Essential
- Since early childhood, Lucile has presented symptoms evocative of ADHD, such as hyperactivity, relationship problems, learning difficulties, working memory disorders.
- At almost 30 years old, she first receives a diagnosis of autism which is not valid, then a diagnosis of deficit disorder with attention with or without hyperactivity.
- For almost four years, she has benefited from methylphenidate, which “has allowed her to have a better quality of life.”
“From an early age, I presented signs that could make you think of the deficit deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADHD). I suffered from hyperactivity. In primary, I was not holding in place. I was always sitting at the bottom of the class, because teachers knew that, even if I had no bad intentions, I was also disturbing them. I find it difficult to forge links, because I do not handle social codes well. says Lucile, now 33 years old. That’s not all, she also encounters learning difficulties related to concentration problems. Its working memory, which allows you to temporarily store and handle information, is not optimal. “It was impossible for me to learn lessons by heart or poems. In parallel, I was exhausted and presented adaptation problems.” At the time, psychiatrists, to whom his parents took him, attribute his symptoms to trauma, which according to the patient “Didn’t happen. They, I think, overcrowded what I told them.”
“For the Bac events, I was even a major major. My teacher said that I did not deserve this diploma”
Growing up, the project head for the Center of Excellence of Neurodevelopment Disorders (IMIND) faces many reflections linked to its symptoms. “At school, at work, I have always been confronted with derogatory remarks. For example, teachers did not understand why my notes fluctuated so much and why I expressed during certain exams and not others. In my case, the cerebral circuit of motivation is impacted. When I am not interested in something, I am bad, but when a task attracts my attention, By a physiological trigger. She remembers a criticism made by her main teacher after obtaining her baccalaureate. “That year, I was one of the last of the class. However, for the Bac tests, for which I had not revised, because it was impossible for me to do homework, I excelled and I was even a major major. When my teacher knew it, she said that I did not deserve this diploma and my classmates thought that I cheated.”
A diagnosis of autism with an unexplored ADHD suspicion
During her experiences in the workplace, the thirty -something was “Hazelée. During one of my little food jobs, I was a hostess. There was a task that we were asked to do. Each time, I forgot it, it took me out of my head, but deep down, I was intimately persuaded to have done it. It attracted the wrath of my manager who did not stop. at work. “ Following this experience, she continues the “jobs”, then finds herself to occupy a full -time position (namely in 35 hours). “That same year, in 2019, I started to live on my own. With work, I was very tired and I suffered from depression.” A situation that pushes Lucile to consult specialists, including a psychiatrist. After several neuropsychological and videos tests, she receives a diagnosis of autism, with a suspicion of disorder deficit in attention with or without hyperactivity. “But the doctors did not want to explore this track.”
ADHD: “an interaction between genetic vulnerability and environmental factors linked to the neonatal period”
A year later, she is still in the same situation. “After the diagnosis, I am not more advanced. I still cannot work properly. I then turn to the Association Hypersupers Tdah France, which turns me to a neuropsychiatrist. This specialist does a very in -depth exam, asking me multiple questions and also questioning my loved ones. Shortly after, when the second confine Hyperactivity. “ It is a neurodevelopmental disorder. “In this case, there is an interaction between genetic vulnerability and environmental factors linked to the neonatal period. Depending on the hypotheses, there is a deficit of certain neurotransmitters, which are supposed to pass information to different brain areas. And the prefrontal cortex, which must manage messages and filter them well. regulated correctly. “
In adulthood, there are three presentations of ADHD: mixed (most frequent), inattentive (the most difficult to detect) and hyperactive (the least current). The mixed profile has inattention, impulsiveness and hyperactivity depending on the period. The one inattentive, which is very discreet, has little or no impulsive or hyperactive component. Finally, the hyperactive profile has no inattention, but has a form of impulsivity. “We are talking about inattention when attention is fluctuating, in the event of reveries, problems of working memory, perception of time and communication. For example, passing roosters or speaking continuously without worrying about your interlocutor. Impulsiveness refers to impatience, an absence of filters, to cut the word to others, to the risk and a regular desire The next day. People with this disorder can also face professional difficulties, emotional regulation disorders, be more vulnerable to addictions (sugar, coffee, tobacco, alcohol, video games, sex, etc.) and can become harassed or be harassed.
“There is a genetic link. In my family, several people seem to have symptoms”
During the diagnosis, little information on the cause of her ADHD was given to him. “I think there is a genetic link, because I see that in my family, several people seem to have symptoms.” Given that the project leader asks many questions to which she had no answer, she creates a site (https://tdah-age-adulte.fr/) to help patients and their family. In terms of treatment, the 30 -year -old, now followed by a psychiatrist, has taken only one of the products available in France for almost four years: methylphenidate. “I started with an immediate release medication, that is to say that it was effective two to four hours, then I went to a prolonged release treatment (six to eight hours. Problem: my body quickly absorbed the medication. So I changed the treatment. I take it three times a day. It allows me to have a better quality of life!”
