ADHD and ocd

Can I ask what are the best coping mechanisms for you? Are you on any medication for the OCD or ADHD?

@Joe87 Well at this point, seeking therapy. I was on Zoloft for a decade and am now tapering off which makes my symptoms worse to be honest. In terms of ADHD I do my best to take breaks from focusing intentionally and then prevent distractions as best as possible when trying to work. I write things down to remember a lot so that I actually get back to them rather than forget since I jump tasks so much. Wish I had more to offer!

@Beckyboy No worries thanks for you your reply and best of luck with eveything

Just read this back again and I totally agree with you. Even if I do have adhd and get prescribed the right medication there is still no guarantee that I will be mended. The wait time currently in the UK to be assessed for ADHD is 3 years and I certainly can't do another 3 years of feeling like this (mental health services in the UK are virtually non existent or completley indequate unless you have a lot of money which unfortunately I don't) The longer this struggle goes on the more I'm beginning to realise that the only person who can really help me with this is myself and I just need to learn to try and become comfortable with my thoughts and feelings and respond to them differently Yes I most certainly have OCD and potentially something else that runs alongside it Yes I feel like talk therapy has made it worse but ironically it has helped me to see where this has come from which is probably a combination of genetic and environmental factors (trauma and grief) Where it come from actually doesn't matter anymore because to continue worrying about that just serves to keep me stuck in this cycle In order to overcome this or start managing it properly I need to start living a more disciplined lifestyle where I do the things that I know are good for me and avoid the things that I know aren't Is this basically what you are saying beckyboy?

@Joe87 Yes I think you’re getting what I was saying. Learning to sit with your discomforts and then managing them is important. You don’t have to necessarily avoid things, but learn to recognize which things aren’t good for you to do.

@Beckyboy Thanks

Yes I think there can be a link but I suppose the only way to know is to be assessed and properly diagnosed. This scares me tbh as I hear so much about people being wrongly diagnosed and wrongly medicated. Like I could be ADHD but that doesn't necessarily mean I will be able to just take a few tablets everyday and then be cured

@Joe87 Yeah just like OCD responds best to therapy plus meds, ADHD needs a behavioral approach to manage executive function issues in addition to (possible) meds. Fortunately there's lots of resources out there to help with the behavioral part.

@slwilliams83 By a behavioural approach do you mean thigs that we do in our every day lives? So for instance I should exercise regularly, have a good diet, avoid drinking too much alcohol, avoid spending large amounts of time on my phone etc?