Being diagnosed with ADHD whilst at university

By Phoebe Walsh and Fee Teng Liew

Hello, I’m Phoebe and I’ve always been super organised, had good grades in school and positive feedback from teachers. So to be recently diagnosed with ADHD whilst being at university is not what I (or others around me) would have expected based on the stereotypical characteristics that we often hear about ADHD.

Sari Solden (2012) says that “Every year, millions of withdrawn little girls and chronically overwhelmed women go undiagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder because they don't fit the stereotypical profile: they're not fast-talking, hyperactive, or inattentive, and they are not male.” 

So, I’m here to share my experience and another side of ADHD to show that it can in fact look different for different people.

So firstly, what is ADHD?

You may have heard the term before, but ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and affects an estimated 1 in 20 individuals. It can be characterised as a neurodevelopmental disorder of inattention, or excessive activity and impulsivity.

ADHD is often described as the worst named mental health condition as it contains two negatives: Deficit and Disorder. The ‘Deficit’ doesn’t mean that there is a deficit of attention, but rather a deficit in channelled attention. Essentially, a lack of steering of attention: understeering can manifest as inattention, and oversteering can manifest as hyperfocus. Moreover, though ‘Hyperactivity’ is in the name, it is not a must to be diagnosed.

Why did I want an assessment?

Despite my academic success, I still felt like something about me was different to other people. I had noticed some symptoms that aligned with more recent information about ADHD so I thought it would be good to get an assessment and hopefully get some support from university too.

For example, some of the ways it affected me at university was:

• Struggling to focus or listen, often zoning out

• Difficulty reading texts and having to start again

• Very poor memory

• Difficulty understanding time (leading to difficulty managing time in exams)

• Difficulty handling emotions (they become really strong and feel uncontrollable)

• Anxiety and depression

• Impulsive activities (such as stopping work and doing something else, eating and spending money)

How has the diagnosis affected me?

The diagnosis has definitely brought a lot of confusion as doing well at school has never been something I’ve struggled with, which also made me feel like some people didn’t believe me when I told them about my diagnosis. Which then comes back to the idea of ADHD stereotypes of over-excited children who can be disruptive in the classroom.

My confidence was also affected, leading me to overthink a lot of things from the past. And I also noticed that I have a tendency to be over-organised, and that was actually a coping strategy I had developed without realising to help me manage my symptoms.

BUT…

What I do know is that I am still the same person, and this diagnosis doesn’t define me. It just means that I can now receive support on where I do struggle and it doesn’t change anything else. I am still learning more about ADHD and discovering new things about myself every day, which is exciting. And now I have the opportunity to raise awareness about it to others!

So if you think you may be experiencing similar symptoms and want to book an assessment, you can get a referral from your GP and from there you will have paperwork to fill out and be put on the waiting list (mine took about 6 months). And if you want to learn more about ADHD, you can visit the NHS site here.