Adult looking for help - ADHD?
Hello, first time posting. Male, 41.
Not really sure where to start but I think it’s finally time to ask for help.
I genuinely think I might have ADHD. I know that’s a common thing to say these days, but the more I’ve read into it the more it feels like it explains a lot of my life. I recently completed a Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scale assessment and scored extremely high across the board, particularly on inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, which has pushed me to take this seriously.
My head just never switches off. I can barely finish a sentence without losing the thread. I actually changed apps halfway through writing this. I struggle badly with motivation for basic tasks at work and at home. I start things and don’t finish them. I avoid small jobs until they become massive ones. I spend way too much time scrolling or looking for an escape in TV, movies, gaming.
At the same time I can hyperfocus hard on things I’m genuinely interested in or under real pressure with. That’s part of what’s made this so confusing for so long. On paper I probably look high functioning. I’ve been in sales for years, never lost a job, and I know I have potential. But lately it feels like I’m fighting my own brain every day just to get through the basics.
Simple things like sending two follow-up emails can feel impossible, while bigger or more complex problems get all my attention. My performance at work has dropped off recently and it’s starting to get noticed. That’s honestly what finally pushed me to post this. I really like my job and I know I could be a top performer if I could stop losing so much energy to distraction every day.
I’ve also been in therapy for nearly 10 years, originally around a pattern of failed relationships when I was younger. I’m happily settled now, partner of 11 years and two kids. Both my therapist and my partner think ADHD is a real possibility too, and looking back a lot of things in my life would make more sense if that’s what’s been going on all along.
Two things I’m hoping to get some help with:
1. Has anyone had a similar experience as an adult, high functioning on the surface but really struggling underneath, and actually got help and seen real improvement?
2. Can anyone recommend a good ADHD clinic, public or private, preferably on the south side of Dublin?
Thanks for reading. Even writing this feels a bit strange but I think I needed to say it out loud.