> For him, the one aspect that has been most debilitating is the constant self-doubt, self-loathing, and feelings of worthlessness that accompany.
I have been diagnosed with ADD a year ago (with inattentiveness being the strongest aspect of it) and this is exactly what is on my mind the most as well, even before the diagnosis. I am constantly fighting the feeling that people only put up with me for as long as their patience lasts, and that I will inevitably screw up in a way that makes them roll their eyes one last time and be done with me. Which also causes a lot of avoidance-behaviour.
I fear seeing people close to me upset that I lost (for example) a gift they gave to me, or my colleagues annoyed at me for not be on time for meetings, those kinds of things. It hurts to be judged as someone not caring about how they have to put up with my quirks, and the fact that it genuinely is a struggle for me made me feel like an incompetent failure for years.
The diagnosis giving a grip on where these issues come from and how to handle them better (and also realising that my self-perception does not match that of the people around me). Even without medication, this awareness is already helping a lot in making me more productive. It also helps the people around me cope I guess, since I can explain to them that yes, I do care and I do try, and I want to come up with solutions to these frustrations together.
Apparently this is a very common, and easily overlooked anxiety among people with ADHD/ADD.
I have been diagnosed with ADD a year ago (with inattentiveness being the strongest aspect of it) and this is exactly what is on my mind the most as well, even before the diagnosis. I am constantly fighting the feeling that people only put up with me for as long as their patience lasts, and that I will inevitably screw up in a way that makes them roll their eyes one last time and be done with me. Which also causes a lot of avoidance-behaviour.
I fear seeing people close to me upset that I lost (for example) a gift they gave to me, or my colleagues annoyed at me for not be on time for meetings, those kinds of things. It hurts to be judged as someone not caring about how they have to put up with my quirks, and the fact that it genuinely is a struggle for me made me feel like an incompetent failure for years.
The diagnosis giving a grip on where these issues come from and how to handle them better (and also realising that my self-perception does not match that of the people around me). Even without medication, this awareness is already helping a lot in making me more productive. It also helps the people around me cope I guess, since I can explain to them that yes, I do care and I do try, and I want to come up with solutions to these frustrations together.
Apparently this is a very common, and easily overlooked anxiety among people with ADHD/ADD.
[0] https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/6eq724/a_post_that_ta...