#the adhd diagnosis

[toomanywordsnllines]

Me: *goes to get checked for ADHD*

The therapist, 20 minutes in: ... Have you looked... Into autism?

*Session continues*

The therapist, at the end: ... Yeah I'm... Going to talk with some colleagues who specialize in autism... Hope you don't mind...

[angelicgarnet]

the way people online talk about autism is getting really weird, like do they know that neurotypicals still have interests? that someone being passionate about a hobby doesn't mean they're autistic? you guys know that right

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Why self-diagnosed autistics are valid

medical diagnosis can be expensive

humans are the experts on their own minds

family may prevent assessment

diagnosis criteria is a poor checklist of stereotypes

diagnosis criteria ignores gender, race, sexuality, culture & more

medical diagnosis confirms autism, but doesn't create it

discrimination within the medical profession may prevent diagnosis.

Assessment waiting lists often long

medical trauma may make assessment unfeasible

Neurodiverse Journeys

[thatadhdmood]

an eloquent take down of the "people are self diagnosing autism to be trendy and for attention" take that morons have been echoing on tiktok

[video description is the reblogs, its very long]

[pallanophblargh]

I have a disproportionately loud mess of a head for no discernible reason* so it’s kind of a miracle that I spent the last month and some change willing myself to wield watercolor again. Witness the struggle! A long overdue color sketch for a (super patient) client.

Just watercolor with a boop of gouache.

*they are a mush of small but immense problems??? Executive dysfunction being maximized by meds the main culprit…

[vroomvroomwee]

Who was gonna tell me that sitting down on a cold hard floor alone in a room barely illuminated with only a small lamp light in the dead of night, hugging your knees while putting the same song on loop to play over and over and over again as you close your eyes and start rocking side to side softly and slowly for 30 minutes FELT SO GOOOD??

[evilesbiautism]

The most common argument you'll hear against self diagnosis is that people will fake being [X] for attention. But every disabled person, physical or otherwise, knows this could only work in online spaces - the world was not made for us, and brandishing your disability as a badge of honor that gives you ~special privileges~ is such a funny idea.

Like, honey - that doesn't happen. No one gets anything from being disabled. Maybe extra accommodations if you're lucky - but nothing else. And the internet isn't as important as you seem to think - eventually it just feels hollow.

Ask disabled people how often they had to fight to get diagnosed so their medical needs could be met and their complaints would be heard. Doctors are just hardwired to delay this as much as possible.

I knew I was autistic since late 2018 - I got an official diagnosis 4 months ago. Knowing yourself and how you can make your own life easier is a lifesaver.

And this isn't even going into how many *cons* there are to a professional diagnosis, like being met with disdain at best and denied services at worst.

I don't care if a 16 year old who self diagnosed after taking 1 online quiz about autism is wrong. And honestly I think it's weird people treat this 'issue' with so much hatred.

[ao3-crack]

(x)

[the-kestrels-feather]

Things my ADHD has made me forget:

Where I put my damn keys JFC-- (they are in my hand)

Due dates if I don't set alarms

What day it is

Whether or not I gave my dog her after dinner treat (which she's fine with because it usually means she gets to double dip)

The 200+ videos in my "Watch Later" playlist

To Eat

Things my ADHD has not made me forget;

That I copy pasted an entire book into a paper and didn't cite it

[turns-out-its-adhd]

Did you kNoW?

Stimulants affect people with ADHD differently because our brains are not processing the naturally produced dopamine as effectively as a neurotypical brain would. The stimulant helps boost us to a 'normal' feeling level.

This is why when a neurotypical person takes ADHD medication they have extreme bursts of productivity and write their thesis in one night or I dunno remodel their house, while an ADHD person might just take them and be like 'Hooray I managed to wash my clothes and hang them up in the same day!'

Jokes on them though, because I can drink coffee at 11pm and sleep right after. Take that society.

[bisexualgoth]

idk if that's a hot take or what but i genuinely do not give a flying fuck if kids online self-diagnose with adhd. if they browse those "how to do x with adhd" sites or look for+find support in adhd-specific communities or buy nice planners bc it helps them at school or buy those spinning rings to fidget with literally how is that any of my problem. I'd rather 5000 people without adhd better their lives by using things intended for people w adhd than one kid with adhd feeling lost and depressed bc they're convinced they're just lazy.

[adhdpie]

Something I desperately want ppl to know:

LONG COVID CAN LOOK INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM ADULT ADHD

If you are an adult who has never experienced ADHD symptoms until recently: you may have a form of Long COVID

many ppl who have it call ‘brain fog’. Its primary feature is being unable to concentrate & short term memory/working memory issues, which severely impairs executive function.

COVID-induced brain fog’s effect on executive function is essentially indistinguishable from ADHD’s effect on the same.

& brain fog is A VERY COMMON LONG COVID SYMPTOM

as the number of adults with executive dysfunction has shot up, i want people to remember this. Especially if they get an ADHD evaluation and are told they’re not ADHD

Because we are all disabled, and we deserve care and understanding no matter what disabled us

[repmet]

Some favourite tags on my Merlin gifsets part 12 (x)

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[caitas-cooing]

Reblog this post if you are professionally diagnosed and you support informed self diagnosis and you hate people accusing others of faking disorders when they have no evidence to support that

[autisticallyadhd]

I hate the expression, “you’re an adult so you must be able to *insert thing here*”

Like… some people can’t ??

[canisalbus]

I've been curious about this for a while, and after finding your Tumblr and reading up on Machete lore I'd love to know; Is Machete autistic? I myself am autistic and I see myself in him quite a lot at times while reading your posts... If not, are there anything other disabilities or ailments he has? What about Vasco?

I'm hesitant to assign either them a lot of labels, but I think it's justified to say he has enough autistic traits to place him somewhere on the spectrum. Of course they hadn't figured out neurodiversity in the 1500's, if you knew him well enough you might call him a little eccentric. Even then he's reasonably proficient at masking and trying to appear normal to others. Having impressive self-restraint and an unhealthy degree of self-awareness helps with that. His surroundings are formal, rigid and impersonal and he has learned to navigate that specific social climate reasonably well. In addition to difficulty in socializing his main issues are sensory related, he's sensitive to textures, loud sounds and environmental overstimulation and has a low pain threshold, but can tolerate a surprising amount of discomfort in order to keep his face and not appear weak or unprofessional.

I'd say most of his physical health issues are related to anemia in a way or another, a condition that hasn't been discovered yet and thus can't be treated effectively. In their terms he simply has a weak constitution and is susceptible to mystery pains and illnesses. Unfortunately the catch-all medical care at the time is bloodletting, which, as you can imagine, only worsens his symptoms. Albinism affects the development of your eyes so his sight isn't the best and he's very sensitive to bright lights, to the point he prefers to stay indoors on sunny days.

Vasco, in comparison, has always been healthy as a horse, apart from recurring childhood ear infections. He exhibits some traits that could align with inattentive adhd, but probably not enough to justify a diagnosis. He can be a little disorganized, forgetful and has trouble starting and completing tasks, and has hard time forcing himself to stay invested in things he doesn't care about all that much.