When it comes to mental health, most people would probably agree that getting a diagnosis isn't something they want. That's understandable. Unfortunately, mental health diagnoses still work as labels that carry a lot of stigma and emotional weight for those who get one, so it's natural not to want one.
People who received an ADHD diagnosis often report feeling rejected, stigmatized, and sometimes even questioned on whether their symptoms or condition are real. However, not having a proper ADHD diagnosis can be even harder.
Counterintuitive, right? Why is that?
Although more, and more people are familiar with ADHD and other neurodivergent conditions, there are still many adults out there (females, mostly!) living with undiagnosed ADHD (1), and for them, life can be tough: building relationships is often more complicated, meeting deadlines at work or school can be a struggle (and we know how important those are in adult life!), and they have probably been told a few times how they're just "not trying hard enough".
In these circumstances, where academic, work, and social demands feel heavier than for others without really knowing why, it's easy to doubt yourself and think there's something wrong with you.
That's why getting an accurate diagnosis can be the first step toward validation, understanding, and relief.
Risks of a late diagnosis
It's been found that adults who receive an ADHD diagnosis later in life often report higher levels of anxiety, depression and overall greater emotional difficulties (1) (4). One explanation is that they might have spent most of their life masking their symptoms so they could fit in and avoid being judged, so by the time they reached adulthood they have mastered camouflaging as a coping mechanism to compensate for their symptoms, but at the hidden cost of increased anxiety (1).
A study comparing adults with undiagnosed ADHD to those who were diagnosed on time or who did not have ADHD found that the undiagnosed group had lower levels of educational achievement, higher rates of unemployment, lower income, and greater work impairment. Other common difficulties among undiagnosed adults include a higher likelihood of accidents at work or at home, as well as reporting a lower overall quality of life (2).
Early diagnosis of ADHD and similar conditions appears to protect individuals by giving them the information and support they need to thrive across multiple areas of life (5).
The hidden benefit of late diagnosis
Some adults who received their ADHD diagnosis later in life actually describe a few advantages to being diagnosed as adults rather than in childhood. They explain how getting a diagnosis later in life set them free from certain medical or social expectations, and how this "late" diagnosis (according to medical standards) gave them time and space to understand themselves in their own way and develop their own coping strategies (3).
This situation highlights how, sometimes, what psychiatry views as a harmful delay can actually be, for some people, an opportunity to grow and get to know themselves on their own terms.
Whether a diagnosis comes in childhood or later in life does matter, but not as much as what you do with that knowledge. At the end of the day, getting a diagnosis isn't about labeling or limiting yourself, but about having the information you need to understand yourself better, seek appropriate support, and find the strategies that actually work for you!
Whether you're here to focus better, calm your mind, or just feel a little more in control, we’re here to support you. One game at a time.
