Finally a name for a whole life
For many people a late ADHD diagnosis feels like relief and grief at the same time. Relief because so much falls into place, grief for the years that could have gone differently. Below is one experience, anonymous, plus room for yours.
From one experience, four sides
These fragments come from one experience, shared anonymously. Not to put one person centre stage, but because a late diagnosis cuts in in more places than you would think.
"With each doctor I told a piece. No one laid the pieces side by side. In the end I did that myself."
"I went through life as a workaholic, working weeks of ninety to a hundred hours just to keep myself occupied. Non-stop stimulation, from early morning until I dropped at night."
"First came the depression and the burnout. Both correct. But that there was something underneath, an untreated ADHD, no one saw that for years."
"All separate clinicians, each for a piece. No one coordinated. I was the only one who had seen them all, and so the only one who knew the whole."
"When the diagnosis finally came, a whole world opened up. Relief, but also grief for all the years I thought there was simply something wrong with me."
Share your experience
Did you get your diagnosis late? Or are you still searching for it? Your story helps make the pattern visible, and shows the next person that it is not their fault.
🏎 Need help right now?
A late diagnosis can stir up a lot. Feeling low or having thoughts of suicide? In the Netherlands you can call or chat day and night with 113 Suicide Prevention via 0800-0113. Outside the Netherlands, contact your local emergency line. In case of immediate danger: call 112.