- Date posted
- 2y
OCD & ADHD
Has anybody gone down the route of treatment for OCD and later discovered they also have ADHD? If do, did you find treating one helped the other etc?
Has anybody gone down the route of treatment for OCD and later discovered they also have ADHD? If do, did you find treating one helped the other etc?
Also interested — my therapist has suggested I might have ADHD as well
@Hobbit I responded in the comments under Ukolibed:)
Yes to the first question, and I don’t know yet for the second. I do believe in the past, when I did OCD treatment only, that my ADHD executive functioning challenges did negatively impact treatment outcomes to a degree. I also think it has a hand in my severity of symptoms.
I have OCD and ADD but they were always separated. Them trying to figure out the PTSD when I was a kid though? That gave the professionals problems 😂
Thanks so much everyone
I will message on this later but yes and no to the question
@JordTheNord Would you be able to share your thoughts here if you’re okay with that? I think a few people would be interested to know. Thanks
@JordTheNord I did not know people can be messaged.
@JordTheNord Checking in I also need to know this question
@ukolibed I’m sorry everyone for the confusion about “message”. I meant to message in this comment section. I don’t believe we can message each other individually or I do not know how to. I have recently been diagnosed with OCD. However I’ve been expediting severe OCD symptoms since I was 8-10 (I’m 34 now). During my testing my therapist also suggested from what I struggle with and just how I interact in the world there’s a good chance I am ADHD as well. I will be doing more tests on that. However I’m not looking for medication for either. Apparently a lot of ppl with ADHD take meds and from what I know from others and my own therapist, ADHD is more complex than OCD and is more specific and harder to diagnose as it can be a multitude of things. I understand OCD is complex as well but from all resources I was told it’s easier to diagnose OCD thanADHD. These are my symptoms that I have shared in my OCD testing that my therapist said could actually be ADHD: no concept of time, easily distracted, energy to keep doing things and to stay busy (constantly moving form one thing to the next which could be reading, listening, basically my focus shifts a lot). I would say the last bit would correlate with my own OCD. Thoughts just moving and my focus will shift however eventually I do get stuck on intrusive thoughts and ruminate. Not sure if this helps anyone. Oh and most ppl throughout my life actually believe I have ADHD. The OCD is new to me but most of my struggle with life actually comes from my OCD.
@Anonymous It’s in a comment under ukolibed response
@Anonymous It’s in a comment under ukolibed response!
@JordTheNord Thank you for sharing! I was diagnosed with OCD, etc. first. I think with everything else going on, it went under the radar for several years. I think it’s great that your therapist is being so thorough to see if you may have a comorbid diagnosis.
@Anonymous My pleasure! Actually I was the one who asked her if she could pursue it with me. I think she was concerned if I was interested in meds because she is unable to do that. Which of course is fine because I’m not interested in them. I just want tests ran and want to see what happens from there. She is good though 😊
@JordTheNord Thank you!
Interested in your response too! I think I have adhd as well.
@Bd2 It’s in a comment under ukolibed response!
It makes sense that the two could be so closely linked in terms of wandering thoughts and excessive anxious reactions
I viewed an informative video on YouTube regarding this, from a therapist on a podcast regarding ADHD.
An interview podcast, but I remember seeing his name on other videos
I made a mistake. He’s a psychologist.
Do any of you find that when your OCD symptoms get worse, your ADHD symptoms get worse as well?
@Hobbit Sort of, more along the lines of when the anxiety eases, the ADHD causes almost like euphoric feelings and rushes of energy etc
@ukolibed Oh thats helpful to know!
so. oh lord. half my ocd symptoms could be autism. (not that im looking for a triple diagnosis including adhd, its just interesting to explore) this little ol rabbit hole started with my friend, who happens to be autistic and passionate about how their own condition works, when they started slowly easing the convo into an autism screening and by the time i realized what he was doing it was “oh my god ur kinda right i might be wrong for denying all this time that i could have autism” always thought my experience with texture/sensory as a toddler (and now) was ocd, because thats mainly what made adults call me ocd, more blatant ocd signs aside (such as touching things “just right”, ordering items etc) wondered why i was like that when theres not even a *direct* link between ocd and sensory issues (not the same as somatic ocd) thought i just happen to be an extremely sensitive person since i was born, now realizing that couldve been a sign of autism, along side many more “quirks” ive always had anyone with autism and ocd that can tell me what their experience is like? what about when u were children? especially if u snuck under the radar until u were older, my parents have said only a few times in the moment that i remind them of an autistic kid but dont think i have it
Hi guys, This is my first post on here, as I’ve been scared to be vulnerable in this way. I’ve had a lifelong journey of mental health, diagnosed with a myriad of things, and misdiagnosed with others. When I got diagnosed with OCD, things started to click and treatment has been going well. There’s still a disconnect, things I do that are different than others and aren’t compulsion or obsession related. The reason I’m posting is to ask if anyone has been diagnosed with OCD/Autism and how you navigated that comorbidity. Thank you to anyone who shares
Some background: I’m a woman in my 30s who’s been struggling to find the right diagnosis for years. Since 2022, I’ve had multiple psych hospital stays, and with each stay came a different diagnosis and different sets of medications: Bipolar II, CPTSD, MDD with psychotic features, “high functioning BPD,” and most recently, Schizoaffective Disorder (depressive type). Before all of that happened, I had been seeing a therapist for CPTSD and AuDHD traits for 2 years, but after they left the practice, I struggled to find someone I trusted again. Most of my breakdowns happened during my last relationship. Looking back, I was in survival mode with them, leaving who *I* am behind. I got to the point where I started doubting my own reality from the abuse. This eventually added up and landed me in my first episode of psychosis. That combined with my attempts is what got me my schizoaffective diagnosis. After finally leaving that relationship 1.5 years ago, I’ve slowly rebuilt my life: new town, new job, new friends. Many of my old symptoms (major ones) haven’t returned, which makes me believe I may have been misdiagnosed due to reliving past childhood trauma and stress responses from the abuse. Through all of this, I’ve felt like nothing ever truly fit. I journal, I reflect, I replay the recordings and I’ve even watched old vlogs –the puzzle pieces still don’t come together. It’s left me feeling like I’ll never really know what’s going on, and I’ve started to fear that my diagnoses will just keep stacking up without ever leading to effective treatment. Recently, I opened up to a friend about this. She mentioned that her neighbor went through something similar not exactly like me but she thought it would give me a starting point—multiple diagnoses that never felt right—until a new doctor finally identified it as OCD. That one diagnosis changed everything for her. It made me realize I really don’t know much about OCD beyond the stereotypes. I didn’t know OCD could involve intrusive thoughts, rumination, or mental compulsions. My friend encouraged me to look into it, especially as I start searching for a new therapist. Facebook and Google lead me here… So now I’m wondering: could OCD be a better explanation for what I’ve been experiencing all these years? Questions for the community: 1. What steps did you take to find out if OCD was what you were dealing with? 2. If you had a long history of misdiagnoses, how did you finally find a clinician who got it right? 3. How did you advocate for yourself when people dismissed your concerns? 4. Is there anything you wish you had done earlier in your OCD journey? Thank you so much if you made it this far. I’m really grateful for this space and just want to start finding answers and the right kind of help.
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