Ask your friends, they already know.
If you aren't sure yourself whether or not you have Adult ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, you may discover that the easiest way to find out if you do is to ask your friends.
You can't rely on friends for an actual, official diagnosis with which to obtain treatment. You can, however, get some pretty good feedback from people who know you the best. If you're wondering about it yourself, and your friends think you have it, that's when it makes sense to check in with your doctor.
Perhaps my experience can help you.
I was totally surprised to learn that my best friends knew I had Adult ADHD. I was even more surprised to find out they thought I knew, too.
I always knew I was a little "hyper," of course, but I just dismissed it as being a high energy guy who was enthusiastic about life.
When I began to suspect that I maybe had Adult ADHD, I didn't call my friends right off. I continued to do internet research myself. I found some online tests that indicated that I most likely had it and should consult my doctor. You can check out the tests I took here.
On the day of my appointment with my regular doctor, I called two of my best friends from way back. One I met in 1969 and the other in 1982. When I told them, on individual calls, they each said almost the same thing, so similar that it was like they were reading from the same script. They said, "Of course you have ADHD. Everyone knows that."
And then they asked a question that rocked me a little bit. Each said something to the effect of, "You didn't know?"
And no, I didn't. And I wish I had.
When I realized that I even might have Adult ADHD suddenly many things became clear. It was like I had a flood of personal understandings. Behavior that others commented on and that I'd myself wondered about all the way back to kindergarten began to make more sense in the light of ADHD.
Since my official diagnosis I've told more people and those who know me even just a little bit are never surprised. It's almost as if you could tell who my close friends were just by listening for the question, "You mean you didn't know?"
So yeah. If you think you might have ADHD, from something you read or saw, or even a chance comment that someone made, ask your friends. What they tell you could be a good first start to gaining a lot of insight into who you are and how you process information and operate in life.
And if you have a friend who you are pretty sure has Adult ADHD, don't assume they know. Just tell them. It might surprise them, but it also could get them thinking. If they're not sure, encourage them to check with a doctor. You can also point them to this site where they can use the box on the right of the blog to send me their email and I'll send them the links to the free tests I used that got me to go see my doctor. Or, just click here for the test link.
I look forward to reading your comments below.
