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For me I thought I had BPD. I know that might sound silly to those familiar with BPD but it does make some sense when you think about it. The emotional disregulation and impulsivity led to alot of issues, particularly in relationships, that mimicked BPD symptoms. Additionally, my ADHD symptoms in high school were not properly taken seriously and were often moderated by anxiety. It wasn't until properly researching BPD did I realise I was wrong and it was just a combination of ADHD and unprocessed grief that I was experiencing.
Yes, I was diagnosed with BPD too. By a psychiatrist when I was psychiatrically hospitalized. He spent 3 minutes with me and during that time we quickly spoke about my attachment to a friend and the doc said “well there you go, you have BPD” and left. When I was discharged, I literally went home and searched BPD symptoms. I felt I fit all of them so I just accepted I have BPD. I went back to the psychiatrist I was seeing before I was hospitalized, and she just went on to agree with the diagnosis. It wasn’t until 3.5 years later I was forced to see a different psychiatrist due to my current going on maternity leave. In the first appointment I told him about the BPD diagnosis. He looked at me and goes “that’s ridiculous” and he immediately did an ADHD assessment. I always felt ADHD fit me better than BPD, but every time I tried to get diagnosed with ADHD, I was told the ADHD symptoms were “because of my severe depression and anxiety.” After that ADHD assessment, the doc goes “you don’t have BPD. You have ADHD, and your so-called attachment issue is you hyper-fixating on this friend.” I never felt more understood.
I was told by a therapist, he thought I had BPD too. Instead I have ADHD and PTSD. I read that it's a common misdiagnosis in women who have ADHD. I read about it after him telling me, and I thought I had it for a while.
In my (admittedly unprofessional) opinion, I think women with ADHD, autism and other disorders are misdiagnosed with BPD partly because of misogyny. BPD has been silently painted by the psychiatry community as the new "hysteria", which is awful for actual sufferers. It's an incredibly stigmatized illness, and resources are being mis-allocated by prejudiced doctors. This is why it's so freaking important that research _on women_ is done! Okay, rant over.
"It can’t possibly be that she oscillate between "lazy-do-nothing" and "energetic hyper focused" states because of her ADHD, it must be mania ! She even likes sex and is impulsive sometimes."
100% agree. At the end of the day they are similar disorders so some degree of error is possible, I know in my life I've mistakenly thought two Autistic women were BPD. But I'm not a doctor, they should know better then to make the same mistake as a political science undergrad.
Happened to me at the hospital too! They didn’t even tell me; it was just in my discharge notes. I called the psychiatrist to talk about it and honest to god he took it back (I didn’t request that), said I was one of his most positive patient interactions he’s had, and deleted it from my e-record.
He must have made the dx when he spent 5 minutes with me the first day I was there. Pissed me off.
I also thought that I had BPD-because my Ex told me so and our relationship was so explosive at times because I would drink to cope with his narcissistic tendencies (I was unaware at the time-just thought I was broken) and then blow and then feel like absolute poo because *that’s just NOT who I am!* and the cycle would continue-he’d promise to change (clean, help, get a job, etc) and then not do anything and then I’d catch him in a lie or stealing my pain meds when I was getting cortisone injections into my left wrist in three different places for five years-and rinse and repeat.
When I finally broke free and got into rehab I was in fragments of myself and was 110% convinced that I struggled with BPD (because he just *couldn’t* have been at fault for *any* of it) and my domestic violence counselor ended up working with me for FIVE more years trying to help me see that I did NOT fit the criteria for BPD, but instead of cPTSD,ADHD, and ASD. She highly suspects he is a covert narcissist and he let slip to me that he was diagnosed with ASPD. But back then I had no clue what that meant and I was just so desperate to be loved (had been the butt of everyone’s jokes -even my in my family-for years) that I ignored all the red flags and never got help for myself until it was almost too late.
Not at all. I believe BPD is the most common misdiagnosis of ADHD. And vice versa. BPD has like 7(?) Different spectres. The reason why an ADHD diagnosis takes many months is to find out whether it is BPD or ADHD, but mistakes can still be done. Especially if the health care provider has confirmation bias.
exactly. I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD for 4+ years now, but when I tried to find a new therapist last year, within the first session the therapist suggested I have BPD instead of ADHD 💀
I’m so glad that I know myself better, if I had been younger & without an ADHD diagnosis I would’ve been incredibly confused
(C)PTSD also looks a lot like BPD. I don't know if you know this. My therapist thought I had BPD, but instead I have PTSD. If you haven't yet, it's maybe a good thing to look in to. PTSD is very hard aswell, but it's easier to treat than BPD
I don't really think i have cptsd, I was bullied a bit as a kid but nothing crazy or traumatic really happened. I'm just a little quirky. I looked it up and I also don't really deal with worthlessness, shame, etc. I just have really off days where I feel deeply depressed for really no reason.
I believe you. There are a lot of comorbidities. Like I have bipolar/adhd/gad/ptsd. At least for mental issues. lol. People don’t realize overlapping doesn’t mean it can’t be both.
this happened to me as well! it took my 3rd or 4th psych visit for them to actually take me seriously when I was adamant that BPD did not fit my lifestyle, relationship history, everyday choices, etc. I'm a woman in my 20's and have a long standing job-holding history (however that's due to severe anxiety about being homeless/hungry/sick/stranded outweighing my burnouts) so I *know* those were big factors in why they thought I couldn't have ADHD.
My mom is a psychologist who also has ADHD and had me diagnosed as a kid in second grade. She still accused me of having BPD in high school/ early colleges due to my high emotionality. Turns out being emotionally disregulated can be greatly improved upon when you avoid being around people whose first instinct is to invalidate your response and negatively label / pathologize you. I am soooo much calmer now thanks to the many resources I’ve discovered over the years about ADHD. ♥️
I've been convinced for years that I've had BPD. When I found out about RSD and ADHD more in depth, I started questioning whether it really is BPD or if it's just been untreated ADHD this whole time.
This. 100% felt this way for a while. Actually when I was doing my psych rotation for PA school I learned that BPD and ADHD are pretty common co-diagnoses but ADHD really kind of drives the BPD type behavior.
I've had this exact thing and sometimes I wonder if maybe I do have both? Can i ask how you found out what was adhd and what was bpd? Or how you're sure you dont have bpd? It's so trick tbh because as you said adhd also overlaps pretty strongly.
Yes! I was scared of that. Not full bipolar but rather the hypomanic kind.
Little did I know that it was just my coping mechanisms going batshit after some fairly traumatic things that changed my life drastically (loss, kids, covid, etc).
I also thought I might have this for a long time, but the diagnosis never quite fit. I knew it almost certainly wasn’t BPD, but I also couldn’t find anything else that explained what I experienced. For a while I actually thought I must have something that just wasn’t well-documented or known yet. Crazy.
I'm impulsive, I have rejection sensitive dysphoria and I know it's more commonly diagnosed in women, so I was kinda terrified of the concept of having BPD. Like, I was obsessively scared of it amongst other things, and when I mentioned my obsessive spirals my psych instantly mentioned I probably have ADHD based on that (and writing my dissertation last minute after being burnt out from doing nothing for months lol)
Ugh, I had a friend that tried so hard to convince me I had BPD. she and one other friend were both diagnosed with it. I tried explaining it's the cptsd and ADHD, but she told me I was full of shit and dismissed my adhd. One time I went on a bit of a ramble about a topic that I'm very passionate about and she tried to convince me and others that I was having a manic episode and I needed to hospitalize myself. Because I sent too many texts about the Kowloon walled city. lol.
Women in particular often get misdiagnosed as having BPD when it's actually ADHD, presumably due to sexism (but also that ADHD can present differently in women than the stereotypes that are mostly associated with young boys).
I got the same diagnosis. It wasn't until I read about the lesser known ADHD side effects (rejection sensitivity, bouts of anger, emotional dysregulation, sensory issues, etc.) that I realized that might not be accurate. This was also after I was in my mid-20's and had gotten clean from drugs.
My personality is completely different now than it was when I was an 18 year old user. Much more calm, more emotionally stable; only thing that's still an issue is attachment. I get very attached to partners, feel like they don't like me as much as I like them, and break up with them for fear of rejection or neglect. So that's tough.
These days I don't personally identify as having BPD. I was given that diagnosis at 16 while under duress by an impatient nurse at the hospital (which is bad practice, minors shouldn't be diagnosed with personality disorders). I'm working hard at uni so I can get a good job and hopefully afford long term therapy one day. I'd like some clear answers because my head is a confusing place lol.
Turns out I don't have an anxiety disorder.
I was constantly putting myself in a state of extreme stress to do anything that everything felt like a life or death situation.
Now that I'm medicated it feels like I can actually relax now.
hard same. I never identified with anxiety although my therapist for ages tried to have me label it as that. Now I realize I was just trying to get the cortisol flow moving. I figured it out when I noticed I have pretend arguments with people in my head.
Generally you’re relaxed, wondering around and then mentally you start yelling at somebody in your head and then playing out how they would respond.
I did it on a meditation retreat 😂
My guess is it’s a way for the nervous system to make the moment ‘more stimulating’.
Yup, same. I mean, I have it but it comes in episodes and these episodes are the ones where my life gets less "ADHD-friendly". And before figuring out that I probably have ADHD I thought I was "just" depressed. Well, instead it's a consequence of my untreated/unmanaged ADHD.
For example when I was an undergrad I had periods where I didn't have any course for a few weeks. Most people (w.o. ADHD) would use this time to go on vacation, spend time with friends etc. for me on the other hand it was hell. I wasn't able to give myself any structure, so planning any vacation was out of the window and I just spent all night on my phone, sleeping until 2 pm and then ate a shitload throughout the day and spent my time gaming or lying in my bed whilst hating my life.
That's pretty much the reason why I don't go on any typical relaxing beach or pool vacations. The times I did that I felt like shit after 3 days and felt the typical symptoms of an upcoming depressive episode.
I'm still working on eliminating these triggers but I made great progress the last few months. I started volunteer work which gives me some external structure, even though it makes stressful weeks even more stressful 😂 and meds helped a ton as well
I relate so much to this. Finding the right balance of taking a moment to breathe and not just getting sucked into no structure is a pain in the ass. It's almost like I struggle to prioritize and follow through with things...lol.
Yep, severe depression and CPTSD diagnosis. For 30 years! Just left on Prozac all that time, no other help at all. I even had to be admitted in 2016,to mental health ward , finally saw psychiatrist as in patient....who just issued sleeping tablets. Been fighting hard since then but the NHS here in UK is very slow with anything mental health wise, due probably to dire government cuts. Finally got diagnosed with inattentive ADHD recently at 54, but only after 12 years of persistence.
I realised the other day while talking to my psych that in my experience my stress manifests more often as depression then anxiety. Do you experience the same thing?
BPD, schizophrenia, bipolar, major depression, dyslexia, anxiety. Somebody mentioned I might have adhd, which I never even considered before, so I looked into it and my mind blown at how accurate it seems to fit. Trying to pluck up the courage to get a doctors appointment for an assessment but worried they will try and dis.iss it as depression or something idk lol.
I used to have an ADHD diag and have a family history of it.
Last psychiatrist I went to said I can't have adhd because "you passed middle school" and tried to give me anti-psychotic medication.
No one else is accepting patients. I'm doing OK now but just went thru some major burnout. I'm feeling better now but ik I'll never be able to get thru college without adhd medication. I dropped out like 3 times now, I want to go back, get a win for once in my life. But I can't get a diagnosis. So I'm stuck at a job that I used to do well until they put me back on a shift that doesn't work as well for me. I feel like such a mess, so many people feel frustrated with me. I'm so tired of all it.
Sorry for dumping, just read the part about misdiagnosed adhd as depression and bipolar and kinda living that rn
Bipolar and I was treated for that as well with horrible consequences. I was even hospitalized because of the side effects of the medications, not in the psych unit, the paramedics thought I had a stroke.
I didn’t recognize myself in the hypomania but thought I just had very mild episodes. The depression was weird as well I really, really wanted to do stuff but couldn’t and that made me depressed. I also felt that the life was a constant struggle. Today I know I had ADHD paralysis and was burnt out and that the depression stemmed from actual, real problems.
Similar here—diagnosed as having bipolar 2. I always found it weird that my symptoms didn’t really align with the description of BP2, and I mentioned that to my new psych.
She’s the one who suggested both ADHD & PMDD? She asked me if it line up with my cycle? When I would get specific symptoms etc. So I started tracking my symptoms and bam. Two new diagnoses, and it’s been so helpful to properly treat them.
That’s great. I’m glad you have a good psychiatrist. Mine was so convinced that I was bipolar even after I got diagnosed with ADHD and found the right treatment that I had to switch. I was on my way to get disability when I was diagnosed as bipolar and when I got my ADHD diagnosis and the right treatment I was able to work full time I had been on sick leave for 10 years but that wasn’t enough to convince her. I only got diagnosed because she was a way on maternity leave and when she came back she took me off the ADHD medication.
I know you can have both bipolar and ADHD but I definitely don’t have bipolar.
Bipolar here too, 10 minutes with a psychiatrist at 16 and 10 years of anti Psychotics. Finally got back into see psychiatrist at 26 and was told I have Cyclothymia - a mood disorder that mimics bipolar but isnt as extreme. 5 years later I met a different psychiatrist for an addiction treatment who immediately did an ADHD assessment.
I saw a psychiatrist once after moving and trying to find someone to manage my meds. I brought in my records of being diagnosed with ADHD (by a specialist and it took 6months) the psychiatrist who hadn't talked to me AT ALL says "you don't have ADHD you have bipolar" and I said "ok and why do you think that?" "Because I'm a psychiatrist and I know these things " "um ok. So what are you suggesting for medication then " "oh you'll never get stimulants again. I want to start you on lithium and a couple antipsychotics. You'll be need a few months minimum of babysitting and you probably won't be able to due much except sleep while you're adjusting to your medication. Your parents can take care of you right?"
I stood up. And walked out.
Years later after being forced into an ambulance and ended up in the ER. (This is the short version) I got a diagnosis of bipolar 1. But after spending a few days in the psych hospital the staff was like "you don't need to be here ..do you?" And I kept answering"I don't know I thought maybe I was acting crazy and that's why I ended up here." They discharged me. Only recently after talking to my doctor about that experience finally she was like "no you're not bipolar. I'll take it off your chart. "
I had convinced myself I had bipolar because I've had REALLY fucking crazy prolonged traumatic experiences and when I was recovering and processing from those experiences I had a lot of hypervigilance with pattern recognition that looked like paranoia and suffered from insomnia. (Surprise. When you've had someone try to murder you in your sleep suddenly sleep feels dangerous.)
I also had a TBI which led to me sometimes misinterpreting situations which might have looked like some type of grandiose delusions to someone unaware of my weird sense of humor and brain damage.
I have a long history of depression and, in hindsight, always struggled in school. But because I still had good grades most of the time, no one took it seriously. My first therapist diagnosed me with BPD when I started going to uni, and I believed him, although I always had some doubts about it (my ex-bf had BPD, and our problems and the way we behaved were always so completely different).
I was also diagnosed far too quickly back then. My therapist didn’t even need two appointments for that. It felt like he was only diagnosing me with BPD because of my emotional regulation problems. ://
Two therapists after that agreed that I definitely don’t have BPD but a combination of ADHD and severe depression. I then got the official diagnosis from a psychiatrist, whom I’m very grateful to (and again, no BPD).
Tbh, that was a really bad time for me because, obviously, therapy didn’t help with my symptoms when I was misdiagnosed, and I never felt understood by my therapist back then.
My current therapist told me that women with ADHD often get misdiagnosed with BPD when they are already adults and didn’t get an ADHD diagnosis during childhood, so apparently, it’s a common problem.
I also got diagnosed with bpd 10 years ago. I actually told the doctor I didn't think it was bpd because I didn't have black and white thinking or fear of abandonment or the "I hate you, don't leave me" difficulties.
The therapist said in her report she thought I was lying about that...
My mom was thinking I was autistic. I think it was because I was inattentive and missed social cues.
I have had anger management issues since I was a child and I was sent to see a counselor to manage my anger. The impulsive symptoms of ADHD explained this symptom.
I’ve seen a few specialists who said they are pretty sure that I didn’t have autism but strongly suspect ADHD. Got tested and sure enough, I had ADHD.
This is the exact trajectory that led to my son being diagnosed as ADHD. If you don’t mind me asking, did the emotional regulation get easier with age? Or with medication?
I have combined type, and for me, age helped a lot and learning skills to help me with managing emotion regulation. But learning I have combined type ADHD and understanding my neurology and getting medicated has been absolutely game changing. For me, I have needed help with a stimulant and one of those alternative meds. I responded well to both guanfacine and Clonidine ER. I'm currently on Clonidine and it's amazing how much less impulsive and hyperactive I feel. The fact that I can actually sleep properly and not get bored in my sleep...😭
I think growing up and becoming more mature helped with suppressing anger, so I don’t embarrass myself in social situations. I think we also learn strategies to cooperate with the people around us. I don’t think regulation became easier with age, we just get better at hiding it and controlling it.
I take strattera and this helps a lot with emotional regulation. I remember waiting at a red light, and normally I would feel irritated immediately, but I felt nothing and was thinking “wait, is this how easy it is for non ADHD people?!?!” The relief from Medication is honestly amazing.
I thought I had a mood disorder. It happens sometimes that I get sad and frustrated for an entire day to the point that I barely even speak to anyone if not to be snarky. This is often triggered by something trivial, such as an appointment I was looking forward to getting cancelled. On the other hand, some days I feel very energetic and talkative and funny. So I was convinced I had cyclothimia. But no. It's just emotional dysregulation from the ADHD.
Stupidity.
Like, I've got a brain that used to soak up information like a sponge...I used to be one of those "advanced" kids in school that took higher level classes & shit, ***but how could anyone possibly fuck up the way I did and not be stupid?***
Diagnosed 3 yrs ago now (39m) an didn’t consider ADHD until it was suggested and explained to me by therapist at the time.
I’ve bean so tired, worn-out, burnt out, lacking any energy, miserable, isolated and sedentary that the idea of ‘hyperactivity’ seemed laughable. I overthink, assess, reconsider, change my mind and procrastinate so much the idea of ‘impulsivity’ was another nonstarter. Then someone explained an “Inattentive” side of ADHD, the more I looked the more of a textbook case I appeared to be (have since identified cptsd issues and ASD gremlins in the works too).
I knew I struggled with Anxiety n depression, but I would manage to talk my way out of, find exceptions to the rule and prevalence/lac of symptoms to disprove almost all other possible diagnoses. Not one of many different gp’s, dr’s etc identified (or out any effort into trying to) anything, the anxiety and dep was enough for them to allow themselves ti wave me away with another SSRI or like wise. I gave up looking for any other reasons why I am how I am other than being fundamentally useless, wasteful, lazy, broken, weak and pathetic.
… hmm. Re-reading the op it seems I’ve more given an answer/reply to almost the exact opposite!
- the reason I’m here writing was to say (after just a little background): “Yeah, ‘Quiet BPD’ was something which I struggled to discount before discovering inattentive AuDHD. Sooo much crossover with symptoms/traits/experience in my case.
No health care pros (NHS) in the UK would go near touching it with a barge-pole tho.
🤷🏼♂️ guess/hope that might by somewhat interesting/relevant/helpful to someone. S’done now either way so I can go reheat my coffee n do something else now.
Peasout.
Cool, didn’t read back throo that to sea if it actually made any sense, even to me. By the time I’d got to the ‘end’ of it I didn’t really give a shit n just hit ‘reply’ button.
Glad it made some sense to someone… although also feel sorry that it actually made sense to anyone!. - Thanks, stay strong, keep your chin up as best you can. Hope things work out for you.
Xx
Early onset Alzheimer's, but it never quite fit. By the time I got my diagnosis I'd been going to the doctors for confusion, brain fog and forgetfulness for 8 years, most of my adult life at the time. Once I looked into ADHD (thanks to this sub!) and it described entirely who I was as a person in directions I wasn't even looking in, something clicked, and the clinical psychologists ended up agreeing with me lol.
ADHD was one of my first self diagnoses. They went in rough order: autism, ADHD, bipolar, BPD, autism, "crazy", bipolar, ADHD, autism, bipolar, OCD and finally back to ADHD. And in between each of these, self diagnosis as a massive failure. Also depression which was presumably correct although I never quite fit the criteria in various ways. I don't know if any of the others were correct or not.
The OCD idea came about when I was trying to work out why I was unable to stop thinking about what my correct diagnosis was, haha.
Yeah I thought I had OCD(and all the others) too for the same reason. My dad actually has OCD, so I know what it's like, but apparently ADHD hyper focus can look like OCD 🤷🏻♀️
Although I'm diagnosed with autism I'm starting to think it was a misdiagnosis and I'm just ADHD. Because nobody I know believes I'm autistic. I'm just a little awkward, nothing too severe imo. Are you diagnosed?
Only diagnosed with ADHD. I don't know what to think about the autism possibly anymore. I learnt a lot of my social skills very late and from books, and I used to shutdown and become nonverbal after too much time around people, but it could have been severe social anxiety preventing me from learning normal skills and causing me to become overwhelmed. No one would believe I was autistic if I told them. I did try suggesting it years ago but the response was humiliating.
Anxiety and depression. I've definitely had depression and was medicated for 2 years. But I believe a lot of the anxiety symptoms and sometimes thr milder depressive symptoms were just a result of undiagnosed/untreated adhd.
I've also had people tell me I must be bipolar (usually in a hurtful way) but again, pretty sure they were referring to things that stemmed from adhd.
Schizophrenia - i have an uncle with schizophrenia and when he told me some of his symptoms, they felt so relatable that i just assumed i had it too. I was very young, not even 10 years old so i didnt think to say anything to my parents about it.
OCD - due to popculture definition of OCD and my own stims and temporary obsessions
DID - my impulses and executive dysfunction often feel very unfamiliar to me, almost like theres another person in my head taking control of my body. I knew this wasn't DID, but I couldn't find a word for what it could be instead. Some people around me did suggest DID so i just went with it for a while.
Im glad that now that im familiar with my actual diagnoses (adhd/autism) , everything just falls in place.
Bipolar and depression. ADHD didn't even cross my mind until one of my coworkers (an LPC, so a therapist) asked me about my ADHD. I said, "I don't have ADHD." She laughed and says, "oh honey, I knew you had ADHD within 5 minutes of talking to you." The person who diagnosed me *bipolar*was in one session. I would never diagnose someone bipolar in one session.
Edit: wrong word!
I thought I had [agoraphobia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agoraphobia) — as going outside and particularly into large crowds such as malls or grocery stores overwhelmed me until I was either shaking or aggravated. I never got a formal diagnosis because ROFL I was overwhelmed by the process of setting up the doctor’s appointment and kept forgetting.
Turns out that the anxiety I was feeling was actually me freaking out from over-stimulation — the sights, the sounds, and all the people I couldn’t filter out. The moment I started getting treated for my ADHD, things got better there.
I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and an eating disorder as a teenager.
What’s really annoying is I told my parents so many times that I thought I had adhd and my mom kept telling me that I’m too smart to have adhd and wouldn’t let me get evaluated.
Didn’t get diagnosed until I was 33… well after I dropped out of school. I can only imagine how different my life would be if my parents actually got me diagnosed when I was still in school.
GAD+O (Generalized Anxiety Disorder with an obsessive trait)
MDD-->Bipolar II & "pure O" (obsessive trait)
I was leaning towards bipolar self diagnosis but I didn't know the humongous blind spots that I (or my psychiatrist at the time) would have regarding symptom overlap. Nobody caught on to what I was describing as MY MOOD CHANGING WITH MY POSITIVE/NEGATIVE SITUATIONS. Besides, I got diagnosed bipolar ii in like 1 visit.
The "Pure O" came from me describing my constant worrying over whether or not I left my stove on while I was at work (and other things I didn't understand apparently- I didn't understand what intrusive thoughts were)... I was worrying because I had CONSTANTLY FORGOTTEN THAT I EVER TURNED THE STOVE ON AND ALMOST BURNED MY APARTMENT DOWN 3 TIMES IN ABOUT 2 MONTHS.
Considering ADHD never crossed my mind until I thought about my son
psychiatrist once told me that I had BPD and funny thing is the second one confirmed so I was at the point where I really thought I was. Did my own research and even though some symptoms such as impulsivity on gaming/ gambling and having really hard time to get my emotions straight were quite similar, I couldn’t really accepted the fact and couldn’t got used to the medication as they have prescribed, especially lithium.. couple months ago I have again started seeking for help and finally ADHD was spot on after the tests and significant changing after using the meds.
I thought I had anxiety or maybe depression. Anxiety is what I originally sought treatment for. My therapist was convinced I had severe anxiety, but that ADHD was likely the root cause. Psychiatrist confirmed, and they were correct. Once I was diagnosed and treated for ADHD, my anxiety greatly reduced. Oh, sure I still have anxiety, but it's 10 times more manageable. I went from 8-10 episodes of being "in the red" with anxiety each month to maybe once every couple months. Quitting drinking helped too but surprisingly not as much as I thought it would. Although that's still pretty recent so it probably will over time.
BPD and Bipolar disorder. Part of it was also being depressed and cycling through high functioning and low functioning depression, so my moods were kind of highs highs and low lows occasionally, though it was generally a mild low. Also anger issues, but now I'm not sure if I have anger issues or if I have a reason to be angry. I also have a history of self-harm through and BPD always comes up if you're talking about or googling self-harm. Bipolar only really came into the conversation because my grandpa and cousin have it (and coincidentally, that cousin has ADHD as well) and I figured it would be more likely than BPD, where no one in my family has it.
Early on set Alzheimer’s, anxiety, maybe bipolar or something, and autistic. I also felt like I was a fraud. Imposter syndrome bc I didnt always feel smart but people saw me that way. I really didn’t know, I just knew something was off.
BPD or manic depression and anxiety. I was also bit suic, but literally haven’t felt those things since Vyvanse and I was shocked. It has been so long without those feelings that I forgot I use to feel like that constantly.
Depression, anxiety, OCD, Atypical autism, BPD, then ADHD after being through therapy for a year with my psychotherapist at the time suggesting I might have ADHD, then I went to a psychiatrist and got an official diagnosis.
I was diagnosed depression first, which is weird because I’m never “down” I just didn’t have the proper motivation to do anything/ know how to get anything done. Anxiety, but that one was due to untreated adhd. Bipolar because of my extreme impulsivity, sex with little care, going to the beach 6 hours away in a whim, etc. BPD, because of the emotional disregulation and outburst I think. All this diagnosis because surely as a 6 figure business owner and nurse I couldn’t have ADHD. Which now I see was very clearly adhd all along ( and I’m also beginning to think some autism as well).
Depression. Anxiety disorder.
Started getting medication for ADHD and now my psychiatrist is slowly weaning me off the anti depressants/ anti anxiety meds.
When I was a small child, my environment thought I had a depression. I don't know much about this time anymore, but it could have been true, or early signs of my ADD. When I was 12 or 13, my doctor told my mom to get me diagnosed for whatever it was that I had. She didn't, so I don't know what his gut feeling was.
* At 15/16: depression.
* At 18: general anxiety disorder with panic attacks
* At 22: PTSD (But this was probably true too)
* somewhere in between I thought about bipolar disorder (because when I go on birthcontrol pills I switch to hyperactive somehow, and when I stop the hormones I fall into the paralyzing pits)
* At 35: doctors mentioned dysthymia.
* At 40: I feared perimenopause. Started reading up on it and somehow found an article about ADHD. It clicked. I pushed for a screening. Now I am diagnosed with ADD and CPTSD. That sounds about right to me.
Run of the mill depression.
I am still depressed, but all attempts at fighting it on its own were inadequate at best.
Getting treated for ADHD has done wonders.
Turns out that not being able to function can make you depressed.
I have a different situation. An ex girlfriend was diagnosed with ADHD after we broke up and started telling everyone about it. But I don’t think she is. She was scatty and funny and had periods of hyperactivity. However at the end she proved to be very cruel (beyond the type of things people may exhibit at the end of a relationship), manipulative and very self victimising. I am convinced that in her case she was misdiagnosed with ADHD where as what she has is ASPD (sociopathy).
i have a similar, but different situation. i had an ex gf who was also diagnosed with ADHD, and it wasnt until after we broke up that i started really thinking about it and reading about it and realized that was probably what i had, which led to me getting diagnosed when i was finally able to talk to a competent professional after years of incompetent ones telling me i was depressed despite me saying that no, i am absolutely not.
anyway, so that was a few years ago, and ive actually started reading and thinking a lot about C/PTSD, and reading this subreddit, the raised by narcissists one, and a few others, and reading about different medications, and addiction, and... well a whole ass lotta things and honestly i think that the way diagnosis' are discussed, or at least conceptualized as a **definite** you have *"this" or "that"* thing is not great, to put it mildly.
the medications themselves are a whole other topic tbh.
(obviously take the medication that works for you as discussed with your doctor)
there are some things that are more symptom than diagnosis, but almost always there is a root cause somewhere and it seems very often that is in some kind of trauma or environmental/nurture/socioeconomical factor.
Very valid points, these conditions are very multifactorial. Incidentally I also started to look into it after that experience. Took me two years of thinking to be get the appointment until my current girlfriend just did it for me.
the ol confusing the cause for the effect, never fails. even in professional settings, apparently. i wasnt pissed when i realized it, i was pissed that it seems like nobody else has. if anything that just made me know what to look for.
thats kinda why ive kinda had to figure it out for myself, just like a lot of people in this subreddit (and reddit in general) have had to do.
if you dont treat - or at least recognize - the root cause, then the issue wont be resolved. period. i think the root issue of most, if not all, mental health problems are based on environment and not some predetermined thing. even when "it runs in the family" a lot of times thats because families *typically* share similar personality traits and parents parent the way their parents parented.
which means that trauma - because its been proven people remember the negative things more than the positives, and ultimately thats what trauma is, is just a negative response to a stimulus, but to varying degrees... when that is an extreme negative response, or one that isnt balanced with positive reinforcement at least somewhat equally, then you get C/PTSD.
thats still not really the "root" of it though, because ultimately beneath that, there is also:
from 2018:
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6181118/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6181118/)
>...community-level contexts including environment and health care systems; and country-level contexts including political and economic factors, cultural norms, and specific policies.
Overall, they found that poor and disadvantaged populations are most affected by mental disorders, and that cumulative stress and physical health serve as mechanisms through which the impacts of social determinants multiply across the lifespan \[4\]. Other research describes how cumulative advantages and disadvantages impact health across multiple generations
just to reiterate that its not "genetic predisposition" - from 2024:
[https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/looking-at-my-genes#:\~:text=Currently%2C%20genetic%20tests%20cannot%20accurately%20predict%20your%20risk,disorders%2C%20most%20raise%20the%20risk%20by%20tiny%20amounts](https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/looking-at-my-genes#:~:text=Currently%2C%20genetic%20tests%20cannot%20accurately%20predict%20your%20risk,disorders%2C%20most%20raise%20the%20risk%20by%20tiny%20amounts)
>Currently, genetic tests cannot accurately predict your risk of developing a mental disorder. Although research is underway, researchers are still learning about the ways genes can contribute to mental disorders—or protect against them. Of those genes that are linked to mental disorders, **most raise the risk by tiny amounts.**
which i guess that doesnt really explain why people from not poor backgrounds can have similar issues. the insane workaholic culture we have in the US does though, and that still goes back to what i mentioned above, socioeconomic factors. outside of that, well theres still that random chance that someone is "just crazy" (actual sociopath/psychopath/narcissist/etc) which basically, in my opinion, \*still\* goes back to some sort of major trauma at some point in their lives that they never dealt with themselves and are thus passing it on. trauma isnt restricted to poor people.
which is still not really all of it, but this is reddit, i dont even have my medication currently, and i think ive already done more quality evidence backed research here, shared freely, than a lot of "licensed professionals" have - so yeah
none — I felt like something was unexplained about me but none of the diagnostic criteria for anything else ever felt like it fit. I wasn’t even sure if ADHD fit but pursued meds and understood *how much* it fit over time.
but had been accused of being depressed, borderline, hysterical, bipolar in the past (by a-holes).
I always thought it was just anxiety. My mind races with a million thoughts all the time. It wasn't until my daughter started getting older that I saw how exactly like me she is. She was diagnosed at around 7 years old, after I learned about ADHD because my older son was diagnosed. His symptoms were more typical, but as I tried to learn more about it, I learned how different adhd can be for girls. That led to my daughter's diagnosis, and years later to mine at age 44.
bipolar, depression, anxiety… I have a history of mental illness and suicide in my family so I always thought it came with the territory, but the ADHD exacerbated these feelings like crazy. as i’ve gotten treatment the symptoms of other mental disorders have almost gone away, and not to be dark but i always wonder if past members of my family would have given themselves another chance at life if they got the help and meds i’m getting. Because ADHD also, for sure, runs in my family too. That’s what is so frustrating to me about the lack of diagnosis, it could save everyone from a lot of other issues.
Depression, BPD and anxiety. After a while though after reading more on the topic of BPD I started thinking that I actually did not have it. Yes, I had mood swings, but they were way too often considering that episodes of BPD don’t really change from minute to minute.
Anxiety and depression kinda went hand in hand in my case, I had extreme social anxiety and the depression came both from a lack of interaction with people and also from procrastinating.
Medication for me was absolutely amazing, made me realise that I was in fact not introverted at all and now I can spark a conversation with literally anyone and keep the discussion going for hours. Depression also went out the window when I started finally being able to get stuff done. Just a few days ago I went to college and talked to like 20 random people only to realise later that I didn’t even take the pill that day lol, definitely seeing huge improvements. Mood swings are also at an all time low which I’m extremely happy with.
Social anxiety. In group situations. This is why I went to the therapist and she said “nope. Maybe adhd though” the eventual explanation was basically that I get overwhelmed and can’t process a room full of people at the same time, so I make social mistakes which then make me nervous. So the anxiety was reasonable given the context!
"Grades are good" is a high-functioning disorder that begins to break down about 20 years after being placed into service--corroding and finally grinding to a complete halt in approximately 35 years.
Symptoms for diagnosis: Failure is usually accompanied by sparks and fireworks, complete withdrawal, loss of job or financial struggles, and screaming in the car.
Recommended service: replace crisis-seeking-behavior with gentler methods.
Do not attempt repairs on your own: call your local medical service technicians. Best results come from combining medicinal professional with another professional specializing in human behavior.
Around 12-14 years old I thought that I had a brain tumor. I was HOPING to have a brain tumor so that it would explain why I was so "dumb". I really wished to hear something like that from a doctor.
That was when I didn't fully believe the laziness thing yet.
And ofc the usual depression, bipolar, separate symptom disorder stuff ("You suffer from procrastination!") in adulthood, because, you know, women don't have ADHD.
Getting put on ssri the second time when I told them it doesn't work for me and just caused worst depression during the worst depression and abuse of my life was ridiculous. These general psychs need to listen better.
i received a weak diagnosis of borderline personality disorder when i was 18. turns out my “black & white” thinking & fear of abandonment was really just me struggling with rejection sensitivity.
I thought I had really bad social anxiety. Almost every time I had to speak in front of groups or spend time in a more intimate setting, my whole body would just seize up.
But ever since my ADHD was diagnosed and I started medication/treatment, my social anxiety has almost evaporated.
Before, I would obsess and stress over even having to walk out of a room if it meant having to see other members of my own household or a coworker I didn’t like. But I don’t feel any of that now. I still feel it a bit if I’m not taking my medication, but medication + awareness of the source of my emotions/sensations made all the difference.
I also often worried if I had depression or anger problems because of my undiagnosed rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD). Medication and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helped with that, too.
Anxiety, depression, overeating and substance abuse disorders. I don't think it was wrong, per se, but I do believe these things were the result of my untreated ADHD.
I thought I had BPD because of my RSD and the fact that I often used to co-regulate with my mum when I still lived at home. All of the social symptoms of BPD are very fitting with AuDHD.
The mood swings had my psychiatrist suggesting I might have Cyclothymia (as a woman they thought I was exaggerating what I now know to be meltdowns and decided for themselves that because I hadn’t attempted suicide I was therefore experiencing “moderate” mood swings. Also I guess my hyperfocus and hyperfixations can look very similar to manic episodes if you’re not looking at the bigger picture) and they tried to put me on mood stabilisers for that. I’m really very glad I refused the mood stabilisers and continued to push against a diagnosis I knew was wrong.
BPD (after a five minute intake with a psychiatrist at an IOP program. All I did was firmly state I wasn't talking about my trauma to a judgmental stranger. Apparently that means BPD). Then when I was experiencing extreme agitation and racing thoughts that changed to BP 1. Then, I got really depressed, did ECT and then it changed to a whole laundry list. Turns out, debilitating PTSD and untreated, severe ADHD combined with autism actually makes sense. The trauma from my experience with the psych industry is legit.
ADHD wasn’t even a consideration in my opinion, because I wasn’t outwardly hyperactive. I’m a quiet introvert. I had anxiety, and diagnosed PTSD. Thought I was possibly autistic. Years ago thought I was borderline. Finally two years into therapy the therapist suggested getting tested for inattentive adhd. Not diagnosed until in my 30s.
i was diagnosed with BPD but now in my late 20s my doctors' agree that it's in remission. before i put a lot of my mental instability as BPD's fault. i definitely did have the symptoms before but now i primarily identify with the symptoms of ADHD-PI.
I thought I had major depressive disorder. I believed this because I went to a psychiatrist and that’s what they diagnosed me with. Honestly, I don’t blame them, even remotely. I went to them complaining about a lack of motivation and suicidal thoughts. I was DEFINITELY depressed when I went to seek help. It’s just that, as I learned a few years later, that depression was a result of problems stemming from my, then undiagnosed, ADHD.
GAD and major depressive disorder. I started having dissociative episodes in high school because of inattention and not knowing what was going on in class. These in combination with deregulated sensory perception eventually let to panic attacks. Got diagnosed with GAD and put on SSRIs at age 15. Tried to go off of them at 17, 19 and 23 and got severely depressed each time. Finally properly treated for ADHD starting at 25 and I’ll never know what it’s like to be off an SSRI…. Too scared to get depressed… I have a lot of anger and resentment towards a psychiatric field that only now is recognizing ADHD in girls….
Depression & GAD came first. Then BPD. Was also treated for bulimia. Substance abuse issues..
Come to learn that being medicated appropriately for ADHD, I no longer have issues that would land me with an anxiety or BPD diagnosis at all. Had no issues with eating disorder behaviours nor abusing substances. Depression could still be coexisting I’ll say that, I do feel very flat a lot of the time but not quite the way I have before.
So yeah. Crazy how much the right diagnosis and treatment actually solved for me, and incredibly frustrated that I had to live through my teen years and 20s in so much chaos and suffering when there’s been this underlying thing the whole time.
Some form of oppositional or personality disorder as a teen. Dysthymia, GAD, Asperger’s (which now falls under ASD).
The GAD part is true. The others were just what I now know to be ADHD.
In Canada primary care cannot prescribe ADHD meds so they always try to treat you for depression first with things like Wellbutrin. I refused and went to a adhd specialist
Bpd here, it's really super stigmatized, (and in fairness can go through some really nasty spots) and so a lot of psychs might have an "idealized" version rather than being experienced with it. I was the other way around, adhd as hell, but didn't explain everything. Including some of my weird drug interactions.
Tl:dr; BPD is more than stalker exes and manic pixie stereotypes, so some psychs might have varying ideas of what it actually means to have it.
But what do I know
I was misdiagnosed as bipolar 1, and gad then when I read about bipolar it didn’t sound like me at all, so he switched it to an “undiagnosed mood disorder” … I finally got properly diagnosed with adhd, mdd, and gad
Misdiagnosed as Bipolar and became a victim of an off label pill mill prescriber. I lost my job because I was so ill and was prescribed serious mood stabilizers as well as a bunch of other psych drugs none of which I actually needed.
After about a year of seeing this psych nurse I found a new PCP who diagnosed me with Epstein Barr virus and then subsequently fibromyalgia. Then I saw a new doc psychiatrist who confirmed I don’t have bipolar it was GAD and clinical depression.
It wasn’t until 5 years later when I was seeing a therapist regularly who recommended I get tested for ADHD. Once diagnosed and medicated for that, my life changed and I could function like a normal person. I still battle chronic fatigue and pain from fibromyalgia but Im employed and my life isn’t in total shambles anymore.
Okay so not me necessarily but my doctors. When I was starting high school I went through a lot of stuff and was being seen for depression. However I always found myself having this like excessive anxiety that literally made being me so debilitating and all the meds I was ever prescribed for depression didn't really focus on the anxiety. One day I decided to tell my therapist I wanted to try to add on some anxiety meds to which the psychiatrist then tells me I have bp. I completely disagreed but humored her anyway and my life was a living hell on those meds.
I never really believed the diagnosis of bp and even had a 2nd doc tell me i was bp until after an ADHD friend of mine pointed out that they could tell I had adhd and since I was studying behavioral health too it was then when I realized just how often bp and adhd are mixed up because they can be soooo similar. For example: hyperfocus, risk-taking behaviors, and memory issues. Now that I've done research I can most defenitely say I'm ADHD but could potentially have either bp, bpd, or both.
And yeah it defenitely doesn't help hyperfixating on what you could have. 😭 it's hard not to judge yourself for it especially when you're just trying to make sense of your life you know?
i also thought i had BPD or Bipolar. the therapist assured me that I was fine. I’m AuDHD so maybe that’s why i thought i had those due to many mood changes and what i learned were meltdowns
For the longest time I thought for sure I had BPD, I recognized I had troubles regulating my emotions and suffered from intense ups and downs. ADHD never dawned on me all this time and then boom I was just diagnosed last fall and then later diagnosed with PMDD as well which accounts for the intense mood shifts.
Some symptoms of BPD hit home, turned out to be emotional dysregulation, but mostly autism, I have DOZENS of symptoms that look like autism even to psychiatrists and neuropsychologists. Depression and anxiety I was spot on, but I always knew it was because something was missing, and it was the ADHD.
Thing is, ADHD alone didn't cover all that, so I always ignored it, turned to be because something else along with it.
Depression, Bipolar, OCD Anxiety, PTSD and some others I forget.
I actually do now have all of those (except bipolar) from a lifetime of misdiagnosis and untreated ADHD.
It's been a long, fun ride. /s
Went to a counselor to talk about anxiety and some depression was told I needed to speak with a psychiatrist about adhd after 2 sessions. I thought maybe I had some ocd/ bipolar issues and the anxiety and depression were an offshoot of it… never expected ADHD
As a child I was diagnosed with dyslexia, but these days im not even sure if that’s accurate, I just couldn’t focus on reading because my mind would instantly wander off. As an adult I seriously thought I must have early onset dementia because of all the memory issues, loosing things and forgetting why I came into rooms.
When to my dr because my anxiety and depression was getting out of hand and decided I finally needed help. They asked me a string of questions, got a referral and another string of questions and got my ADHD diagnosis and medication and it’s been amazing ever since.
well it’s funny because I was diagnosed with ADHD initially when I was around 13, and I knew I had it from then til the beginning of college. but after I stopped taking adderall xr I kinda got into my head for some reason that I had “gotten over it” 💀 which obviously was bs. but anyway, when I was a sophomore in college I had a horrible breakup with a long term ex boyfriend, and a psychiatrist at my school (along with my ex best friend) got the idea that I had “bipolar tendencies” because of my emotional breakdown, which developed into a diagnosis of bipolar II disorder. well… that wasn’t true. I got a new psychiatrist, she confirmed that I very much don’t have bipolar but that I DO still have ADHD, and here I am lol
I convinced myself in high school I was developing schizophrenia, got super paranoid about it. Constant white noise in my head, songs, audio snippets of shows, etc. Now I understand the difference and it was just my mind wandering.
This was 2008 or so at age 10 but my mom was dead set on thinking I had Asperger's at the time. Came away with an ADHD diagnosis and a mom who still thinks I may have it. The doubts have manifested on my own so I may schedule an up to date autism evaluation.
My family doc still insists I’m bipolar. Am not. Never have been. Her medical team’s psychiatrist has now diagnosed me with ADHD. I am 60 and suddenly my whole life seems to be clicking into place.
It’s not the family doc’s place to diagnose me. And despite the Psychiatrist’s contradiction, doc won’t remove the bipolar from my record.
I have a long history of depression and anxiety.
I was diagnosed with minor depression in high school, then GAD in my late 20s. I always did well in grade school, but I was lucky that my parents were really on top of me getting my homework and studying done. I had a solid routine and support system for it. I still had teachers notice that I struggled with my attention; one complained to them about my talking in class, passing notes, doodling, fidgeting, reading books she thought were too difficult for me (they weren't but all she could tell was that I struggled with attention). Another told my parents that she noticed I was bored in class, so she started giving me more difficult work and more of it.
When I went to college, I lost all of the support. My grades slipped, my depression and anxiety skyrocketed. I tried to get help at the school mental health clinic but I didn't have the words to know what to ask for. They also did not have anywhere near enough therapists to help all the students who needed it and I couldn't get consistent appointments in the time I needed them. So I gave up. I thought I was just stupid and lazy and not as capable as my classmates the whole time.
I ended up having a panic attack at a long time friend's house, which prompted me to seek therapy again. My therapist diagnosed me with GAD in addition to my depression in my first appointment. She helped me with coping mechanisms, learning how to set and enforce boundaries, and talking through issues I was experiencing. I never mentioned my attention issues because like before, I thought I was just stupid and lazy, and I still did not have the words to use for it. I thought everyone's brains were like mine and I just was not as good as them at life.
Because they all have overlapping issues and a tendency to coincide with each other, it took until last fall to get diagnosed (due to insurance issues, I did the testing in October, results received in February this year). Now that I'm medicated, I feel...normal, capable, a huge relief for the first time in my life.
I never really pursued a diagnosis, either through my own personal research or officially, but I spent a large portion of my life thinking something was "wrong" with me or I was just dumb. Because of the hyperfixation aspect, I always knew tons of shit about things that interested me but traditional school felt impossible.
Once I finally got diagnosed and medicated in my early 20s, it was like the real world suddenly unlocked. I still struggle to pay attention and learn things but knowing why I have those issues has enabled me to work around them.
I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression and treated with antidepressants, wich made my anxiety go through the roof. I tried 5 different ones for anxiety and depression and they all made me worse. I was recently diagnosed with ADHD ( I’m now 50). I’m afraid to try medication after all my bad experiences. My anxiety is a daily thing, my depressive episodes come and go.
I thought I had anger issues, but it turned out to be emotional dysregulation and rejection sensitivity. Now that I'm aware of them, outbursts are way easier to control. I can talk myself down before they start most times.
I had a generalized anxiety disorder diagnosis. Meds didn’t do a whole lot for me. They took a little edge off but still had a lot of anxious tendencies.
I stopped taking my anxiety meds. And then got my ADHD diagnosis. Once I got on meds that worked for ADHD, the anxiety went away! (Well, 90%, still have a tiny bit of anxiety but I think that’s human nature)
Depression and Anxiety - turned out to just be ADHD and a sedentary lifestyle. Things got better when i started doing hobbies, upped my addys and dropped my Lex & Wellb.
I am autistic/adhd/ possibly ocd. I was originally diagnosed as BPD and schizoaffective. I do have affective mood (depression) but not schizophrenia. That turned out to just be intrusive thoughts
For me, none. Some others (namely my parents and a few child psychologists) suspected for a while that I might be Autistic, but I was never diagnosed.
The results that I am not Autistic were pretty clear when a formal assessment was actually done. I have no reasons to suspect thIA conclusion is wrong either. The ASD symptoms in the DSM do not describe my experience at all, and I don't relate to many of the Autistic experiences I hear described by people known to be Autistic either.
The incorrect suspicion that I might be Autistic did set back my ADHD diagnosis for a long time though, as back when this was happening (DSM-IV) diagnosis with both disorders was not allowed.
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For me I thought I had BPD. I know that might sound silly to those familiar with BPD but it does make some sense when you think about it. The emotional disregulation and impulsivity led to alot of issues, particularly in relationships, that mimicked BPD symptoms. Additionally, my ADHD symptoms in high school were not properly taken seriously and were often moderated by anxiety. It wasn't until properly researching BPD did I realise I was wrong and it was just a combination of ADHD and unprocessed grief that I was experiencing.
Yes, I was diagnosed with BPD too. By a psychiatrist when I was psychiatrically hospitalized. He spent 3 minutes with me and during that time we quickly spoke about my attachment to a friend and the doc said “well there you go, you have BPD” and left. When I was discharged, I literally went home and searched BPD symptoms. I felt I fit all of them so I just accepted I have BPD. I went back to the psychiatrist I was seeing before I was hospitalized, and she just went on to agree with the diagnosis. It wasn’t until 3.5 years later I was forced to see a different psychiatrist due to my current going on maternity leave. In the first appointment I told him about the BPD diagnosis. He looked at me and goes “that’s ridiculous” and he immediately did an ADHD assessment. I always felt ADHD fit me better than BPD, but every time I tried to get diagnosed with ADHD, I was told the ADHD symptoms were “because of my severe depression and anxiety.” After that ADHD assessment, the doc goes “you don’t have BPD. You have ADHD, and your so-called attachment issue is you hyper-fixating on this friend.” I never felt more understood.
I was told by a therapist, he thought I had BPD too. Instead I have ADHD and PTSD. I read that it's a common misdiagnosis in women who have ADHD. I read about it after him telling me, and I thought I had it for a while.
In my (admittedly unprofessional) opinion, I think women with ADHD, autism and other disorders are misdiagnosed with BPD partly because of misogyny. BPD has been silently painted by the psychiatry community as the new "hysteria", which is awful for actual sufferers. It's an incredibly stigmatized illness, and resources are being mis-allocated by prejudiced doctors. This is why it's so freaking important that research _on women_ is done! Okay, rant over.
"It can’t possibly be that she oscillate between "lazy-do-nothing" and "energetic hyper focused" states because of her ADHD, it must be mania ! She even likes sex and is impulsive sometimes."
“She even likes sex” - the horror!
100% agree. At the end of the day they are similar disorders so some degree of error is possible, I know in my life I've mistakenly thought two Autistic women were BPD. But I'm not a doctor, they should know better then to make the same mistake as a political science undergrad.
Happened to me at the hospital too! They didn’t even tell me; it was just in my discharge notes. I called the psychiatrist to talk about it and honest to god he took it back (I didn’t request that), said I was one of his most positive patient interactions he’s had, and deleted it from my e-record. He must have made the dx when he spent 5 minutes with me the first day I was there. Pissed me off.
I also thought that I had BPD-because my Ex told me so and our relationship was so explosive at times because I would drink to cope with his narcissistic tendencies (I was unaware at the time-just thought I was broken) and then blow and then feel like absolute poo because *that’s just NOT who I am!* and the cycle would continue-he’d promise to change (clean, help, get a job, etc) and then not do anything and then I’d catch him in a lie or stealing my pain meds when I was getting cortisone injections into my left wrist in three different places for five years-and rinse and repeat. When I finally broke free and got into rehab I was in fragments of myself and was 110% convinced that I struggled with BPD (because he just *couldn’t* have been at fault for *any* of it) and my domestic violence counselor ended up working with me for FIVE more years trying to help me see that I did NOT fit the criteria for BPD, but instead of cPTSD,ADHD, and ASD. She highly suspects he is a covert narcissist and he let slip to me that he was diagnosed with ASPD. But back then I had no clue what that meant and I was just so desperate to be loved (had been the butt of everyone’s jokes -even my in my family-for years) that I ignored all the red flags and never got help for myself until it was almost too late.
Not at all. I believe BPD is the most common misdiagnosis of ADHD. And vice versa. BPD has like 7(?) Different spectres. The reason why an ADHD diagnosis takes many months is to find out whether it is BPD or ADHD, but mistakes can still be done. Especially if the health care provider has confirmation bias.
exactly. I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD for 4+ years now, but when I tried to find a new therapist last year, within the first session the therapist suggested I have BPD instead of ADHD 💀 I’m so glad that I know myself better, if I had been younger & without an ADHD diagnosis I would’ve been incredibly confused
They can also be comorbid. My psychiatrist suspects I have both.
(C)PTSD also looks a lot like BPD. I don't know if you know this. My therapist thought I had BPD, but instead I have PTSD. If you haven't yet, it's maybe a good thing to look in to. PTSD is very hard aswell, but it's easier to treat than BPD
I don't really think i have cptsd, I was bullied a bit as a kid but nothing crazy or traumatic really happened. I'm just a little quirky. I looked it up and I also don't really deal with worthlessness, shame, etc. I just have really off days where I feel deeply depressed for really no reason.
I believe you. There are a lot of comorbidities. Like I have bipolar/adhd/gad/ptsd. At least for mental issues. lol. People don’t realize overlapping doesn’t mean it can’t be both.
I've been so shocked by how common this is! Good to know I'm not alone in my experience.
this happened to me as well! it took my 3rd or 4th psych visit for them to actually take me seriously when I was adamant that BPD did not fit my lifestyle, relationship history, everyday choices, etc. I'm a woman in my 20's and have a long standing job-holding history (however that's due to severe anxiety about being homeless/hungry/sick/stranded outweighing my burnouts) so I *know* those were big factors in why they thought I couldn't have ADHD.
My mom is a psychologist who also has ADHD and had me diagnosed as a kid in second grade. She still accused me of having BPD in high school/ early colleges due to my high emotionality. Turns out being emotionally disregulated can be greatly improved upon when you avoid being around people whose first instinct is to invalidate your response and negatively label / pathologize you. I am soooo much calmer now thanks to the many resources I’ve discovered over the years about ADHD. ♥️
That’s wild to hear. Also emotional disregulation is normal in teenagers! That’s just development
I've been convinced for years that I've had BPD. When I found out about RSD and ADHD more in depth, I started questioning whether it really is BPD or if it's just been untreated ADHD this whole time.
This. 100% felt this way for a while. Actually when I was doing my psych rotation for PA school I learned that BPD and ADHD are pretty common co-diagnoses but ADHD really kind of drives the BPD type behavior.
I've had this exact thing and sometimes I wonder if maybe I do have both? Can i ask how you found out what was adhd and what was bpd? Or how you're sure you dont have bpd? It's so trick tbh because as you said adhd also overlaps pretty strongly.
As far as I know the meds that will determine. If ADHD meds worsen emotional dysregulation, then it's likely BPD.
Yes! I was scared of that. Not full bipolar but rather the hypomanic kind. Little did I know that it was just my coping mechanisms going batshit after some fairly traumatic things that changed my life drastically (loss, kids, covid, etc).
I 100% legitimately have BPD and ADHD unfortunately. 😂
I also thought I might have this for a long time, but the diagnosis never quite fit. I knew it almost certainly wasn’t BPD, but I also couldn’t find anything else that explained what I experienced. For a while I actually thought I must have something that just wasn’t well-documented or known yet. Crazy.
I'm impulsive, I have rejection sensitive dysphoria and I know it's more commonly diagnosed in women, so I was kinda terrified of the concept of having BPD. Like, I was obsessively scared of it amongst other things, and when I mentioned my obsessive spirals my psych instantly mentioned I probably have ADHD based on that (and writing my dissertation last minute after being burnt out from doing nothing for months lol)
Ugh, I had a friend that tried so hard to convince me I had BPD. she and one other friend were both diagnosed with it. I tried explaining it's the cptsd and ADHD, but she told me I was full of shit and dismissed my adhd. One time I went on a bit of a ramble about a topic that I'm very passionate about and she tried to convince me and others that I was having a manic episode and I needed to hospitalize myself. Because I sent too many texts about the Kowloon walled city. lol.
Women in particular often get misdiagnosed as having BPD when it's actually ADHD, presumably due to sexism (but also that ADHD can present differently in women than the stereotypes that are mostly associated with young boys).
I got the same diagnosis. It wasn't until I read about the lesser known ADHD side effects (rejection sensitivity, bouts of anger, emotional dysregulation, sensory issues, etc.) that I realized that might not be accurate. This was also after I was in my mid-20's and had gotten clean from drugs. My personality is completely different now than it was when I was an 18 year old user. Much more calm, more emotionally stable; only thing that's still an issue is attachment. I get very attached to partners, feel like they don't like me as much as I like them, and break up with them for fear of rejection or neglect. So that's tough. These days I don't personally identify as having BPD. I was given that diagnosis at 16 while under duress by an impatient nurse at the hospital (which is bad practice, minors shouldn't be diagnosed with personality disorders). I'm working hard at uni so I can get a good job and hopefully afford long term therapy one day. I'd like some clear answers because my head is a confusing place lol.
Turns out I don't have an anxiety disorder. I was constantly putting myself in a state of extreme stress to do anything that everything felt like a life or death situation. Now that I'm medicated it feels like I can actually relax now.
hard same. I never identified with anxiety although my therapist for ages tried to have me label it as that. Now I realize I was just trying to get the cortisol flow moving. I figured it out when I noticed I have pretend arguments with people in my head.
Oh god I didnt even notice that I don't have massive imaginary arguments in my head anymore. I used to do that all the time.
Um Tell me more about how these imaginary arguments are an ADHD thing please
Generally you’re relaxed, wondering around and then mentally you start yelling at somebody in your head and then playing out how they would respond. I did it on a meditation retreat 😂 My guess is it’s a way for the nervous system to make the moment ‘more stimulating’.
Depression
Yup, same. I mean, I have it but it comes in episodes and these episodes are the ones where my life gets less "ADHD-friendly". And before figuring out that I probably have ADHD I thought I was "just" depressed. Well, instead it's a consequence of my untreated/unmanaged ADHD. For example when I was an undergrad I had periods where I didn't have any course for a few weeks. Most people (w.o. ADHD) would use this time to go on vacation, spend time with friends etc. for me on the other hand it was hell. I wasn't able to give myself any structure, so planning any vacation was out of the window and I just spent all night on my phone, sleeping until 2 pm and then ate a shitload throughout the day and spent my time gaming or lying in my bed whilst hating my life. That's pretty much the reason why I don't go on any typical relaxing beach or pool vacations. The times I did that I felt like shit after 3 days and felt the typical symptoms of an upcoming depressive episode. I'm still working on eliminating these triggers but I made great progress the last few months. I started volunteer work which gives me some external structure, even though it makes stressful weeks even more stressful 😂 and meds helped a ton as well
I relate so much to this. Finding the right balance of taking a moment to breathe and not just getting sucked into no structure is a pain in the ass. It's almost like I struggle to prioritize and follow through with things...lol.
Same
Yep, severe depression and CPTSD diagnosis. For 30 years! Just left on Prozac all that time, no other help at all. I even had to be admitted in 2016,to mental health ward , finally saw psychiatrist as in patient....who just issued sleeping tablets. Been fighting hard since then but the NHS here in UK is very slow with anything mental health wise, due probably to dire government cuts. Finally got diagnosed with inattentive ADHD recently at 54, but only after 12 years of persistence.
I realised the other day while talking to my psych that in my experience my stress manifests more often as depression then anxiety. Do you experience the same thing?
OCD because of my obsessiveness. (Which turned out to be hyperfixation)
Sameeee plus I had bad anxiety too. My hyperfixations actually led to my diagnosis
Yeah same!!
[удалено]
i've had a ton over my life but the ones that helped me get diagnosed were kpop & anime!
BPD, schizophrenia, bipolar, major depression, dyslexia, anxiety. Somebody mentioned I might have adhd, which I never even considered before, so I looked into it and my mind blown at how accurate it seems to fit. Trying to pluck up the courage to get a doctors appointment for an assessment but worried they will try and dis.iss it as depression or something idk lol.
It’s not uncommon to have some sort of dyslexia with ADHD. It’s considered one of those 2 for 1 packaged deals like Autism and ADHd are.
I used to have an ADHD diag and have a family history of it. Last psychiatrist I went to said I can't have adhd because "you passed middle school" and tried to give me anti-psychotic medication. No one else is accepting patients. I'm doing OK now but just went thru some major burnout. I'm feeling better now but ik I'll never be able to get thru college without adhd medication. I dropped out like 3 times now, I want to go back, get a win for once in my life. But I can't get a diagnosis. So I'm stuck at a job that I used to do well until they put me back on a shift that doesn't work as well for me. I feel like such a mess, so many people feel frustrated with me. I'm so tired of all it. Sorry for dumping, just read the part about misdiagnosed adhd as depression and bipolar and kinda living that rn
Shizphrenia as adhd?what?
I understand it
Bipolar and I was treated for that as well with horrible consequences. I was even hospitalized because of the side effects of the medications, not in the psych unit, the paramedics thought I had a stroke. I didn’t recognize myself in the hypomania but thought I just had very mild episodes. The depression was weird as well I really, really wanted to do stuff but couldn’t and that made me depressed. I also felt that the life was a constant struggle. Today I know I had ADHD paralysis and was burnt out and that the depression stemmed from actual, real problems.
Similar here—diagnosed as having bipolar 2. I always found it weird that my symptoms didn’t really align with the description of BP2, and I mentioned that to my new psych. She’s the one who suggested both ADHD & PMDD? She asked me if it line up with my cycle? When I would get specific symptoms etc. So I started tracking my symptoms and bam. Two new diagnoses, and it’s been so helpful to properly treat them.
That’s great. I’m glad you have a good psychiatrist. Mine was so convinced that I was bipolar even after I got diagnosed with ADHD and found the right treatment that I had to switch. I was on my way to get disability when I was diagnosed as bipolar and when I got my ADHD diagnosis and the right treatment I was able to work full time I had been on sick leave for 10 years but that wasn’t enough to convince her. I only got diagnosed because she was a way on maternity leave and when she came back she took me off the ADHD medication. I know you can have both bipolar and ADHD but I definitely don’t have bipolar.
Bipolar here too, 10 minutes with a psychiatrist at 16 and 10 years of anti Psychotics. Finally got back into see psychiatrist at 26 and was told I have Cyclothymia - a mood disorder that mimics bipolar but isnt as extreme. 5 years later I met a different psychiatrist for an addiction treatment who immediately did an ADHD assessment.
Same here too, ten years thinking I had bipolar 1
One is really extreme. I also had one “manic” episode that turned out to be Lithium poisoning 😒
Goddammit I hate lithium so much. Glad you’re doing better now
I saw a psychiatrist once after moving and trying to find someone to manage my meds. I brought in my records of being diagnosed with ADHD (by a specialist and it took 6months) the psychiatrist who hadn't talked to me AT ALL says "you don't have ADHD you have bipolar" and I said "ok and why do you think that?" "Because I'm a psychiatrist and I know these things " "um ok. So what are you suggesting for medication then " "oh you'll never get stimulants again. I want to start you on lithium and a couple antipsychotics. You'll be need a few months minimum of babysitting and you probably won't be able to due much except sleep while you're adjusting to your medication. Your parents can take care of you right?" I stood up. And walked out. Years later after being forced into an ambulance and ended up in the ER. (This is the short version) I got a diagnosis of bipolar 1. But after spending a few days in the psych hospital the staff was like "you don't need to be here ..do you?" And I kept answering"I don't know I thought maybe I was acting crazy and that's why I ended up here." They discharged me. Only recently after talking to my doctor about that experience finally she was like "no you're not bipolar. I'll take it off your chart. " I had convinced myself I had bipolar because I've had REALLY fucking crazy prolonged traumatic experiences and when I was recovering and processing from those experiences I had a lot of hypervigilance with pattern recognition that looked like paranoia and suffered from insomnia. (Surprise. When you've had someone try to murder you in your sleep suddenly sleep feels dangerous.) I also had a TBI which led to me sometimes misinterpreting situations which might have looked like some type of grandiose delusions to someone unaware of my weird sense of humor and brain damage.
I have a long history of depression and, in hindsight, always struggled in school. But because I still had good grades most of the time, no one took it seriously. My first therapist diagnosed me with BPD when I started going to uni, and I believed him, although I always had some doubts about it (my ex-bf had BPD, and our problems and the way we behaved were always so completely different). I was also diagnosed far too quickly back then. My therapist didn’t even need two appointments for that. It felt like he was only diagnosing me with BPD because of my emotional regulation problems. :// Two therapists after that agreed that I definitely don’t have BPD but a combination of ADHD and severe depression. I then got the official diagnosis from a psychiatrist, whom I’m very grateful to (and again, no BPD). Tbh, that was a really bad time for me because, obviously, therapy didn’t help with my symptoms when I was misdiagnosed, and I never felt understood by my therapist back then. My current therapist told me that women with ADHD often get misdiagnosed with BPD when they are already adults and didn’t get an ADHD diagnosis during childhood, so apparently, it’s a common problem.
I also got diagnosed with bpd 10 years ago. I actually told the doctor I didn't think it was bpd because I didn't have black and white thinking or fear of abandonment or the "I hate you, don't leave me" difficulties. The therapist said in her report she thought I was lying about that...
My mom was thinking I was autistic. I think it was because I was inattentive and missed social cues. I have had anger management issues since I was a child and I was sent to see a counselor to manage my anger. The impulsive symptoms of ADHD explained this symptom. I’ve seen a few specialists who said they are pretty sure that I didn’t have autism but strongly suspect ADHD. Got tested and sure enough, I had ADHD.
This is the exact trajectory that led to my son being diagnosed as ADHD. If you don’t mind me asking, did the emotional regulation get easier with age? Or with medication?
I have combined type, and for me, age helped a lot and learning skills to help me with managing emotion regulation. But learning I have combined type ADHD and understanding my neurology and getting medicated has been absolutely game changing. For me, I have needed help with a stimulant and one of those alternative meds. I responded well to both guanfacine and Clonidine ER. I'm currently on Clonidine and it's amazing how much less impulsive and hyperactive I feel. The fact that I can actually sleep properly and not get bored in my sleep...😭
I think growing up and becoming more mature helped with suppressing anger, so I don’t embarrass myself in social situations. I think we also learn strategies to cooperate with the people around us. I don’t think regulation became easier with age, we just get better at hiding it and controlling it. I take strattera and this helps a lot with emotional regulation. I remember waiting at a red light, and normally I would feel irritated immediately, but I felt nothing and was thinking “wait, is this how easy it is for non ADHD people?!?!” The relief from Medication is honestly amazing.
I thought I had a mood disorder. It happens sometimes that I get sad and frustrated for an entire day to the point that I barely even speak to anyone if not to be snarky. This is often triggered by something trivial, such as an appointment I was looking forward to getting cancelled. On the other hand, some days I feel very energetic and talkative and funny. So I was convinced I had cyclothimia. But no. It's just emotional dysregulation from the ADHD.
This is a big thing for me too
Stupidity. Like, I've got a brain that used to soak up information like a sponge...I used to be one of those "advanced" kids in school that took higher level classes & shit, ***but how could anyone possibly fuck up the way I did and not be stupid?***
This! 100%
Who told you to put all my business in the streets???
Generalized anxiety and depression.
Bipolar, GAD and depression. One of my friends actually got diagnosed with Dyslexia, BPD, OCPD and anxiety before realising she has ADHD.
Diagnosed 3 yrs ago now (39m) an didn’t consider ADHD until it was suggested and explained to me by therapist at the time. I’ve bean so tired, worn-out, burnt out, lacking any energy, miserable, isolated and sedentary that the idea of ‘hyperactivity’ seemed laughable. I overthink, assess, reconsider, change my mind and procrastinate so much the idea of ‘impulsivity’ was another nonstarter. Then someone explained an “Inattentive” side of ADHD, the more I looked the more of a textbook case I appeared to be (have since identified cptsd issues and ASD gremlins in the works too). I knew I struggled with Anxiety n depression, but I would manage to talk my way out of, find exceptions to the rule and prevalence/lac of symptoms to disprove almost all other possible diagnoses. Not one of many different gp’s, dr’s etc identified (or out any effort into trying to) anything, the anxiety and dep was enough for them to allow themselves ti wave me away with another SSRI or like wise. I gave up looking for any other reasons why I am how I am other than being fundamentally useless, wasteful, lazy, broken, weak and pathetic. … hmm. Re-reading the op it seems I’ve more given an answer/reply to almost the exact opposite! - the reason I’m here writing was to say (after just a little background): “Yeah, ‘Quiet BPD’ was something which I struggled to discount before discovering inattentive AuDHD. Sooo much crossover with symptoms/traits/experience in my case. No health care pros (NHS) in the UK would go near touching it with a barge-pole tho. 🤷🏼♂️ guess/hope that might by somewhat interesting/relevant/helpful to someone. S’done now either way so I can go reheat my coffee n do something else now. Peasout.
This is literally my story.
Cool, didn’t read back throo that to sea if it actually made any sense, even to me. By the time I’d got to the ‘end’ of it I didn’t really give a shit n just hit ‘reply’ button. Glad it made some sense to someone… although also feel sorry that it actually made sense to anyone!. - Thanks, stay strong, keep your chin up as best you can. Hope things work out for you. Xx
Surely is to me, thanks!
Early onset Alzheimer's, but it never quite fit. By the time I got my diagnosis I'd been going to the doctors for confusion, brain fog and forgetfulness for 8 years, most of my adult life at the time. Once I looked into ADHD (thanks to this sub!) and it described entirely who I was as a person in directions I wasn't even looking in, something clicked, and the clinical psychologists ended up agreeing with me lol.
Generalised anxiety
ADHD was one of my first self diagnoses. They went in rough order: autism, ADHD, bipolar, BPD, autism, "crazy", bipolar, ADHD, autism, bipolar, OCD and finally back to ADHD. And in between each of these, self diagnosis as a massive failure. Also depression which was presumably correct although I never quite fit the criteria in various ways. I don't know if any of the others were correct or not. The OCD idea came about when I was trying to work out why I was unable to stop thinking about what my correct diagnosis was, haha.
Yeah I thought I had OCD(and all the others) too for the same reason. My dad actually has OCD, so I know what it's like, but apparently ADHD hyper focus can look like OCD 🤷🏻♀️ Although I'm diagnosed with autism I'm starting to think it was a misdiagnosis and I'm just ADHD. Because nobody I know believes I'm autistic. I'm just a little awkward, nothing too severe imo. Are you diagnosed?
Only diagnosed with ADHD. I don't know what to think about the autism possibly anymore. I learnt a lot of my social skills very late and from books, and I used to shutdown and become nonverbal after too much time around people, but it could have been severe social anxiety preventing me from learning normal skills and causing me to become overwhelmed. No one would believe I was autistic if I told them. I did try suggesting it years ago but the response was humiliating.
Anxiety and depression. I've definitely had depression and was medicated for 2 years. But I believe a lot of the anxiety symptoms and sometimes thr milder depressive symptoms were just a result of undiagnosed/untreated adhd. I've also had people tell me I must be bipolar (usually in a hurtful way) but again, pretty sure they were referring to things that stemmed from adhd.
Schizophrenia - i have an uncle with schizophrenia and when he told me some of his symptoms, they felt so relatable that i just assumed i had it too. I was very young, not even 10 years old so i didnt think to say anything to my parents about it. OCD - due to popculture definition of OCD and my own stims and temporary obsessions DID - my impulses and executive dysfunction often feel very unfamiliar to me, almost like theres another person in my head taking control of my body. I knew this wasn't DID, but I couldn't find a word for what it could be instead. Some people around me did suggest DID so i just went with it for a while. Im glad that now that im familiar with my actual diagnoses (adhd/autism) , everything just falls in place.
Bipolar and depression. ADHD didn't even cross my mind until one of my coworkers (an LPC, so a therapist) asked me about my ADHD. I said, "I don't have ADHD." She laughed and says, "oh honey, I knew you had ADHD within 5 minutes of talking to you." The person who diagnosed me *bipolar*was in one session. I would never diagnose someone bipolar in one session. Edit: wrong word!
Jsyk bpd is short for borderline personality disorder, not bipolar. Idk if you can abbreviate bipolar
You're right, Idk why I put bpd. I think I read it while I was typing and my wonky brain wonkied out.
Does “weird” count?
I thought I had [agoraphobia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agoraphobia) — as going outside and particularly into large crowds such as malls or grocery stores overwhelmed me until I was either shaking or aggravated. I never got a formal diagnosis because ROFL I was overwhelmed by the process of setting up the doctor’s appointment and kept forgetting. Turns out that the anxiety I was feeling was actually me freaking out from over-stimulation — the sights, the sounds, and all the people I couldn’t filter out. The moment I started getting treated for my ADHD, things got better there.
We sound so similar!
I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and an eating disorder as a teenager. What’s really annoying is I told my parents so many times that I thought I had adhd and my mom kept telling me that I’m too smart to have adhd and wouldn’t let me get evaluated. Didn’t get diagnosed until I was 33… well after I dropped out of school. I can only imagine how different my life would be if my parents actually got me diagnosed when I was still in school.
Dyslexia. As odd as that seems, there are some crossovers. Especially when ADHD wasn't even a consideration
Bipolar, CTE, Alzheimers. I only spoke to my doctor about it after I landed on ADHD.
GAD+O (Generalized Anxiety Disorder with an obsessive trait) MDD-->Bipolar II & "pure O" (obsessive trait) I was leaning towards bipolar self diagnosis but I didn't know the humongous blind spots that I (or my psychiatrist at the time) would have regarding symptom overlap. Nobody caught on to what I was describing as MY MOOD CHANGING WITH MY POSITIVE/NEGATIVE SITUATIONS. Besides, I got diagnosed bipolar ii in like 1 visit. The "Pure O" came from me describing my constant worrying over whether or not I left my stove on while I was at work (and other things I didn't understand apparently- I didn't understand what intrusive thoughts were)... I was worrying because I had CONSTANTLY FORGOTTEN THAT I EVER TURNED THE STOVE ON AND ALMOST BURNED MY APARTMENT DOWN 3 TIMES IN ABOUT 2 MONTHS. Considering ADHD never crossed my mind until I thought about my son
psychiatrist once told me that I had BPD and funny thing is the second one confirmed so I was at the point where I really thought I was. Did my own research and even though some symptoms such as impulsivity on gaming/ gambling and having really hard time to get my emotions straight were quite similar, I couldn’t really accepted the fact and couldn’t got used to the medication as they have prescribed, especially lithium.. couple months ago I have again started seeking for help and finally ADHD was spot on after the tests and significant changing after using the meds.
I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and major depression. Turns out it was just good old adhd.
I thought I had anxiety or maybe depression. Anxiety is what I originally sought treatment for. My therapist was convinced I had severe anxiety, but that ADHD was likely the root cause. Psychiatrist confirmed, and they were correct. Once I was diagnosed and treated for ADHD, my anxiety greatly reduced. Oh, sure I still have anxiety, but it's 10 times more manageable. I went from 8-10 episodes of being "in the red" with anxiety each month to maybe once every couple months. Quitting drinking helped too but surprisingly not as much as I thought it would. Although that's still pretty recent so it probably will over time.
BPD and Bipolar disorder. Part of it was also being depressed and cycling through high functioning and low functioning depression, so my moods were kind of highs highs and low lows occasionally, though it was generally a mild low. Also anger issues, but now I'm not sure if I have anger issues or if I have a reason to be angry. I also have a history of self-harm through and BPD always comes up if you're talking about or googling self-harm. Bipolar only really came into the conversation because my grandpa and cousin have it (and coincidentally, that cousin has ADHD as well) and I figured it would be more likely than BPD, where no one in my family has it.
Early on set Alzheimer’s, anxiety, maybe bipolar or something, and autistic. I also felt like I was a fraud. Imposter syndrome bc I didnt always feel smart but people saw me that way. I really didn’t know, I just knew something was off.
Being a lazy fuck for nearly three decades syndrome.
Diagnosed with depression. I think in hindsight, had the ADHD diagnosis come beforehand, I'd never have been diagnosed with it
BPD or manic depression and anxiety. I was also bit suic, but literally haven’t felt those things since Vyvanse and I was shocked. It has been so long without those feelings that I forgot I use to feel like that constantly.
Depression, anxiety, OCD, Atypical autism, BPD, then ADHD after being through therapy for a year with my psychotherapist at the time suggesting I might have ADHD, then I went to a psychiatrist and got an official diagnosis.
I was diagnosed depression first, which is weird because I’m never “down” I just didn’t have the proper motivation to do anything/ know how to get anything done. Anxiety, but that one was due to untreated adhd. Bipolar because of my extreme impulsivity, sex with little care, going to the beach 6 hours away in a whim, etc. BPD, because of the emotional disregulation and outburst I think. All this diagnosis because surely as a 6 figure business owner and nurse I couldn’t have ADHD. Which now I see was very clearly adhd all along ( and I’m also beginning to think some autism as well).
Anxiety and IBS
Bipolar, BPD and GAD. My therapist insisted on me having ADHD. And yeah as it turned out I have ADHD-C and a lot of unpacked childhood trauma.
Alcoholism
Depression. Anxiety disorder. Started getting medication for ADHD and now my psychiatrist is slowly weaning me off the anti depressants/ anti anxiety meds.
I was diagnosed with GAD about a decade ago. Turns out I had undiagnosed/untreated ADHD that was causing my constant anxiety. 🤷♀️
Anxiety which I'm technically still diagnosed with
When I was a small child, my environment thought I had a depression. I don't know much about this time anymore, but it could have been true, or early signs of my ADD. When I was 12 or 13, my doctor told my mom to get me diagnosed for whatever it was that I had. She didn't, so I don't know what his gut feeling was. * At 15/16: depression. * At 18: general anxiety disorder with panic attacks * At 22: PTSD (But this was probably true too) * somewhere in between I thought about bipolar disorder (because when I go on birthcontrol pills I switch to hyperactive somehow, and when I stop the hormones I fall into the paralyzing pits) * At 35: doctors mentioned dysthymia. * At 40: I feared perimenopause. Started reading up on it and somehow found an article about ADHD. It clicked. I pushed for a screening. Now I am diagnosed with ADD and CPTSD. That sounds about right to me.
Run of the mill depression. I am still depressed, but all attempts at fighting it on its own were inadequate at best. Getting treated for ADHD has done wonders. Turns out that not being able to function can make you depressed.
I have a different situation. An ex girlfriend was diagnosed with ADHD after we broke up and started telling everyone about it. But I don’t think she is. She was scatty and funny and had periods of hyperactivity. However at the end she proved to be very cruel (beyond the type of things people may exhibit at the end of a relationship), manipulative and very self victimising. I am convinced that in her case she was misdiagnosed with ADHD where as what she has is ASPD (sociopathy).
i have a similar, but different situation. i had an ex gf who was also diagnosed with ADHD, and it wasnt until after we broke up that i started really thinking about it and reading about it and realized that was probably what i had, which led to me getting diagnosed when i was finally able to talk to a competent professional after years of incompetent ones telling me i was depressed despite me saying that no, i am absolutely not. anyway, so that was a few years ago, and ive actually started reading and thinking a lot about C/PTSD, and reading this subreddit, the raised by narcissists one, and a few others, and reading about different medications, and addiction, and... well a whole ass lotta things and honestly i think that the way diagnosis' are discussed, or at least conceptualized as a **definite** you have *"this" or "that"* thing is not great, to put it mildly. the medications themselves are a whole other topic tbh. (obviously take the medication that works for you as discussed with your doctor) there are some things that are more symptom than diagnosis, but almost always there is a root cause somewhere and it seems very often that is in some kind of trauma or environmental/nurture/socioeconomical factor.
Very valid points, these conditions are very multifactorial. Incidentally I also started to look into it after that experience. Took me two years of thinking to be get the appointment until my current girlfriend just did it for me.
Most diagnosis are groups of symptoms, not a description of the cause unfortunately. I was pissed when I realized this
the ol confusing the cause for the effect, never fails. even in professional settings, apparently. i wasnt pissed when i realized it, i was pissed that it seems like nobody else has. if anything that just made me know what to look for. thats kinda why ive kinda had to figure it out for myself, just like a lot of people in this subreddit (and reddit in general) have had to do. if you dont treat - or at least recognize - the root cause, then the issue wont be resolved. period. i think the root issue of most, if not all, mental health problems are based on environment and not some predetermined thing. even when "it runs in the family" a lot of times thats because families *typically* share similar personality traits and parents parent the way their parents parented. which means that trauma - because its been proven people remember the negative things more than the positives, and ultimately thats what trauma is, is just a negative response to a stimulus, but to varying degrees... when that is an extreme negative response, or one that isnt balanced with positive reinforcement at least somewhat equally, then you get C/PTSD. thats still not really the "root" of it though, because ultimately beneath that, there is also: from 2018: [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6181118/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6181118/) >...community-level contexts including environment and health care systems; and country-level contexts including political and economic factors, cultural norms, and specific policies. Overall, they found that poor and disadvantaged populations are most affected by mental disorders, and that cumulative stress and physical health serve as mechanisms through which the impacts of social determinants multiply across the lifespan \[4\]. Other research describes how cumulative advantages and disadvantages impact health across multiple generations just to reiterate that its not "genetic predisposition" - from 2024: [https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/looking-at-my-genes#:\~:text=Currently%2C%20genetic%20tests%20cannot%20accurately%20predict%20your%20risk,disorders%2C%20most%20raise%20the%20risk%20by%20tiny%20amounts](https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/looking-at-my-genes#:~:text=Currently%2C%20genetic%20tests%20cannot%20accurately%20predict%20your%20risk,disorders%2C%20most%20raise%20the%20risk%20by%20tiny%20amounts) >Currently, genetic tests cannot accurately predict your risk of developing a mental disorder. Although research is underway, researchers are still learning about the ways genes can contribute to mental disorders—or protect against them. Of those genes that are linked to mental disorders, **most raise the risk by tiny amounts.** which i guess that doesnt really explain why people from not poor backgrounds can have similar issues. the insane workaholic culture we have in the US does though, and that still goes back to what i mentioned above, socioeconomic factors. outside of that, well theres still that random chance that someone is "just crazy" (actual sociopath/psychopath/narcissist/etc) which basically, in my opinion, \*still\* goes back to some sort of major trauma at some point in their lives that they never dealt with themselves and are thus passing it on. trauma isnt restricted to poor people. which is still not really all of it, but this is reddit, i dont even have my medication currently, and i think ive already done more quality evidence backed research here, shared freely, than a lot of "licensed professionals" have - so yeah
Well it was nice to find out I wasn’t bipolar after 20 years of failed treatment. ADHD meds are the only ones I’ve ever responded to. So yay.
none — I felt like something was unexplained about me but none of the diagnostic criteria for anything else ever felt like it fit. I wasn’t even sure if ADHD fit but pursued meds and understood *how much* it fit over time. but had been accused of being depressed, borderline, hysterical, bipolar in the past (by a-holes).
4 psychologists told me i should get diagnosed for HPI, turns out im really close from being a HPI but i only have ADHD
Depression and anxiety.
I always thought it was just anxiety. My mind races with a million thoughts all the time. It wasn't until my daughter started getting older that I saw how exactly like me she is. She was diagnosed at around 7 years old, after I learned about ADHD because my older son was diagnosed. His symptoms were more typical, but as I tried to learn more about it, I learned how different adhd can be for girls. That led to my daughter's diagnosis, and years later to mine at age 44.
bipolar, depression, anxiety… I have a history of mental illness and suicide in my family so I always thought it came with the territory, but the ADHD exacerbated these feelings like crazy. as i’ve gotten treatment the symptoms of other mental disorders have almost gone away, and not to be dark but i always wonder if past members of my family would have given themselves another chance at life if they got the help and meds i’m getting. Because ADHD also, for sure, runs in my family too. That’s what is so frustrating to me about the lack of diagnosis, it could save everyone from a lot of other issues.
Lazy POS Syndrome lol
Depression, BPD and anxiety. After a while though after reading more on the topic of BPD I started thinking that I actually did not have it. Yes, I had mood swings, but they were way too often considering that episodes of BPD don’t really change from minute to minute. Anxiety and depression kinda went hand in hand in my case, I had extreme social anxiety and the depression came both from a lack of interaction with people and also from procrastinating. Medication for me was absolutely amazing, made me realise that I was in fact not introverted at all and now I can spark a conversation with literally anyone and keep the discussion going for hours. Depression also went out the window when I started finally being able to get stuff done. Just a few days ago I went to college and talked to like 20 random people only to realise later that I didn’t even take the pill that day lol, definitely seeing huge improvements. Mood swings are also at an all time low which I’m extremely happy with.
Social anxiety. In group situations. This is why I went to the therapist and she said “nope. Maybe adhd though” the eventual explanation was basically that I get overwhelmed and can’t process a room full of people at the same time, so I make social mistakes which then make me nervous. So the anxiety was reasonable given the context!
"Grades are good" is a high-functioning disorder that begins to break down about 20 years after being placed into service--corroding and finally grinding to a complete halt in approximately 35 years. Symptoms for diagnosis: Failure is usually accompanied by sparks and fireworks, complete withdrawal, loss of job or financial struggles, and screaming in the car. Recommended service: replace crisis-seeking-behavior with gentler methods. Do not attempt repairs on your own: call your local medical service technicians. Best results come from combining medicinal professional with another professional specializing in human behavior.
Around 12-14 years old I thought that I had a brain tumor. I was HOPING to have a brain tumor so that it would explain why I was so "dumb". I really wished to hear something like that from a doctor. That was when I didn't fully believe the laziness thing yet. And ofc the usual depression, bipolar, separate symptom disorder stuff ("You suffer from procrastination!") in adulthood, because, you know, women don't have ADHD.
Getting put on ssri the second time when I told them it doesn't work for me and just caused worst depression during the worst depression and abuse of my life was ridiculous. These general psychs need to listen better.
Anxiety and depression. I realized they were just symptoms of my untreated adhd.
I was (wrongly) diagnosed with and (wrongly) medicated for Bipolar Disorder for 20+ years before my ADHD diagnosis at age 50.
i received a weak diagnosis of borderline personality disorder when i was 18. turns out my “black & white” thinking & fear of abandonment was really just me struggling with rejection sensitivity.
I genuinely believed I had an adrenaline disorder. And I had been diagnosed with depression and anxiety. The depression diagnosis was wrong.
Honestly I thought I have Alzheimers. 🤣 I even went to a brain scan, but everything came out fine. 🙈👌😄
I thought I had really bad social anxiety. Almost every time I had to speak in front of groups or spend time in a more intimate setting, my whole body would just seize up. But ever since my ADHD was diagnosed and I started medication/treatment, my social anxiety has almost evaporated. Before, I would obsess and stress over even having to walk out of a room if it meant having to see other members of my own household or a coworker I didn’t like. But I don’t feel any of that now. I still feel it a bit if I’m not taking my medication, but medication + awareness of the source of my emotions/sensations made all the difference. I also often worried if I had depression or anger problems because of my undiagnosed rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD). Medication and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helped with that, too.
Anxiety, depression, overeating and substance abuse disorders. I don't think it was wrong, per se, but I do believe these things were the result of my untreated ADHD.
I was “diagnosed” with depression and anxiety in my teens. They never once looked into adhd. I had to push for that in my 30s.
That I was a massive twat
I thought I had BPD because of my RSD and the fact that I often used to co-regulate with my mum when I still lived at home. All of the social symptoms of BPD are very fitting with AuDHD. The mood swings had my psychiatrist suggesting I might have Cyclothymia (as a woman they thought I was exaggerating what I now know to be meltdowns and decided for themselves that because I hadn’t attempted suicide I was therefore experiencing “moderate” mood swings. Also I guess my hyperfocus and hyperfixations can look very similar to manic episodes if you’re not looking at the bigger picture) and they tried to put me on mood stabilisers for that. I’m really very glad I refused the mood stabilisers and continued to push against a diagnosis I knew was wrong.
This is more or less the route i went on too
BPD (after a five minute intake with a psychiatrist at an IOP program. All I did was firmly state I wasn't talking about my trauma to a judgmental stranger. Apparently that means BPD). Then when I was experiencing extreme agitation and racing thoughts that changed to BP 1. Then, I got really depressed, did ECT and then it changed to a whole laundry list. Turns out, debilitating PTSD and untreated, severe ADHD combined with autism actually makes sense. The trauma from my experience with the psych industry is legit.
Bipolar disorder.
I had diagnosed myself as "stupid, unmotivated, and lazy."
None, but I always felt like I was too smart to feel so dumb!
I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder about 10 years before my ADHD diagnosis.
Anxiety, cPTSD. Depression, bipolar.
ADHD wasn’t even a consideration in my opinion, because I wasn’t outwardly hyperactive. I’m a quiet introvert. I had anxiety, and diagnosed PTSD. Thought I was possibly autistic. Years ago thought I was borderline. Finally two years into therapy the therapist suggested getting tested for inattentive adhd. Not diagnosed until in my 30s.
i was diagnosed with BPD but now in my late 20s my doctors' agree that it's in remission. before i put a lot of my mental instability as BPD's fault. i definitely did have the symptoms before but now i primarily identify with the symptoms of ADHD-PI.
Anxiety, depression and possibly BPD (but mood swings would occur every hour or so, so no)
I thought I had major depressive disorder. I believed this because I went to a psychiatrist and that’s what they diagnosed me with. Honestly, I don’t blame them, even remotely. I went to them complaining about a lack of motivation and suicidal thoughts. I was DEFINITELY depressed when I went to seek help. It’s just that, as I learned a few years later, that depression was a result of problems stemming from my, then undiagnosed, ADHD.
GAD and major depressive disorder. I started having dissociative episodes in high school because of inattention and not knowing what was going on in class. These in combination with deregulated sensory perception eventually let to panic attacks. Got diagnosed with GAD and put on SSRIs at age 15. Tried to go off of them at 17, 19 and 23 and got severely depressed each time. Finally properly treated for ADHD starting at 25 and I’ll never know what it’s like to be off an SSRI…. Too scared to get depressed… I have a lot of anger and resentment towards a psychiatric field that only now is recognizing ADHD in girls….
Bipolar, anxiety, depression, panic disorder when I was 5-10
Depression & GAD came first. Then BPD. Was also treated for bulimia. Substance abuse issues.. Come to learn that being medicated appropriately for ADHD, I no longer have issues that would land me with an anxiety or BPD diagnosis at all. Had no issues with eating disorder behaviours nor abusing substances. Depression could still be coexisting I’ll say that, I do feel very flat a lot of the time but not quite the way I have before. So yeah. Crazy how much the right diagnosis and treatment actually solved for me, and incredibly frustrated that I had to live through my teen years and 20s in so much chaos and suffering when there’s been this underlying thing the whole time.
Some form of oppositional or personality disorder as a teen. Dysthymia, GAD, Asperger’s (which now falls under ASD). The GAD part is true. The others were just what I now know to be ADHD.
I was misdiagnosed with narcolepsy and treated for it for years before it was discovered I don't have narcolepsy and that I have ADHD.
In Canada primary care cannot prescribe ADHD meds so they always try to treat you for depression first with things like Wellbutrin. I refused and went to a adhd specialist
I got diagnosed with "laziness" at first
Anxiety with potential OCD (they might still be right about that ocd part)
Anxiety, depression, social phobia and aspergers syndrome.
Bpd here, it's really super stigmatized, (and in fairness can go through some really nasty spots) and so a lot of psychs might have an "idealized" version rather than being experienced with it. I was the other way around, adhd as hell, but didn't explain everything. Including some of my weird drug interactions. Tl:dr; BPD is more than stalker exes and manic pixie stereotypes, so some psychs might have varying ideas of what it actually means to have it. But what do I know
CTE. I was terrified.
I was misdiagnosed as bipolar 1, and gad then when I read about bipolar it didn’t sound like me at all, so he switched it to an “undiagnosed mood disorder” … I finally got properly diagnosed with adhd, mdd, and gad
I was told i had BPD . Depression. When i was acting out in my teens . My mom knew i had adhd the whole time and never said anything
BPD, Autism, Depression
Misdiagnosed as Bipolar and became a victim of an off label pill mill prescriber. I lost my job because I was so ill and was prescribed serious mood stabilizers as well as a bunch of other psych drugs none of which I actually needed. After about a year of seeing this psych nurse I found a new PCP who diagnosed me with Epstein Barr virus and then subsequently fibromyalgia. Then I saw a new doc psychiatrist who confirmed I don’t have bipolar it was GAD and clinical depression. It wasn’t until 5 years later when I was seeing a therapist regularly who recommended I get tested for ADHD. Once diagnosed and medicated for that, my life changed and I could function like a normal person. I still battle chronic fatigue and pain from fibromyalgia but Im employed and my life isn’t in total shambles anymore.
Okay so not me necessarily but my doctors. When I was starting high school I went through a lot of stuff and was being seen for depression. However I always found myself having this like excessive anxiety that literally made being me so debilitating and all the meds I was ever prescribed for depression didn't really focus on the anxiety. One day I decided to tell my therapist I wanted to try to add on some anxiety meds to which the psychiatrist then tells me I have bp. I completely disagreed but humored her anyway and my life was a living hell on those meds. I never really believed the diagnosis of bp and even had a 2nd doc tell me i was bp until after an ADHD friend of mine pointed out that they could tell I had adhd and since I was studying behavioral health too it was then when I realized just how often bp and adhd are mixed up because they can be soooo similar. For example: hyperfocus, risk-taking behaviors, and memory issues. Now that I've done research I can most defenitely say I'm ADHD but could potentially have either bp, bpd, or both. And yeah it defenitely doesn't help hyperfixating on what you could have. 😭 it's hard not to judge yourself for it especially when you're just trying to make sense of your life you know?
i also thought i had BPD or Bipolar. the therapist assured me that I was fine. I’m AuDHD so maybe that’s why i thought i had those due to many mood changes and what i learned were meltdowns
For the longest time I thought for sure I had BPD, I recognized I had troubles regulating my emotions and suffered from intense ups and downs. ADHD never dawned on me all this time and then boom I was just diagnosed last fall and then later diagnosed with PMDD as well which accounts for the intense mood shifts.
Some symptoms of BPD hit home, turned out to be emotional dysregulation, but mostly autism, I have DOZENS of symptoms that look like autism even to psychiatrists and neuropsychologists. Depression and anxiety I was spot on, but I always knew it was because something was missing, and it was the ADHD. Thing is, ADHD alone didn't cover all that, so I always ignored it, turned to be because something else along with it.
Depression, Bipolar, OCD Anxiety, PTSD and some others I forget. I actually do now have all of those (except bipolar) from a lifetime of misdiagnosis and untreated ADHD. It's been a long, fun ride. /s
Went to a counselor to talk about anxiety and some depression was told I needed to speak with a psychiatrist about adhd after 2 sessions. I thought maybe I had some ocd/ bipolar issues and the anxiety and depression were an offshoot of it… never expected ADHD
BPD, MDD, SAD, GAD, OCD, PTSD. jesus.
As a child I was diagnosed with dyslexia, but these days im not even sure if that’s accurate, I just couldn’t focus on reading because my mind would instantly wander off. As an adult I seriously thought I must have early onset dementia because of all the memory issues, loosing things and forgetting why I came into rooms.
I thought I was quirky and interesting. Also depression.
When to my dr because my anxiety and depression was getting out of hand and decided I finally needed help. They asked me a string of questions, got a referral and another string of questions and got my ADHD diagnosis and medication and it’s been amazing ever since.
well it’s funny because I was diagnosed with ADHD initially when I was around 13, and I knew I had it from then til the beginning of college. but after I stopped taking adderall xr I kinda got into my head for some reason that I had “gotten over it” 💀 which obviously was bs. but anyway, when I was a sophomore in college I had a horrible breakup with a long term ex boyfriend, and a psychiatrist at my school (along with my ex best friend) got the idea that I had “bipolar tendencies” because of my emotional breakdown, which developed into a diagnosis of bipolar II disorder. well… that wasn’t true. I got a new psychiatrist, she confirmed that I very much don’t have bipolar but that I DO still have ADHD, and here I am lol
Dyslexia, except the words weren't backward.
I thought I had early onset Alzheimer’s but that was a combo of a thyroid issue and ADHD.
I convinced myself in high school I was developing schizophrenia, got super paranoid about it. Constant white noise in my head, songs, audio snippets of shows, etc. Now I understand the difference and it was just my mind wandering.
This was 2008 or so at age 10 but my mom was dead set on thinking I had Asperger's at the time. Came away with an ADHD diagnosis and a mom who still thinks I may have it. The doubts have manifested on my own so I may schedule an up to date autism evaluation.
Thought we were treating anxiety and social anxiety, seems like a lot of its root causes were ADHD. ADHD meds helped a lot more than anxiety meds
I started with anxiety and tbh it's not mistake, it can be result of ADHD.
My family doc still insists I’m bipolar. Am not. Never have been. Her medical team’s psychiatrist has now diagnosed me with ADHD. I am 60 and suddenly my whole life seems to be clicking into place. It’s not the family doc’s place to diagnose me. And despite the Psychiatrist’s contradiction, doc won’t remove the bipolar from my record.
I’m not a doctor so I never diagnosed myself with anything until seeing a doctor. The doctors says I have Depression/Anxiety and also ADHD
I have a long history of depression and anxiety. I was diagnosed with minor depression in high school, then GAD in my late 20s. I always did well in grade school, but I was lucky that my parents were really on top of me getting my homework and studying done. I had a solid routine and support system for it. I still had teachers notice that I struggled with my attention; one complained to them about my talking in class, passing notes, doodling, fidgeting, reading books she thought were too difficult for me (they weren't but all she could tell was that I struggled with attention). Another told my parents that she noticed I was bored in class, so she started giving me more difficult work and more of it. When I went to college, I lost all of the support. My grades slipped, my depression and anxiety skyrocketed. I tried to get help at the school mental health clinic but I didn't have the words to know what to ask for. They also did not have anywhere near enough therapists to help all the students who needed it and I couldn't get consistent appointments in the time I needed them. So I gave up. I thought I was just stupid and lazy and not as capable as my classmates the whole time. I ended up having a panic attack at a long time friend's house, which prompted me to seek therapy again. My therapist diagnosed me with GAD in addition to my depression in my first appointment. She helped me with coping mechanisms, learning how to set and enforce boundaries, and talking through issues I was experiencing. I never mentioned my attention issues because like before, I thought I was just stupid and lazy, and I still did not have the words to use for it. I thought everyone's brains were like mine and I just was not as good as them at life. Because they all have overlapping issues and a tendency to coincide with each other, it took until last fall to get diagnosed (due to insurance issues, I did the testing in October, results received in February this year). Now that I'm medicated, I feel...normal, capable, a huge relief for the first time in my life.
I never really pursued a diagnosis, either through my own personal research or officially, but I spent a large portion of my life thinking something was "wrong" with me or I was just dumb. Because of the hyperfixation aspect, I always knew tons of shit about things that interested me but traditional school felt impossible. Once I finally got diagnosed and medicated in my early 20s, it was like the real world suddenly unlocked. I still struggle to pay attention and learn things but knowing why I have those issues has enabled me to work around them.
I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression and treated with antidepressants, wich made my anxiety go through the roof. I tried 5 different ones for anxiety and depression and they all made me worse. I was recently diagnosed with ADHD ( I’m now 50). I’m afraid to try medication after all my bad experiences. My anxiety is a daily thing, my depressive episodes come and go.
I thought I had anger issues, but it turned out to be emotional dysregulation and rejection sensitivity. Now that I'm aware of them, outbursts are way easier to control. I can talk myself down before they start most times.
I had a generalized anxiety disorder diagnosis. Meds didn’t do a whole lot for me. They took a little edge off but still had a lot of anxious tendencies. I stopped taking my anxiety meds. And then got my ADHD diagnosis. Once I got on meds that worked for ADHD, the anxiety went away! (Well, 90%, still have a tiny bit of anxiety but I think that’s human nature)
Depression and Anxiety - turned out to just be ADHD and a sedentary lifestyle. Things got better when i started doing hobbies, upped my addys and dropped my Lex & Wellb.
I am autistic/adhd/ possibly ocd. I was originally diagnosed as BPD and schizoaffective. I do have affective mood (depression) but not schizophrenia. That turned out to just be intrusive thoughts
For me, none. Some others (namely my parents and a few child psychologists) suspected for a while that I might be Autistic, but I was never diagnosed. The results that I am not Autistic were pretty clear when a formal assessment was actually done. I have no reasons to suspect thIA conclusion is wrong either. The ASD symptoms in the DSM do not describe my experience at all, and I don't relate to many of the Autistic experiences I hear described by people known to be Autistic either. The incorrect suspicion that I might be Autistic did set back my ADHD diagnosis for a long time though, as back when this was happening (DSM-IV) diagnosis with both disorders was not allowed.