For me, diagnosis was important bc it provided a framework for how I interact in the world and the whys. And for close family/friends to understand me, not for me to provide excuses, however. I’ve been diagnosed a little over a year and have yet to try medication but I’m on the path now. I’m nervous bc of the horror stories of one of my childhood best friends. But I’m at the point where it’s become debilitating.

This is a GREAT question. I got diagnosed because it gave me accommodations at Uni. It gives me accommodations in my job but the rest of my life? Absolutely nothing. I can only say that it has been beneficial for those 2 things. Sometimes I feel like my life has fallen apart a bit more since realising I have ADHD but I think that's down to a bit of unmasking and also taking on a Foundation Degree and overloading myself. But, I made it through so couldn't have been so bad!

Academic work? Yes! Treatment aside, I get accommodations from school that I would never have considered: more time on tests, a subscription to Otter AI to record lectures, a book reader app that lets me listen to anything (textbooks, papers, PDFs), and sympathy from my instructors—a quiet office to take in-person tests and an ADHD support group.