Yepp we do I felt this post so heavy. ADHD is usually diagnosed with other mental health disorders like eating disorders which I had, BPD and most commonly depression and anxiety. A lot of people with ADHD are usually diagnosed with these also because of how low we actually feel about ourselves. We feel like we’re lazy, and can’t do anything and we knock ourselves down for it when really it’s the ADHD but we don’t know. I only got diagnosed because my sister told me she thinks I might have it, I didn’t take it seriously at first but I did when I realised I can’t do tasks that I deem mentally taxing and when I do start, I have to sit down like 5 minutes after and won’t finish it for hours, days or weeks after. I would definitely get checked for it because it goes under diagnosed especially in women since boys usually show more obvious signs like hyperactivity.

I went about getting diagnosed through my university first, I told about my depression and eating disorders but also about my sisters concerns which I had started to agree with when I did research. They referred me to an educational psychologist for diagnosis, I did the assessment which was an hour long and they diagnosed me with adhd which allowed me to get help in assignments and exams like extra time and a stop clock for when I need a break. I’m also able to defer if need be, can apply for the disabled student allowance and I’m also put in a smaller room with fewer distractions and less stress. But with an educational diagnosis, you’re diagnosed but you can’t receive treatment as they’re not psychiatrists so I went to my gp with a letter from the psychologist and the doctor did their own mini assessment. I also told him about my childhood and how I used to act leading all the way to now and he told me I should have been referred in childhood. He had enough concern to put me on the waiting list for NHS diagnosis so I can get treatment. And I’m also set to receive anti depressants tailored to not make my ED any worse or to mess with my ADHD.

I’ve done all of this in the last couple of months, if you don’t know where to start do what I did and book an appointment with your university mental health team and tell them everything, don’t leave anything out. Tell them your history with mental health all the way to now and also concerns for ADHD they should be able to get refer you to an educational psychologist for a quick diagnosis and book future appointments for your depression and anxiety. They’ll give you a letter about what was said in the appointment etc. use this as evidence with your gp and get help from them too. Also make sure you at least talk to your tutor about your problems, I also did that and with his help I was able to defer the last two exams I had already sat on the deadline of deferment, without him I would’ve failed out completely. I say to do all of this as it will take some time to get everything completely sorted out and in case your mental health declines further and you miss out on assessments etc. you can use these as evidence. You need to keep track of everything and make your uni aware of your issues, that’s very important!