How My ADHD Diagnosis Changed My Life - Shareefa J

I just turned 35 and was diagnosed earlier this year. 100% relatable. It's absolutely comical to me how many times I hear these stories are they are virtually identical experiences I've had.

I CANNOT finish a book let alone start one ! I LOVE AUDIBLE ❤

This is such an honest raw interview thankyou. 50 here, waiting on a long list for a diagnosis. My life & inward swirl of a brain FINALLY makes sense. I relate very much to a lot of what you are saying. Chaos has followed me through life even though I was more inward presenting as a kid due to very strict unloving parents- I look back & I masked from such a young age. I have scleroderma, colitus & other health conditions & feel strongly that these root from supression, people pleasing & being misunderstood. I look back & feel sad that it wasnt picked up (Teenage none supported single mum) Reached out many times for support over the years & because my kids were clean & fed we were bypassed. I was put on anxiety meds which caused depression. A spiral! Never mind the fact I forgot to eat, look after myself, lived in clutterville, was always late, forgot so much, life was soooo hard & exhausting & I was like a nervous tazmanian devil filled with utter shame. Only realised as menopause made me basically unravel & I could no longer mask. TBH was also masking illness for 7 years to be able to work & it all got too much. The bionic reading REALLY helps. One positive thing is: Starting to have raw conversations, being true to myself, got rid of the abusers that loved my lack of self & have listening to my self. No more masking!

WONDERFUL!!! And for me as ADHD audience member, this FLOWED, no matter the level of editing — loved, loved Shareefa! So relatable!

MORE POC YESYES SO HAPPY THANK YOU !!

I turned 37 this year and was diagnosed with combined adhd on monday. I think I've masked and people pleased that much in my life that i dont think I've actually any idea who i am at this point.

I just recently been diagnosed with adhd and I actually brought it up to my therapist attention after watching self help videos. It’s changed my view on my life so much. Recently diagnosed at 35. ADHD for women is beautifully different experience 🖤

Weird i can hyper focus on a book and read it within a couple of days !

Shareefa is hilarious and so much fun! Great discussion! I love her positive outlook and yours, too, Alex. ADHD is damn tough. I wasn't diagnosed till age 49. By that age you have years of negative judgments from most of the people in your life, incomplete projects, missed appointments, etc. Well, you know. Really good conversation about that, too. Thank you! ❤

This has got to be my favourite interview so far I absolutely LOVE Shareefa , funny , kind, knowledgeable and relatable 🙌

Yup my experience of adhd. But not same life experience 😂😂 I have finished many books, as a good escape & end up neglecting my work or homework when I was younger because I was reading a fantasy book.

Her comments about meds "not working" now are so common yet a real problem. Meds, especially stimulant meds do not work more with a higher dose. That's fallacy. Her 18mg dose was titration. It has no - absolutely zero - impact on ADHD symptoms others than the placebo effects and ensuring she's not st risk of heart or BP issues. The dose she's on now is a working dose. But she's referring to the placebo feeling for what what she expects meds to do. A good prescriber will take the gap between what she's feeling now and what she thought they did and will prescribes dose that gets as close as possible. But, this is a perfect example of why the NICE guidelines for adults is a multi modal approach. Pills and skills. Mentoring (cough cough), coaching, counselling etc. Pills alone won't make all the symptoms of ADHD easier. They are designed to help us focus and concentrate. No more. But, they have secondary effects on other parts of our brains, like emotions, and that why we need to invest in other techniques to learn what that feels like.

This was fantastic!!

So enjoyed this interview. Hugs ❤ and thanks for the lightness. I found my brother 4 yrs ago. We are 5 wks apart. Messy family too. I'm glad you found him ❤

Awesome channel this Alex! I love all the episodes I’ve watched so far, for different reasons. But the common denominator in all of them, is that it gives me the words/language so I can better articulate how I’m feeling or how I’ve felt. Keep up the great work buddy.

Great podcast! Thanks :)

I resinate with a lot but can you speak to a woman who has inattentive adhd who has masked her way through life as I feel that the inattentive type is massivley overlooked ❤

51 just filled out a questionnaire..Sent it back to my GPS ( 3 months later lol ) after losing the first form 😂 Been told two year waiting list min :-/

Shareefa's story really resonates with me...thank you for sharing 🙏❤

Tears. So many tears. Im the American version of you. Thank you for giving me hope....but i grew up in the 70's. So lonely and misunderstood.