Late diagnosis: How did you find out?

Hey all. I’m really interested in hearing stories from those of you who were diagnosed around 30 or later.

I really, really suspect that I have ADHD or ADD. My story short: 34 year old woman, I have a masters degree and a really good job. I’m currently not working full time due to stress and anxiety - again. This is the fourth or fifth time in six years that I suffer from these things. The last year, I have struggled a lot after my dad past away after 10 years of illness and I suffered from a serious knee injury and a very long rehab.

But actually, I think I started to suffer a lot when I went from a job with night and morning shifts, a lot of structure with clear roles and a lot of short deadlines as a news journalist. I started a new 9-5 job - still as a journalist - but with longer deadlines and looser structure.

So my things are: - I’m not able to concentrate for more than like 10-15 minutes at a time. Then I need to get coffee, pee, smoke. But in that 10-15 minutes I can do what other people do in half a work day. - I “forget” friends, when I’m no longer in “natural” contact with them - like if we don’t go to uni, work or do sports regularly, I just dont manage to plan a “date” with them. - I always attract (and are attracted to) men in some sort of a midlife crisis or are narcissists. My longest relationship has been a year. It’s not that I dont want it - I love to be in a relationship. - I feel like I spend more time planning what to do and in what order to do things in than I actually spend on doing those things - If I need to say something during a meeting, I have to say it immediately or else I forget it - I don’t have a count on how many times I have said “Sorry, I forgot to listen” - When in high school, my teachers notes were always that I was bright but I disturbed myself and others - If I’m genuinely interested in something, I’m really good at it. If I dont get the point immediately, I couldnt care less about it. - I have a restless feeling like I need to be working towards something or going somewhere all the time. - If I have long term projects, I often start out with being really eager to do it, and then the interests just goes down. I managed to do my master thesis and finish with an A, but I actually dont think I read the entire paper in its whole before handing it in. - I really, really dont get how people can enjoy a 9-5 job. Like, you meet in at the same time and go home at the same time, then the day is almost gone, you eat dinner and go to bed, and in the weekends you are tired and tries to do all the things you didnt do during the week. How is that enjoyable? - I get so easily distracted by noises. I have to listen to music while biking to not get overwhelmed. - I daydream a lot. - I’m really, really selective. Regarding people, jobs, interests, conversations, clothes. Anything really.

Does those thing resonate with any of you?