Hacker News Books

Yes, that sounds like ADHD. I was only very recently diagnosed. After my diagnosis, I read the book "You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?" and it explains how ADHD is a problem both of over- and under-stimulation (recommend picking that book up, btw. It made me cry a few times as I recognized myself in it).

You're addicted to stress because it gives you enough stimulation to focus.

You keep yourself constantly busy to keep yourself stimulated enough for your brain to function.

You are distracted by things because your brain lacks the filter to determine which stimulus is "important" so instead of focusing on the actual important thing, everything feels like it's of equal importance, and your thoughts race from one thing to the next. I can't hear people correctly if there's a lot of other conversations going on at once, or too much visual noise in the background. It's overwhelming.

I saw a psychologist who specializes in ADHD. He did not interview my family (I was afraid of that too, my mom insists I can't possibly be ADHD because "I did so well in school."). He interviewed me about my history and symptoms going back to childhood, and I took a psychological profile test that involved ~400 true/false questions to rule out other problems. It was two visits to get my diagnosis, and now medication is in the hands of my regular physician. If Kaiser won't cover it, it might be worth paying out of pocket to get your diagnosis. Not very familiar with Kaiser, but hopefully once you were diagnosed, they would still cover your meds?

I think https://add.org/ has a page somewhere where you can search for professionals in your area. Or just call a psych, any psych, and ask for their recommendations on someone who specializes in ADD.