@lynati It’s not usually framed this way in reference to ADHD from what I can tell, but tldr Brains Are Complicated and Weird, and so maybe there’s a There, There. You ever hear the Sundae Bar analogy?



It’s usually used for Autistic Spectrum people, to explain symptoms: “it’s like toppings at a sundae bar; your sundae might be different from your neighbor’s, because the toppings you get are different”. Like, just how one person might add nuts and chocolate syrup while another adds marshmallows and sprinkles, one autistic person might be nonverbal while another one isn’t, one might engage in one form of stimming while another uses something completely different (and sometimes contradictory!), etc.



ADHD is not the exact same thing as autism, obviously (or else they’d have lumped it together by now, methinks) BUT



They can share a lot of symptoms, to the extent that what used to be called Asperger’s Syndrome, and which is now considered a form of Autism Spectrum Disorder, has sometimes been confused with it in some patients and vice versa, supposedly. They’re also often comorbid (occur alongside each other), both with each other and with other conditions (ADHD people are SUPER prone to depression and anxiety, partly from dealing with their symptoms, and FREQUENTLY suffer from insomnia either mild or extreme, for example - the latter btw happens because our brains. just. won’t. SHUT THE FUCK UP AND CALM THE FUCK DOWN SO WE CAN FUCKING SLEEP but I digress).



There’s also….let’s see…ah! Constant need for stimulation? Maladaptive dreaming, obsession over things like stories? That could still be Something - but like, it might not be ADHD - it might be Something very different that shares superficial similarity (e.g. some bipolar people go through intense versions of that, sometimes, so I’m told, during the manic periods? Not that I’m saying it’s that, hoo boy I am nowhere close to qualified to even hazard a guess, but).



Or, it might be that you’re SORT OF ADHD, but not extremely so; you know, there was a gene that was highly correlated with ADHD in one study (DRD4, I want to say? Associated with Novelty Seeking Behavior, addiction/compulsion/impulsiveness etc?), but the fuck of it was, it showed up in (according to that one study?) all the people they studied with ADHD…and a bunch of people without that diagnosis. Sort of like…it seems like having it might create a predisposition to the condition, but not a guarantee that the symptoms will be bad enough as a set to qualify for diagnosis? (Because like, it also has to have caused this neurological difference during childhood development, and then never resolved)



(PS: on that note, there actually is such a thing as “outgrowing” ADHD, since it’s neurodevelopmental - caused, apparently, by certain key segments of the brain, such as the amygdala among others, being marginally smaller, and not developing to full extent when they should - some kids are just neurological late bloomers, turns out. However, it’s QUITE rare for that to happen in cases bad enough to Diagnose, I think I heard of one study that said you’re actually LESS likely to outrgrow it if you go untreated for it, and if you still have the symptoms by the time you’re an adult you are kinda stuck with it, because by the time you’re 24-25ish, your brain’s stopping Growing and started Pruning, neuroplasticity basically goes way down)



It might not rise to a level of Diagnosis With a Thing as an adult is what I am saying…or attempting to say with all those little tangents, oops…but I’m okay with accepting you as Neurodivergent if you like? :)



The key thing is - and they will ask you about this if diagnosing you with absolutely anything - are your symptoms/behaviors/compulsions etc causing problems in your life? And if so, what parts are they causing problems with, in what ways/contexts?



Because like, there is nothing to Diagnose if there is no Problem, if that makes any sense. It’s only a Disorder, if it’s ruining your life’s…well…order?



In the case of ADHD (and many other complex disorders), you have to rule out other stuff a lot of the time, and it also has to be in “two or more areas”, e.g. work and home, home and school. In my case, I had trouble at school and trouble at home (and as an adult, trouble at work or managing Adulting Stuff, too). If you’re say, only having issues at home, it’s assumed something else is causing the issues (note, this doesn’t mean the problems are equivalently bad! But like, having symptoms occur in two or more settings)



But like, if you’re having trouble, if the symptoms are interfering with your life in some way, that can be a Disorder of some sort, and you may be able to get some sort of diagnosis or treatment for it, and probably should if you can.



Otherwise, if it’s not Causing Problems…well, you’re just…you, and that’s the way you are? Kinda like…I’ve met people who’re like “haha I’m pretty sure I’m autistic but most of the time it doesn’t cause problems for me, I’m just Considered a Bit Weird”, you know? It doesn’t mean they’re not neurodivergent, because they probably are, but psychology as a field - particularly in the context of things like the DSM and the more specialized field of psychiatry, which by default medicalizes it all- will tend to only concern itself much about labeling it and picking it apart, if it’s Causing Issues for the person or those around them.



So. That was super rambling (lol did I mention I’m ADHD? ADHD Rambling is a thing, physically, mentally and verbally!). But I hope that helps make some more sense of it?



Basically, if it’s causing issues for you, it doesn’t hurt to seek Diagnosis (there’s also tons of resources for free online for how to find someone appropriate for you on that front, if you google around for it e.g. “how to find a psychiatrist”, “what do to for my first psychiatrist appointment”); otherwise, welcome to the Weird Brains Club?