How To Tell If I Have ADHD?: Is My ADHD Misdiagnosed?
Scroll to the bottom for the article summarization or keep reading for the more in depth understanding…
Welcome to the almighty 2022! Behold it’s glorious rocket ships created by Elon Musk, Metaverse VR experiences, and wait…we still don’t know how to diagnose people with ADHD properly?
(Throws top hat off and walks off stage in disappointment).
I’m sure the first thing you thought of when you realized you might have ADHD was, “Should I get therapy?”, “Do I need medication?”, or the famous “Ohhhhhhhh, now I understand why my spouse is so annoyed every time they ask me to do something and I forget halfway through walking into the kitchen”. (Note to self, ask spouse to remind me to remind them to ask me to help them later so I don’t forget).
It’s crazy to think about how much we’ve accomplished in the world as a society and yet those of us with ADHD are stuck in the same ol’ spot we were eons ago…I mean last year. In fact, I’m sure you’ll find yourself quite surprised to find that MSU TODAY stated “20 percent – or 900,000 – of the 4.5 million children currently identified as having ADHD likely have been misdiagnosed.”
So, how can you find out if you’re diagnosed? It’s a bit more complicated than merely reading an article with such a handsome invisible writer, but here are 3 reasons people are usually misdiagnosed:
Misdiagnosed ADHD Reason #1: Diet? Yes, diet…
After connecting with various councilors and psychiatrists (as an ADHD coach that also has ADHD), I’ve found that what you eat or don’t eat may have a major affect on your life, so much so that you’ll even pickup ADHD symptoms such as:
Lack of B vitamins
Lack of vitamin D (which most the entire nation, if not the world lacks now-a-days)
And I’m not 100% sure about this, but it may also be interesting to look into “yellow #5” which is used in a lot of our foods. Take that with a grain of salt though, (no pun intended…ok, pun intended). You can read about it a little in an article I ran across here.
There’s not much harm done by looking into our diet and paying attention to what we’re consuming, but what’s more important is paying attention to what we aren’t consuming, but should be, such as the vitamin B’s and vitamin D. Personally, I like to talk to mom and pop shops for a few great sources of my vitamin B’s. But when it comes to vitamin D, from what I’ve researched, it’s best to take it with a vitamin K, so that your body can use the nutrients easier. Here’s a brand I love taking that has a great reputation.
Misdiagnosed ADHD Reason #2: Struggling with executive function in general is super easy to mix up with ADHD
As an ADHD coach, I get so many clients that tell me, “I think I have ADHD. I even took a test and noticed I checked off so many boxes that show I have it!”.
One big clue to tell if you really have ADHD is to ask, “Did I have the symptoms of ADHD since before the age of 12?”.
If you have, then you most likely, potentially, maybe, quite possibly, might have ADHD. But if you haven’t had symptoms until later, it may be a reason or 2 from this article. Think about it: lack of focus, procrastinating, struggling to hold power over your emotions? These are very general and universal issues most people struggle with. I’ll write an article about how to tell the difference later on.
Misdiagnosed ADHD Reason #3: Trauma (dun dun dun)
ADHD is still something society is learning about. More and more people are being diagnosed with ADHD every day, and the interesting thing about trauma is that it shows extremely similar symptoms to ADHD symptoms.
Think about it, if you’re going through something tough, you’re not going to be focused, you won’t be motivated, and you won’t have much care to organize around the house. Your mind is pretty much elsewhere and who can blame you? And not to get too personal, but as a kid, I had both ADHD and trauma and it was extremely difficult for me to do just about anything due to my parents divorce and constantly being bullied.
So if you’ve been asking yourself about what to do with your ADHD and you just want to take the next step into living your best life, here are a few suggestions I have as an ADHD coach of 18 years:
Talk to a therapist (and DON’T assume you need one, especially not medication right off the bat). I’d gone through years of therapy, and the majority of my growth came from coaches, mentors, and facing my fears. Medication is not always the answer, though it works very well for many. However, a lot of my clients come to me, telling me medication worked well, but it never solved anything. All it did was cover up something they started to become curious of how to control, so they could live on their own terms. Therapists don’t solve all your problems, you do! A therapist can help diagnose and help you face your past, and an ADHD coach helps you move forward through setting doable goals that are guaranteed to work through strategies. But remember, you get out what effort you put in no matter what path you choose. And yes, you can have both a therapist and coach at the same time if it feels right to you.
Watch your health. This includes sleep, water intake, what you eat, and exercise. Don’t forget that vitamin D!
And last but not least, please forgive the plug but after coaching hundreds of clients and after seeing their progress from pain to fully functional in 2-3 months, I genuinely believe 100% that an ADHD coach can absolutely make the difference. And your ADHD coach absolutely doesn’t have to be me. I highly recommend you research whomever you choose and as someone who spends thousands of dollars a year on coaches, I know it’s not so much what they know, but how you really feel you’re both a fit for one another. Coaching is a relationship and it should feel like one, (but with the coach being firm and holding you highly). So, if you’d just like to know what ADHD coaching would look like, but you’re not sure if you want to commit yet, snag a free 15 minute virtual coffee with an ADHD coach here. On the call we’ll discover what’s standing in your way, we’ll set clear goals for you, and if it feels right to you, we’ll talk about how we can move forward from there. But if you’re just curious to know what ADHD can do for you, click here.
↓ The article summarized for my fellow ADHDers ↓
Basically, you may be misdiagnosed due to these things:
Lack of B vitamins.
Lack of vitamin D (which most the entire nation, if not the world lacks now-a-days).
And I’m not 100% sure about this, but it may also be interesting to look into “yellow #5” which is used in a lot of our foods. Take that with a grain of salt though, (no pun intended…ok, pun intended). You can read about it a little in an article I ran across here.
ADHD and executive function issues are similar.
If you had ADHD before you were 12 you’re more likely to actually have it.
Trauma and ADHD also have similar traits.
What to do: Take the ADHD test here
Download a pdf of free ADHD tips and tools here —> MasterADHDnow.com.
Snag a FREE no obligation, 15 minute virtual coffee here.