This is an ABC podcast.

Imagine going your whole life wondering why you always struggle to be on time,

why you start things you don't finish, and why you avoid difficult projects.

You spend all this time thinking there's something wrong with you, with your personality.

And then you get a diagnosis that suddenly makes your life make sense.

They've got to a point where their life has got stuck, right,

because of the effort and the inability to overcome the cognitive impairments associated with ADHD.

You are listening to All In The Mind. I'm Sana Khadar.

Discovering you have ADHD as an adult can be life-changing.

But relearning habits formed in childhood takes a huge amount of work.

So today, producer Jennifer Leake explores the impact of an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood.

When I was small or lived at home, and if I were reading a book, and I was really into it, because I was a big reader, if my mom were standing right over me and calling my name,

she would have to do it for like 10 minutes before I'd realize she was there.

Janine is in her 50s, but for most of her life,

she had no idea many of the things she struggled with were common symptoms for people with ADHD.

And I did know I had a focus problem.

I did know that.

And I remember thinking once, oh, I wish I could just go to a doctor and say,

listen, I'm having focus problems.

Can you not give me riddle in?

Please, can I have riddle in?

But I also figured, you don't have ADHD.

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