can i upgrade my ram or is there another way to increase speed? it has become way slow running multiple programs with photoshop.

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities.

I believe we need to proceed with an EtreCheck report. EtreCheck is a useful App to diagnose and identify issues, both hardware and software. It is trusted by many users. Please follow the steps outlined below:

1. Navigate to: https://etrecheck.com and get the free version of EtreCheckPro.
2. Download it. It is a free and trusted app. It is often recommended here on Apple Support Communities. 
3. Open EtreCheck, and before running the report, be sure to check “Allow full Drive Access” at the bottom of the EtreCheckPro window.
4. Run the report, and put it in a post, as seen here: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250000211. We will then examine the report for issues in your Mac.

Cheers,

Jack

Yes https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201191