Seeking an ADHD diagnosis as an adult is becoming more and more common in Melbourne – but why is this happening now? What’s it like to discover ADHD as an adult?
I wasn’t diagnosed with ADHD until my 30s, and neither were many of the people I work with. Being diagnosed as an adult is a weird process of questioning who you are, the ways you exist in the world. Whether you’re making it up, and eventually, how anyone could have missed what starts to feel more and more obvious. There can be excitement, joy, and relief in finally understanding what you’ve always experienced and also confusion, anger, and grief. As you look back on the struggles you faced for years before you could advocate for yourself.
What’s it like to be diagnosed with ADHD as an adult?
Usually? It’s complicated. Some people discover their ADHD by accident—by stumbling upon an article, meme, or someone else’s story that hits a little too close to home. They might start googling or watching videos, then begin to think, ‘Wait a second, this is me!’ Others might get hints from loved ones, colleagues, or clients (this happened to me!), suggesting that ‘maybe you should look up ADHD,’ and then feel the pieces start to click into place.
I’ve heard many jokes about friends getting diagnosed and then wondering if they might have it too. Less funny are those who casually mention the possibility to their parents and get responses like “oh yes, I always thought so” or “your teachers suggested we see someone, but you seemed fine.” However, once the thought is sparked, it can take months or even years, and once the ideas start forming, they’re very hard to ignore.
Having supportive friends and family makes it easier to be open about your feelings, and getting second opinions can be very reassuring. For those who are isolated or whose connections don’t know much about ADHD or don’t believe in it, the journey can be much tougher. Getting the actual diagnosis is often lengthy, costly, and sometimes confusing to navigate.
Personally, I spent months on a waitlist for an expensive ADHD assessment, only to find out that being assessed isn’t the same as being diagnosed. I was back at square one: needing to find a psychiatrist, get on a waitlist, and rebuild some savings in the meantime. (This varies depending on which state in Australia you’re in—some places require a GP referral, others don’t.) It’s often called “the least ADHD-friendly process imaginable,” and that’s true.
What’s with the jump in ADHD adult diagnosis?
It feels like I’m meeting new people who have been recently diagnosed, or are thinking about it, every day. There’s been a lot of new videos in ADHD advocacy, and online influencers too, so it can all feel like it’s coming out of nowhere. But in some ways, it’s been a long time coming.
The increase isn’t just about age; it’s also about gender. The rates of ADHD diagnosis in children are much higher rate of boys than for girls (the same is true for Autism), let alone gender-nonconforming folks. A lot of women with ADHD find they were able to ‘mask’ in school: do the right things, or they were simply labelled daydreamers, lazy, or absent-minded. People with more “visible” or “disruptive” traits, like getting up and moving around, or aggression, were more likely to be noticed than those quietly struggling in the back.
As these kids grew up, ADHD research and advocacy grew with them, and now, as adults, we have more information than we used to, which helps us understand parts of ourselves in new ways. The information is better, more comprehensive, more inclusive, and more available than it used to be.
There’s still work to do: the criteria for ADHD are still heavily child-focused (questions about what parents and teachers notice vs internal experience), but there’s new research and voices every day.
What’s different about a childhood diagnosis compared to an adult diagnosis?
The thing about ADHD is that we don’t ‘gain’ it at some point; we’ve had it all along. Which means most of us have a “pre-diagnosis” period where our needs might not have been noticed or acknowledged. For children, this period is much shorter. Their diagnosis means easier access to support and medication.
It can also mean stigma – being labelled as “ADHD” can have its own problems, depending on what people believe about it. But children without the diagnosis can often be living with labels: “lazy”, “thoughtless,” “careless”, “unmotivated.” For many adults, a diagnosis means reflecting on the beliefs they held about themselves because the people around them didn’t understand their brains.
What an Adult ADHD Assessment Usually Involves
Clinical Interview
This is a conversation about what life looks like for you — focus, organisation, emotions, energy, forgetfulness, and patterns you may have blamed on “personality”.
Screening Questionnaires
You may be asked to complete evidence-based ADHD questionnaires that help identify symptom patterns.
Life History
You don’t need perfect childhood memories. Most adults give a general sense of what school was like, what home felt like, and any long-standing struggles.
Diagnostic Report
A written summary helps with workplace adjustments, university supports, or future treatment decisions.
What’s Next?
The surge in adult ADHD diagnosis tells us that people are becoming more aware that their differences aren’t because they’re just “weird” or inherently bad. (It also tells those of us in Melbourne that the lockdowns were very rough for ADHD folks who lost all their support systems.) The journey from self-discovery to diagnosis is riddled with challenges, but it is also a pathway to understanding and acceptance – whether it’s a professional diagnosis or a personal one.
If you are related to any of this or suspect you might have ADHD, don’t hesitate to reach out to loved ones, services, or get in touch with me to talk more. You get to decide the pace and the direction of your journey, and to have people who will support you wherever you choose to go.
