Hi everyone, At my psychiatry appointment last week my doctor let me know I likely have ADHD (as I suspected and honestly am shocked I hadn’t been diagnosed in my life *yet*). Anyhow, I’m curious if anyone else on here has both of these diagnoses and how it shows up for you?
I have both. I feel like they hate each other. My OCD is like I have to double check that thing, and my ADHD is like, but I'm having fun, I don't want to. The worst, though, is when they work together and my ADHD makes me hyperfixate on my compulsions.
@Sdnrckwd I truly feel like I’ve never related more than this! I agree fully fully!!! Do you take medication for either? I’m starting Abilify but not an ADHD med yet and would love guidance!
@Flowers123 I've tried medication for ADHD, but I have other health issues that have made it hard.
I was tested for adhd multiple times when younger but never got a diagnosis. Testing wasn't my choice either, was teachers in school and college. I feel as if I may have fluctuating adhd, when my ocd is at its worst. Both usually triggered by stress and anxiety. Caffeine definitely did not help, think I had an addiction to that. But dual diagnosis definitely is more common than most people think
@Invalid I hear you on that, I could absolutely see and relate to those fluctuations actually. I wonder if there’s a lot of research or literature out there on how these interact. I’m gunna go take a look!
@Flowers123 Let me know what you find. I know caffeine I flames the neural pathways that our brains are supposed to use but instead ocd uses another path. Caffeine makes it harder to rationalise with ocd from what I've learned and the brain tends to use the fight or flight path instead. As for adhd, I haven't looked too much into the neuroscience behind that
@Invalid It was interesting because apparently they do have a lot of overlap of symptoms but also have contrasting areas which makes them under diagnosed together or symptoms are “missed” and flagged incorrectly. I’m fascinated about what you’re saying with caffeine! Do you drink any? I never have because it makes me so jittery and anxious but now I’m curious!
@Flowers123 My ocd didn't let me sleep when I was a teen and relied on caffeine to keep me awake during school. Some classes I dedicated to napping because I could get away with it. Think I developed a dependance but I've given up caffeine all together now as my stress levels and anxiety goes up and ocd wiggles it's way back . Saturated fats tend to inflame the same bit of the brain as caffeine but I don't think work as fast but the effects last longer. So I'm limiting junk food. Not completely but as a treat in moderation. And I felt like adhd had more awareness than ocd years ago so maybe there's a lot of previous misdiagnosis' and that's why my teachers thought I had adhd and not considered ocd
The biggest thing I notice for me is that both produce and make it difficult to manage ‘all or nothing’ thinking. That one situation is this specific perception and nothing else or i have to do this specific thing this specific way. It gets hard sometimes but through both my (r)ocd and adhd therapies I’ve gotten a bit better at managing it.
@Sean B-P I hear you so much! I also have rocd, and I’m so glad therapies have helped, I need to look into that kind of support for adhd too!
@Flowers123 I was lucky to find a program at my university that focuses on it. I’m not sure what other services are like but the group i work with uses CBT therapy (possibly confusing it with DBT but fairly certain its CBT)
can i ask how u medically deal with both? are u on an ssri for ocd and a stim med for adhd? how are u? i also have rocd and it sucks
@ashcash also i have adhd lol which is why i ask
Anyone else develop it in their 30s? I’m 33 and just started showing symptoms in October 2024. So far have only been diagnosed with GAD , PD and depression.I started having intrusive thoughts after a series of panic attacks . My compulsions would be googling. I have made an effort to stop though because it only makes me feel worse. My intrusive thoughts have been around fear of going crazy
Hey friends, I hope you all are well. I just wanted to check in and ask people's experiences about being on medication. I have had OCD pretty much my whole life, just got recently diagnosed 4 months ago and my therapist recommended that I get on meds for it so I have a psychiatrist appointment set up. I'm a little apprehensive about getting on them, but I've realized that I do have some sort of chemical imbalance in my brain that plays a part in my OCD and anxiety. I would love to hear anyones experiences or words of encouragement. Thank you, I hope you all are well.
Hi everyone, I’m Cayla. I’m a mom that’s lived with OCD since childhood, but my breaking point came more recently after having my son. I was consumed by terrifying thoughts—What if I hurt him? What if I did something awful without realizing it? I was so afraid of my own mind that I couldn’t be alone with him. The shame and exhaustion were unbearable, and I convinced myself I was broken. In 2024, I finally sought help. ERP therapy at NOCD was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but it saved my life. Even now, I have tough days, but I know I don’t have to be ruled by OCD. When my 12 year old daughter began showing signs of OCD, I felt overwhelmed with guilt. I never wanted her to go through what I had, but I knew what to do. I told her that I have OCD too and made sure she knew it wasn’t her fault—and that she wasn’t alone. One of the hardest parts of this journey was trusting someone else with my daughter’s OCD. I knew how vulnerable it feels to share intrusive thoughts, and I wanted her to feel safe. Her NOCD therapist was able to establish trust and genuine empathy from the start, and that relationship gave her the confidence to face ERP head-on. Seeing her build that trust made me certain she was in the right hands. ERP has helped both of us reclaim our lives, and it is beautiful to see my daughter managing her condition and making visible progress. Parenting with OCD while raising a child with OCD isn’t talked about enough, but I know so many parents are struggling with these same challenges. If you have questions about managing OCD while parenting, helping your child through ERP, or breaking cycles of guilt, drop them below—I’d love to share what I’ve learned. I’ll be answering all of the questions I receive in real-time today 4-5pm ET.
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