My Story of ADHD, Abuse, Depression and Anxiety.

Hi everyone, I have just joined so thought I would share my story…

I grew up with undiagnosed inattentive ADHD in what I believed to be a fairly sheltered and stable environment. It wasn’t until my senior years of high school that it started to become more evident that things were not ok. I started getting very depressed and self harming. But eventually confessed to my mum that I was not ok and she took me to the drs, it wasn’t until the second time around that I admitted they both diagnosed me with major depression. I was medicated and they recommended psychology or counselling but I could never find the right one. Later I was diagnosed with generalised anxiety. I got married to a man after 3 years. My family had some concerns but said they would support me and it wasn’t until 2 years later that I realised I was being gaslit and verbally and emotionally abused by him. My parents helped me get out and I lived with them as I started to recover. Changed my antidepressants a few times and moved out again as I grew more confident. I was still struggling to keep a job longer that 6-12months but thought it was just the trauma that I had to work through. Started scrolling on TikTok and the FYP algorithm kept giving me people talking about their ADHD symptoms which I was relating to waaaaay too much. I also saw a lot of people talking about how hard it is to get diagnosed as a female so I decided I didn’t have time or emotional capacity to get a diagnosis the traditional way and forked out to have official testing and possible diagnosis by an ADHD specialist clinic. I was expecting to hear I was overreacting but after 2 Psychology sessions, childhood paperwork, feedback from my parents and multiple cognitive tests they said I definitely had ADHD. I took these results to my psychiatrist who did his own test then apologised that he didn’t pick it up sooner. So at age 34 I was officially diagnosed with inattentive ADHD. I am still trialling different medications and have been meaning to start counselling/ADHD coaching/psychology but with the rise of cost of living, I’m struggling to afford a roof over my head. I have found that although the past decade and a half has been rocky, I have come out of it a lot wiser and resilient. One of the best decisions I made (apart from getting diagnosed and leaving my ex) was to adopt my dogs. They have helped me stay in a routine and help me connect. I am still struggling with managing my ADHD, get triggered by a few things and feel like I am spinning out of control near the end of my cycle but feel like I am getting better. I am so grateful to my support system and the opportunity to educate myself and grow my self awareness. I am studying counselling and hoping to get start studying Psychology next year. My aim is to have sorted out my management system for my mental health and become a Counsellor then Psychologist in the future.
Thanks for hearing my story and I am looking forward to reading yours and connecting with people who have had similar experiences and/or have similar outlook now.