd all of a sudden at any day, fatigue, shutdowns, panic attacks etc we've been thru it all. To be honest, we use pot to calm our nerves. For us it's really works, feeling physically and mentally more stable, more energy to do things. But I'm sure it's not for everyone. Doing yoga and cycling outside also really helps to regulate mood swings and gives dopamine. And of course, good sleep and food 🎉 hang tight there folks and good luck ❤

Damn, I love how you describe "masking"

God, I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid and found out I may be auDHD. I've bounced so many special interests that it kinda just turned into the special interest of learning about anything anything everything especially seeking to truth. 😅 as a kid I was kinda the same but my deepest interest was Rocks, and Zelda.

Also struggled with self medication, eating disorders and panicky attacks and complex alienation. Everything is masking. I see my identity is an observer and everything else is what I have to do to survive.

I wish my mum would watch this, but " it's just not important to me"

This was so timely, I get my results next Monday for my autism evaluation. I'm diagnosed as adhd. I'm scared I'll get told it's not also autism bc then idk what's extra wrong with me lol

All. Of. This. 😖 I just recently recognized my adult autistic meltdown. I’m still recovering from the shock of it. I was diagnosed ADHD last year at the age of 63 and told I was “on the spectrum” and should be diagnosed for ASD also.

WHOA neuroemergent time is SUCH a cool term!!

Explained very well

Yikes. I certainly check off many boxes. ACEs, sensory, auditory, the internal screaming, the masking, i find it all fascinating of course bc. Psychology is super interesting to me. I had so many questions for my professor in that class i wish i had courage to ask

So on point 😭😭

Thanks.

I was misdiagnosed with Bipolar 1 mixed rapid cycling and BPD. No med. treatments works. At 50 I got diagnoses with ADHD and CPTSD. I have Hypo and Hyper intraceptive body awareness.I also dissociate and shut down.

I got my ADHD diagnosis in November of 2023 after my first psychiatrist dismissed my concerns. I found a second psychiatrist who listened to me and evaluated me and diagnosed me. Today I just got diagnosed with Autism. It's both validating and terrifying

1:45 Awww, too bad, I was excitedly reaching to press that subscribe button, but then you said this channel is for those who think they might have ADHD or Autism, which is too bad for me, because I am quite certain that I have both of those oft-maligned superpowers! Well, better luck next time. I hope some other channel that you start will suit me better! Lastly, just to avoid any disappointment this may have caused you, I was just joking with you! Of course, I will subscribe! I hope you won't mind if I lurk around your community, just to see your pretty face a little more often than never!

you're so right about the nails! LOL

Random but where did you get your shirt?? I feel like I resonate with a lot in this video

The melt downs... My temperature shooots up. My chest gets tight. When you said it's painful, I felt that. But tbh I shutdown much more. I go nonverbal.

I’ve just come to realise withing the last couple of months that one of my biggest traumas and still ongoing issues is that almost nobody really understands and accepts me. Like, even those who accept me the way I am most often still don’t really understand me and because of this have sometimes issues to deal with me in the best way. And throughout my life I have mostly been blamed instead of heard and helped. I’ve been identified as intellectually gifted as a young child, but it took another almost 20 years until I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD, too, and I still don’t have a “real” autism diagnosis because the doctors found me to be “not conspicuous enough” despite showing some typical traits. My issue seems to be that I can stem a massive cognitive compensation effort plus masking for quite a while before I end up just totally burned out, and have been doing so my whole life. Even now that I know of all this and quite often even notice it in the moment, it still happens subconsciously and often, if I don’t feel really safe in a situation, even consciously. I’ve had to fight for several years before getting some really necessary help, but even now it’s often not enough, especially at times when I’m not doing so well. And people often have a hard time to accept that I need accommodations, or to see how much I struggle, because to the outside I most often seem ”just fine“. Even in therapy, my last two therapists were convinced I wouldn’t be autistic, so I couldn’t get any help dealing with my autistic issues. Unfortunately, I myself also often realise too late what happened and what I would have needed in a certain situation. I do actually notice quite a lot of “typical” autistic traits and behaviours on myself, now that I’m on ADHD medication, learned ways and strategies to deal with that, and kind of “sorted it out”. But they are most prominent in situations where I’m too exhausted to “hold myself together” and, as noted before, still then I only let them show in situations where I feel “safe“. Which is probably also the reason I haven’t been diagnosed with autism. That situation doesn’t feel „safe“ enough to let my guards down, if I would be exhausted enough to let it show anyway I would never be able to even make it there, and only now with some control over my ADHD, I would even maybe be able to explain it well enough to still get diagnosed. Every time I find someone with a similar experience who actually understands me, I notice how much of a burden this puts onto my everyday life. The burden of always giving my very best and still mostly being judged for all the things I couldn’t do. While almost nobody is there to give me a helping hand, or I’m too afraid to take it out of fear of being let down once again or just overwhelming and scaring people away once I open up. I found myself in so many aspects of this video. Thank you for making me feel seen once again. Edit: Wow, I never had anyone else describe this “autopilot” experience to me before. I’ve experienced this a few times and at some point described it as “a panic attack without feeling panic”. It was like I watched myself from a distance and could only stand by and watch while another part of my brain took over and led me as fast and safe as possible out of the situation. A very weird experience.

I'm a diagnosed audhder and this is kinda true especially with the autistic meltdown part

I have restless feeling. But don’t stim like I used to by fidgeting.

I paused the video to just put a real quick comment about RSD. I don’t have a massive record of rejection and criticism. Actually I was quite a “good girl” at school and uni. A successful one, the “golden student”. But of course I had so much trouble with social life that I ended up self-isolating in order to protect myself. I remember several (less then 10 major) cases of being ridiculed and bullied by peers. But no so many. And yet my RSD is huge, profound, debilitating, paralyzing. Maybe it’s not about the frequency of being rejected. It’s just our profound sensitivity and as you said no filter. Actually now I understand that I truly believed my torturers when they were saying bad things about me. That’s how I am. Believe everything people saying. I guess it’s autistic thing. P.S. wow, my “real quick comment” is not so quick 😅 yeah, don’t know when to stop explaining my point… but back to video 😊

Everything you count fit me 😭 I had the adhd diagnosis as a child but i felt something was different. I believe i have autism as well, but no one believes me and say: nooo u don't have autism My half-brother recently received his diagnosis for autism I can still remember talking to him shortly before about how I think my father, brother and I probably have autism according to the criteria and from the way I know them privately, it fits, but they didn't want to admit it The video gave me the courage to get tested at an expert clinic

I am OCD level when I organized or not at all and everything is complete chaos. If I clean I only know how to do it one way. The right way and will deep clean and alphabetize everything and lose all track of time. So if I do not have time to dedicate to that, I will not do it at all. When I do organize I get stuck doing things like matching the close to the hangers and putting everything in rainbow patterns. Alphabetizing cans in a pantry. Shit like that.

It's so exhausting to be AuDHD. 😣

I've been diagnosed with ADD since I was 10 years old, the "lack" of the H there was because I didn't show sings of hyperactivity in the same way boys do, so my Therapist at the time (after some time of seeing me), changed it to ADHD. Now (im 26), I also have suspitions of Autism, but as a Psychologist myself i feel rather skeptical of selfdiagnosis to be honest, and my Therapist is not convinced. Unfortunately seeking an official and diferentiated diagnosis could be expensive where im from, so right now im trying to figure it out on my own along with my therapist. Thank you for this video!

I got diagnosed as Audhd a month ago at my 28y is commom to find videos about what is or how to identify but really hard to find the videos that helps with the traits of both together.

The part about hearing electronic devices thank you cuz I could hear a TV turn on since I was a child from the next room oh my God My mind is blown

One of my special interest is cancer, I watch videos on every type, people struggling with it, books about it, facts... I thought for a very long time something was wrong with me and I tried to curb it till I found out I am audhd

I found it curious that you put "Difficulty starting, finishing, & switching tasks" in the ADHD section 16:01. I'm not disagreeing, necessarily, I'm just wondering how other people think about it. Personally, I think of my struggle to start a task as my Autism (inertia), while my inability to stick to it as my ADHD. Sometimes my ADHD doesn't show up and I get it done or sometimes the looming deadlines puts me into hyperfocus. Sometimes it just doesn't get done 😅. And then, difficulty switching tasks is tunnel vision/monotropism. Curious what other people think about it. I kinda wonder if this isn't all just a symptom of monotropism (so both/neither ADHD and/or Autism)🤷

Someone else who likes typology yay!! My favorite is enneagram personally :D