ADHD is a synonym for “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder”. Name is a little backwards in my opinion. Since most disorders and illnesses point to the cause, not the common symptoms. On top of that not all people with ADHD present these symptoms.
Dopamine, Serotonin and Nor-Epinephrine are the three neurotransmitters(transmitters) that are related to ADHD. The lack of one or more of these transmitters, presents the symptoms which points to ADHD. Different amounts of lacking presents different symptoms. This is the reason not all ADHD-ers presents the attention deficit or hyperactivity symptoms.
Also, we should not forget that these transmitters are manufactured in our sleep. Hence, when we sleep less, we may experience a difference in our symptoms. For me, sleepless nights brings more regulation issues more that attention deficit. Which means, when I sleep less or badly, I have more of a hard time regulating my emotions, attention and thoughts. Then, my mental disturbance causes a physical disturbance as an echo and causes my hyperactivity to be more distinct. At a side note, this information is a great way to explain ADHD to NTs. We are living our lives severely under-slept.
The changes in our symptoms makes it harder to diagnose from an outside perspective. Since the combination of symptoms are wast and endless, the misdiagnosing is not a far possibility at all. I tried to list some of the diagnoses either I or my friends gotten before meeting our savior doctors.
Since the symptoms swing, we can be misdiagnosed as Bipolar Disorder. As my doctor explained, the swings in an average ADHD case are far more quick than an average Bipolar Disorder case. But it is still need to be considered since 20% of the ADHD cases also present with Bipolar Disorder. But the important thing is one diagnosis doesn’t throw the other diagnosis out of the window.
Most of the people in my community gotten a Major Depressive Disorder diagnose from a really early age. For me it was 7–8. This wasn’t actually a diagnosis, rather than another symptom. My inattentiveness and rejection sensitivity caused me to dive into my own world. The bullying that came with being the weird kid made my ties to the real world thinner and thinner. For long years therapists tried to cure my depression without treating the underlying issue. Still, Depressive Disorder is a valid diagnosis but it shouldn’t stop doctors to look deeper.
Another diagnosis I have gotten an early age is Generalized Anxiety Disorder which was totally making sense. Since my ADHD causes my thoughts to run wild and free, I was like a computer with a small RAM. Random pieces of thoughts threw themselves to my conscious mind.Which usually triggers my hyper-fixation. Hyper-fixating on my thoughts… In short, I overthink about my thoughts. To conclude, Anxiety is a real problem which ADHD-ers suffer from.
As one can realize, these are not really misdiagnosed, rather under-diagnosed. Because, like many disorders of illnesses, comorbidity also exists in ADHD. This may make one’s treatment harder. Because, if the doctor is not familiar with ADHD, they may see these problems as ‘Just a weird combination’. The comorbidity rate for ADHD is 60–80%. Please keep in mind that comorbidity might mean that existing together. One disorder might be causing another or they might not be related at all. Here are some of the other co-morbid disorders and illnesses with ADHD:
- Maladaptive Daydreaming
- Sleep Disorders
- Auditory Processing Disorder
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Learning Disorder
- Dyslexia
- Sensory Integration Disorder
- Substance Abuse
I have some of these issues with a solid diagnose and I have a few that still needs more investigating. Maladaptive daydreaming, sleep disorder, auditory processing disorder and sensory integration disorder are the ones that we currently work with.
For the sake of the easy read, I will not go into detail about these disorders but I’ll make stories about each and tag them here.
If you have any questions or comments you can reach me through my twitter, reddit or email.
Discalimer: As always, I’m not a mental health professional. I am just a young woman with a late diagnosis. I am sharing my experience and the knowledge I have gotten from my doctors. Still, I urge you do your own research from reliable sources.
If you think you might have ADHD, you can do a self screening test from here. I have found this after searching for a trustable ADHD chart. This is not a diagnostic test, but if you have a higher score, please think about seeing a professional.
PS: We are not ‘quirky’ or ‘energic’. This is a life-threatening disorder. Untreated ADHD can shorten the life expextancy up to 24 years. People with untreated ADHD have a significantly higher risk of death by accidents.