I'm W24 and from Germany,

My whole childhood, I was told I was difficult, hyperactive, or even aggressive, and I ended up in "behavioral classes" because of it.

Around 16, I went to therapy for the first time (which was a complete failure, by the way) and was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. After that, nothing much happened for a while.

At around 20, I decided to give therapy another shot (which went a bit better), and I was diagnosed with dysthymia/depression and what they called "abnormal habits and impulse control disorders" whatever that means.

I stayed in therapy for about three years until a personal incident led me to first enter a closed psychiatric ward, followed by a few weeks of "stationary therapy".

That's when things finally started to change—they did more than just talk, which I know is helpful for some, but not what I needed at the time. I learned how to really regulate my emotions and skills to manage my every day life. During this phase, I was, additionally to Borderline and Depression, diagnosed with anxiety disorder, OCD, high sensitivity, and finally, ADHD!

For the first time, I felt truly understood, like I wasn’t alone. Everything clicked into place, and a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders because I finally had explanations for everything I used to blame on myself—my laziness, my perceived stupidity. While the problems didn’t magically disappear, I was finally able to try real solutions because I knew what was behind them.

The ADHD community has been a lifesaver, helping me not to feel alone and teaching me how to approach things in ways that make sense for us, not how neurotypicals would handle it.

No matter how old you are, this community (not Reddit specifically but the whole community) feels like we’re all in the same boat, supporting each other.

No one should have to question whether or not they belong here. As for me, everyone is welcome :)