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So I've wondered a lot in the past few days whether I might have some form of AD(H)S and I wonder how I might find out about that? Any input appreciated.

I've noticed lately that it is incredibly hard for me to stay focused on other people in social situations. I very, very frequently will look at my phone and distract myself when I'm in a group of people. I've never considered #ADHS so far because I can be very focused on other things though, like playing video games.

I've always multitasked a lot. I remember that chatting with me for longer periods of time usually ended up in me browsing the net on the side and taking really long for replies. Waiting around for someone to reply is very tiresome for me. Even when phoning or skyping with someone, I often distract myself with other things and can't very well focus on what the other person is saying. Like, I'm *bad* at multitasking, but I do it all the time still.

I found it notoriously difficult to follow lectures at uni and always did something on the side, like surfing the net.
Yet I did finish my M.Sc. in Computern Science as the best of my year. I was able to study well. Which is one of the main reasons why this somehow never seemed to fit for me, I have two close friends who were diagnosed with #ADHS as kids and who really need their meds to be able to do well.

Then again, I'm also gifted (as a kid my parents took me to an IQ test, was >130).

I'm currently slogging along in my PhD because reading scientific papers and focusing on what is said there, as well as getting ideas of my own, is incredibly difficult for me. Heck, I mostly stopped reading books in puberty.

My brain feels like it basically wants to be rewarded much more quickly, and without those rewards I get distracted very easily. I've blamed video games conditioning me this way, but dunno if that is even realistic.

Could this be #ADHS? Or some other condition? Any input?

Also, it's hard for me to seek professional diagnosis because I am *already* in psychotherapy for being trans, and will start the appropriate hormone treatment soon.

I'm afraid of bringing this up with my therapist because they're rather trans-focused, not a specialist on #ADHS. And I can't seek another therapist without having to privately pay them (aka shitton of money) while I'm still with this therapist.

So I'm looking for #selfdx help at the moment, as well as input from people with #ADHS

Sebastian @webmind

@natanji another thing that works well for me is working with people on things. Like reading or studying together. Guard each others distraction if needed ;)

@webmind This is exactly what I have done when studying, and I was hell successful with it.
Now in my PhD I don't do that anymore and I just... fall apart and can't manage shit

@natanji if it worked, try to do it again for your phd?

@webmind Unfortunately the way my chair is organized, this is not possible. Every PhD student has their own topic which is very much removed from the others own.

@natanji you might not work on the same topic, but working in the same space can already help perhaps?

@webmind For me that doesn't help, no. But thanks for the suggestion