SaddieTheMad

This keeps happening and it is infuriating. It's also scary for people with SMI/SEMI (severe and enduring mental illnesses) such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, as if the fear of the illness itself wasn't enough.

Both, depending on the month. I have bipolar disorder.

Make playlists of songs within your vocal range and sing! It's so much easier in the shower. You'll flow.

Here: https://github.com/XargsUK/awesome-adhd

My personal choices are...

• Russell Barkley, phD
• Dr. Tracey Marks
• How to ADHD
• ADHD ReWired
• ADHD Experts

And you asked for sources, but these tools are great...

Apps

MyTherapy Pill Reminder: Notifications are annoying enough for me to take my pills.

Alarm Clock for Heavy Sleepers: I am not a heavy sleeper. I use it as my default alarm because it is highly customizable and it lets me snooze whatever time I need to snooze from a list of options I decide. Also, you can have alarms with different behaviors.

Bitwarden Password Manager: It's impossible to remember all your passwords nowadays...

Everyday objects

Clever Fox Pocket Weekly Planner: Before, I had reminders and to-dos everywhere (phone notes, post-its, to-do app, alarms...). Now I only use this notebook. Everything is here, from "do laundry" to "Friend's birthday". It's been very helpful.

Fidget cube from Antsy Labs: It's the original one! It's nice.

Loop Experience Plus Earplugs: Expensive, but effective and comfortable.

This, and a minimalist lifestyle are helping me. I share it, just in case.

⚠️ By the way, learning about ADHD is chaotic because people have different takes on it. There's the "I am a researcher, an expert, and all my years of study have let me to conclude that ADHD is not what the DSM tells us but something different, similar but different" (e.g. professor Russel Barkley). There's the "ADHD is what the DSM says because that's the experts' consensus. If we discover something new via sufficient evidence, it will appear in future editions of the DSM. Of course there are other things to say about the disorder, but they are too new and need more research" (e.g. Dr. Tracey Marks). And then there's the "ADHD is not even a disorder, it is just a brain that's different from the average brain. ADHD is therefore not understood by psychiatrists but by people who live with it, and we say that it resembles the description from the psychiatrists but it has additional traits" (e.g. the neurodiversity movement).

Sorry for the long answer! I hope it helps.

I'd try to be understanding with the parents, but I admit family waiting too long is a problem. I remember watching this video and getting frustrated at every missed opportunity...

My memory has gotten worse and worse. I think it's a matter of age, neurological damage/cognitive decline due to bipolar disorder and other stressful events, and worsened memory that was never great because of ADHD. I need to write everything down nowadays. Other than that, no; I think the rest of the symptoms have been similar throughout my life.

No, attention issues can be caused by depression, anxiety, stress, bad sleep hygiene or problems like sleep apnea, and many other things.

Many teachers liked me, but they definitely were frustrated because they thought I was relying on my good tests only, as if I thought that being smart was enough in life. They warned me that hard work was also necessary.
I don't blame them, and it is kind that they were worried about it, but it was not an attitude or belief, it was ADHD! A teacher even detected my memory problems and suggested a to-do list, but she didn't know that even acquiring those habits is hard for us.

I wish my teachers knew more about ADHD as all the clues were there. An early diagnosis would have helped me a lot.

It may be slightly relatable, but no. I do not have ASD and I do not struggle with change or disorder.

Also, cognitive disengagement syndrome or CDS. (It is not recognized yet by the DSM, though).

You could use a medical directory such as this one. This one is Mexican and it has filters so you can find an ADHD expert within the clinical psychologists. Contact them.

If you allow me a piece of advice, don't be cheap with these people. Just because they are used to earn miserably doesn't mean that it isn't hard. Living super tightly, stressed because it isn't enough to save for the future... That's the reality for many psychotherapists in Mexico —not all, but many. If you can pay them justly because of the euro (obviously considering your needs too), do so, please.

Spanish (native), English (fluent).

Edit: Me emociona leer que tantas personas están aprendiendo español 🫶...

I'm in a weird spot here at 30 years old, but let's see...

My advice to younger people would be to take care of their mental health, and to do it via scientific practices.
For example, cognitive behavioral therapy has enough evidence of it working; therapy through spirits, don't. Medication can be necessary and its effectiveness is proven; that's not the case for extreme diets.

Also, philosophical counseling is a thing and it is good, but just like psychotherapy, it may not be enough. Sometimes we are dealing with mental disorders that require pharmacological treatment. Conversely, psychiatry and medication are there for people who need it, but sometimes we don't need it and we need better habits, better environment, counseling, etc. It is usually a combination of many things the way we can start feeling better.

I'll still read the advice from others because, well, I'm sure I can learn a lot from them.

Edit: I thought it was the other way around. Oh, well, it still applies. I wish my parents and other people their age would give mental health treatments a try.