The warmest of welcomes to you at such an incredibly challenging time in your life. I'm glad you've come here looking for support, understanding and hopefully a way forward.
I think we can have a particular nature or our brain can tick in a particular way yet major struggles won't necessarily show up until a little further down the track. The more complex life becomes, the more intense the struggles become. And even in some cases, what may have begun as an ability (as a kid) becomes more so what feels like a curse in adulthood. For example, while you could have the ability to tap into your imagination like an absolute pro, when daydreaming comes to impact focus in highly significant ways it can become a major issue in life.
A new diagnosis sounds like a good way to head, when it comes to direction. While it was my kids (19yo son and 21yo daughter) who wanted to find the reasons for their struggles, they chose to seek a diagnosis through 2 different avenues. While my son's struggles were impacting his schooling and everyday life, I supported him through gaining a diagnosis from a psychologist who assessed him as struggling with Level 1 autism (high functioning). He was surprised, as he thought he was struggling with what seemed like ADHD. A lot began to make sense with the autism diagnosis. My daughter, on the other hand, gained a diagnosis from a psychiatrist earlier this year which added up to ADHD. If you're looking to go down the path of medication, only a psychiatrist is qualified to prescribe ADHD meds. Definitely a time and money saver to see a psychiatrist first, regarding medication. In more complex cases, some people struggle with what turns out to be AuDHD (a mix of autism and ADHD). The struggles you face now in life could add up to something more than ADD or ADHD. Not saying this is the case but you never know.
Whether you want to naturally manage developing certain abilities that help you get on top of the struggles you face or you choose medication to help you more easily gain those abilities involves 2 different avenues. While it can take a lot of time to naturally develop certain skills, habits and abilities (while trying to also rewire our brain), if mental health challenges are becoming overwhelming then meds can serve as a much needed time saver and form of relief.
