If it's ADHD, behavioral therapy isn't super effective, unfortunately (at least according to research I've seen). Medication could help and you... should see results pretty quickly (after a nasty adjustment period though. It changes how your brain works and feels extremely weird)
My understanding is that if you actually don't have ADHD, the medication isn't effective, so if it's helpful there's a strong signal there.
A proper analysis by a psychiatrist would be helpful (and you should share your doubts). But I think if you look at things beyond the "attention" and "hyperactivity" aspects . For example, saying things without thinking, lots of remorse for actions after the fact (showing proper judgement but lack of control), etc. Medical professionals are the best for this, but there's a lot of reading out there that you can check out.
To expand on this: for about two-three weeks after starting to take a Ritalin variant (this was in working life, I didn't have meds in HS + college for reasons) I was pretty on edge, getting pretty mad at stuff and even just pre-emptively cancelling meetings with some friends because I felt I would start yelling at the next person who talked to me.
I've heard this happen to other people too, and it's frustrating, but luckily it also comes with the feeling of clarity that was always missing, and fortunately people around me are supportive. No lasting damage, just "oh yeah I was a bit on edge then"
> If it's ADHD, behavioral therapy isn't super effective, unfortunately (at least according to research I've seen).
I'm surprised by that impression as my understanding was that it was "generally accepted" that a combination of therapy and medication was more effective in treating ADHD than either alone.
Sorry, the comment was more that behavioral therapy _alone_ is very ineffective according to a lot of research out there. Granted, the funders of such research are... well...
If you have to chose one or the other, medication will be much more powerful, but the combo is the best. But trying to fight ADHD with just CBT is a massive uphill battle once described to me as "asking someone who needs glasses to see to train their way to better vision"
My understanding is that if you actually don't have ADHD, the medication isn't effective, so if it's helpful there's a strong signal there.
A proper analysis by a psychiatrist would be helpful (and you should share your doubts). But I think if you look at things beyond the "attention" and "hyperactivity" aspects . For example, saying things without thinking, lots of remorse for actions after the fact (showing proper judgement but lack of control), etc. Medical professionals are the best for this, but there's a lot of reading out there that you can check out.