Hello reader!

Happy New Year! I hope your festive season went as smoothly as mine, even if you had to work.

I’m still umming and ahhing about this format 😀

So, the last time I wrote, which was last year (ha ha) I laid out my goals for 2024. However, I think some of that is going to change. Namely because a small issue that has been bugging me for a while, was spoken about at my GP appointment today – adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder – adult ADHD.

According to the Better Health Channel (https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adults) ‘seven out of 10 children will experience ADHD symptoms as adults.’
Common symptoms of adult ADHD include the following:
– unpredictable mood swings (I don’t, unless you consider the mild depression – I’m generally fairly chirpy)
– make careless mistakes at work (not often, but when it does it’s pretty crap)
– find it hard to sustain attention in work or leisure (I am pretty bored at work, as bad as that sounds)
– not seem to listen when spoken to directly (think JD from Scrubs)
– not follow instructions or finish tasks (I have a complex when it comes to finishing things – from books through to movies)
– find it hard to organise tasks and activities (I am getting better with it)
– avoid sustained mental effort in work (I don’t, but I can actually feel the strain on my brain when I engage mentally)
– lose things like keys, paperwork and things needed for tasks (don’t even start. This is a hourly issue)
– be easily distracted by other stimuli (look, shiny!)
– be forgetful in daily activities (reason why I have post-it notes, two diaries and handwritten everything)
– fidget with hands or feet, or squirm in their seat (No)
– find it hard to remain seated (No)
– constantly run to do things (it has been said I work very quickly)
– be impatient (no)
– have trouble doing things quietly (if we are talking typing, then yes, I clack on the keyboard loudly, otherwise I am as quiet as a mouse)
– talk excessively (directly correlated to alcohol consumption)
– blurt out things without thinking (I am getting better at controlling this)
– have trouble waiting their turn in queues and other such situations (No)
– butt into conversations or other activities (rarely, if ever)
– have sleep difficulties (YES)

To confirm if this is the case, the nurse at my GP’s husband’s clinic will need to conduct a DIVA test (the structured diagnostic interview for Adult ADHD based on the criteria for ADHD in the DSM-V) which involves a childhood recollection test answered by a family member. Following on from that, is a bulk-billed (yay) appointment with the psychiatrist to determine whether or not if I have it and decide on a course of action.

I haven’t decided when I will do this as there are a few more pressing matters to handle (the old headaches etc) so will try to settle them down before we can get a handle on everything else.

2024 was supposed to be my year of Health – getting better, getting back and getting on with it, but I think it’s more along the lines of ‘decipher, diagnose, survive’.

Hope your 2024 is off to a better start then mine!

Bx