[tgittos]

I have been unofficially diagnosed with ADD (specifically without the H). My psych and I decided not to diagnose because I have coping skills and habits that prevent it from interfering too much with my life, and the long term implications of an official diagnosis in the US outweighed the improvement in my symptoms if I were medicated. I have also been officially diagnosed with MDD or whatever they call it today. Depression can display similar symptoms to ADD, and it is possible to have both which is fun for diagnosis.

I probably should have been more specific about "things you enjoy". Video games are a special case where the depressed use them as an escape, for a sense of control over their lives, and a sense of growth where there is no growth. I consider that different from hobbies - things that improve you, things that take work that you enjoy. It'd be different if you were skipping meals to finish building a model plane, but with video games you're skipping meals to prevent yourself from returning to your life.

The ADD on learning stuff resonates with me. I experienced the same thing and for myself it turned out to be a coping mechanism for depression. The jolt of dopamine I got whilst learning was compensating for a general feeling of ennui. Since being diagnosed and medicated for depression, I've found my ability to focus and stick with things long term has vastly improved, despite also having ADD.

I'd highly recommend a therapist even though the experience will most likely be frustrating to start with. Aside from the difficulty in finding one that's available, you also need to find one that you like and whose style and techniques work for you. Don't give up on the concept of therapy if your first few experiences don't feel like they work.

I've been seeing my therapist for about 4 years now and while I don't believe you're ever done with therapy, I do believe that I'm working on the fundamentals of what made me feel bad enough to seek out a therapist in the first place and that I've "debugged" most of my issues.