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Advice on coping

alterpop

Hi,

I am asking what tips and advice anyone has on coping mechanisms?

I'm 42 and PDA/ADHD and recently stopped a lifetime of addiction.

I've always suffered with anxiety, social interaction and demands but since getting clean they have seemed magnified ten fold. 

I'm waiting on an assessment on right to choose pathway and hope once i'm formally diagnosed for the PDA (already ADHD diagnosed) I can get more help.

Also i've been very disengaged from help and communities like this due to my previous life and want to deal better with day to day stuff than I do now!

Any tips of help would be greatly appreciated?

Parents

  • Hi and welcome to the community! Wave

    Firstly and most importantly, congratulations on getting clean. (I’m nearly up to 18 months free of alcohol myself). 

    In respect of some of the difficulties that you mentioned, and also your upcoming assessment, you might find the strategies in these resources helpful:

    NAS - Demand avoidance

    NAS - Anxiety

    NAS - Socialising and relationships

    NAS - Assessment and diagnosis -  including “What can I do while waiting for an autism assessment?”

    alterpop said:
    once i'm formally diagnosed for the PDA (already ADHD diagnosed)

    Just to clarify, whilst some assessors might, when diagnosing autism or another condition, add a reference to “PDA”, this would only be an unofficial descriptor, not a formal diagnosis of PDA.

    No one can be formally diagnosed with PDA, either as a standalone condition or as a profile of autism, because it doesn’t exist in the manuals as a recognised clinical condition or profile. This is explained in more detail in the demand avoidance article above. I mention this only because it can be a contentious topic, so it can help to be aware of the details when discussing the subject with others.

    Similarly, it’s also worth mentioning, as the article again explains, that some of the latest research suggests that such PDA issues seem to be much more commonly associated with ADHD than with autism.

Reply

  • Hi and welcome to the community! Wave

    Firstly and most importantly, congratulations on getting clean. (I’m nearly up to 18 months free of alcohol myself). 

    In respect of some of the difficulties that you mentioned, and also your upcoming assessment, you might find the strategies in these resources helpful:

    NAS - Demand avoidance

    NAS - Anxiety

    NAS - Socialising and relationships

    NAS - Assessment and diagnosis -  including “What can I do while waiting for an autism assessment?”

    alterpop said:
    once i'm formally diagnosed for the PDA (already ADHD diagnosed)

    Just to clarify, whilst some assessors might, when diagnosing autism or another condition, add a reference to “PDA”, this would only be an unofficial descriptor, not a formal diagnosis of PDA.

    No one can be formally diagnosed with PDA, either as a standalone condition or as a profile of autism, because it doesn’t exist in the manuals as a recognised clinical condition or profile. This is explained in more detail in the demand avoidance article above. I mention this only because it can be a contentious topic, so it can help to be aware of the details when discussing the subject with others.

    Similarly, it’s also worth mentioning, as the article again explains, that some of the latest research suggests that such PDA issues seem to be much more commonly associated with ADHD than with autism.

Children
  • in reply to Bunny

    Hi again,

    Just been reading more on what you posted me to and yeah its interesting about how ADHD can be very much about demand avoidance too. It may be that I am just ADHD but so ADHD it feels like the PDA traits in Autism? Or I may be autistic which I personally think is the case through the way I live and feel things internally. Also this has been since a very small child, although there is a chance it could also be due to ADHD which has been established. All in all my symptoms whether they are ADHD or autism are very real and hard work and every day is a struggle so I hope the assessment will give me the answers I desperately need and can direct me towards the right help and treatment. Sorry I just thought that was relevant to add on. I'm done wittering now. Thanks.

  • in reply to Bunny

    Yeah I do understand the distinction and how PDA is a type of traits of autism rather than a diagnosis in itself so to speak. Like I say I was diagnosed as child with ADHD but due to a lifetime of drug and drink addiction i've neither dealt with or coped very well with it at all. I recently looked at PDA autism and to say the cap fits is the biggest understatement ever. I know I need to get this assessment to understand better what's going on but have no doubts that i'm neurodivergent, I guess I just want to work out how for once and deal with it. Thanks for replying, I do struggle with social interaction of any kind and get a lot of anxiety from it and hopefully getting some answers will help. Thanks again for replying and well done on your not drinking.