"That’s still the grief I fight; all the suffering I could have avoided if I’d had been diagnosed with ADHD sooner."
Wow, this so resonates with me. I was diagnosed (after first self-diagnosing) with ADHD this year, at age 63, as was my son, at age 35. We both knew we were odd and mostly celebrated that fact, but figured that was because we were both deemed "gifted" by our school systems at a very young age. I was diagnosed with depression as a young mom, and my son with anxiety as a young adult. Evidently, no mental health professionals we encountered ever considered ADHD.
The suffering resulted from what I believed to be a range of unfortunate character defects, and that my poor son had inherited some of those traits from me. We've both dealt with so much shame and imposter syndrome.
I grieve for the fact that a considerable amount of our suffering was avoidable, especially the missed parenting opportunities that would have made raising my son easier for both of us.
The positive paradigm shift of how I see myself is ongoing. The self-blame is diminishing. I believe it's the same for my son. Even in these darkest of times, I am truly grateful for this.
I love your writing and your voice. I look forward to reading more from you. Thank you for being brave and vulnerable.
I loved this! It is reassuring to have a reason why life always felt so hard but I will always be sad for my younger self that it never even occurred to anyone around me that reason could be a ND brain. I generally thought I was just a weird little kid and an even weirder adult. I am here for whatever writing you wish to bestow upon your readership!
Two things. First, as a late diagnosed ADHD'er I felt a big connection to this. Second, I love that you were able to find some moments of thankfulness right now. That is important, maybe more important than it has ever been. I really loved reading this, thank you for sharing.
"That’s still the grief I fight; all the suffering I could have avoided if I’d had been diagnosed with ADHD sooner."
Wow, this so resonates with me. I was diagnosed (after first self-diagnosing) with ADHD this year, at age 63, as was my son, at age 35. We both knew we were odd and mostly celebrated that fact, but figured that was because we were both deemed "gifted" by our school systems at a very young age. I was diagnosed with depression as a young mom, and my son with anxiety as a young adult. Evidently, no mental health professionals we encountered ever considered ADHD.
The suffering resulted from what I believed to be a range of unfortunate character defects, and that my poor son had inherited some of those traits from me. We've both dealt with so much shame and imposter syndrome.
I grieve for the fact that a considerable amount of our suffering was avoidable, especially the missed parenting opportunities that would have made raising my son easier for both of us.
The positive paradigm shift of how I see myself is ongoing. The self-blame is diminishing. I believe it's the same for my son. Even in these darkest of times, I am truly grateful for this.
I love your writing and your voice. I look forward to reading more from you. Thank you for being brave and vulnerable.
I loved this! It is reassuring to have a reason why life always felt so hard but I will always be sad for my younger self that it never even occurred to anyone around me that reason could be a ND brain. I generally thought I was just a weird little kid and an even weirder adult. I am here for whatever writing you wish to bestow upon your readership!
This was just lovely, and inspiring. Stuff I needed today. Thanks.
Beautifully written. You're very eloquent. Please have a safe and relaxing Thanksgiving.
Best to you and your family.
Fred
Two things. First, as a late diagnosed ADHD'er I felt a big connection to this. Second, I love that you were able to find some moments of thankfulness right now. That is important, maybe more important than it has ever been. I really loved reading this, thank you for sharing.