A woman who was 32 years old when she was told she had ADHD has admitted she previously experienced years of confusion. Ailín Kennedy says doctors missed diagnosing the serious condition and now she is raising awareness with others affected by the disorder.
The condition was said to have impacted the woman from a young age, as treatments should have been available when she was a child if it had been properly identified. It would have saved Ailín, now 35, from years of struggling with normal activities and issues with mental health, reports CorkBeo.
It can have long-lasting repercussions to live with the disorder without knowing, but she is determined to turn things around, starting her own business, AilsDHD Coaching, which helps to work others through problems and to maximise their enjoyment of life.
Looking back on her journey, she says her experiences in school, college and at work where hampered by the disorder when she was younger.
Ailín, from Cork, said: "I had big problems with focus, which obviously made it really difficult for me with school, college and any part-time jobs. There's just so much going on in your head all the time, even if it doesn't look like it on the outside.
"I dropped out of my first college course in UCC [University College Cork] but went back to study when I was 25, feeling certain I was going to do better this time. But it was just too hard to keep track of what was going on.
"I kept on asking, 'Why does everyone else seem to know what's happening except for me?' It definitely did a lot of damage to my self-esteem."
After multiple check-ups with therapists and GPs, she was misdiagnosed over the years and could never get a straight answer for what she was going through.
She said that at one stage, a doctor told her that her mental health difficulties were simply symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. After doing her own research, however, and talking to a therapist, she was eventually advised to do a test for ADHD.
She added: "When I was diagnosed I cried for about a week straight. I suppose it was all just a mix of relief, anger, validation and grief. The whole idea that I don't have to blame myself for everything anymore. Honestly it was the best thing that's ever happened to me."
Following the news, she set up an Instagram page to bring awareness to the condition. She got a qualification from the ADD Coach Academy and started the mentoring setup.
She added: "Once I had the coaching idea I kind of got hyperfocused on it - another symptom of ADHD. I love being able to meet and connect with other people who are struggling with the same things I was. It's great to help them feel 'seen'.
"As a life coach, there are certain rules I have to follow. We can't strictly give advice, but we do want to inspire people to make changes in their own lives. From personal experience anyways, I can say that ADHD-ers don't like being told what to do!
"It's definitely a bit improvisational, but I do have go-to tools and strategies for all my clients. I'd say 99.9% of the people that come to me are dealing with some form of guilt or shame for not fitting in, so we usually have to spend time deconstructing that.
"The most common belief is that people with our condition are just lazy, or that you have to be very extraverted or hyper to have it. That isn't true at all. I'm actually quite introverted myself and was really into reading and drawing as a kid.
"Overall I think there's a lot more to be done in terms of ADHD awareness. I think there needs to be better training for all GPs and therapists so this condition can be recognised easier, and nobody has to experience what I did.
"I haven't let the diagnosis hold me back, if anything it pushes me further to prove to others that I can do anything I set my mind to. I feel it has taken a big chunk out of my life, but also I feel like it's something I had to go through - I'm more mature because of it.
"There's no doubt that it's lead me to where I am today."
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