Believe the reality of a real disorder NOW!

By Chris McClish Thursday, July 10, 2008

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Okay, so you can't remember things, you're mood fluctuates from giddy to irritable to crazy happy. You can never be on time and you lose things. You don't want to be on any med that can harm you and you have read internet articles on how ADHD is not real. Plus, you know that if you mention your ADHD at work as an explanation for your behaviors, some will secretly snicker and probably say things like "Guess what, now you-know-who is blaming that irresponsibility on their so called ADHD bull-crap disease!" And why, because you think the same way - so you blame yourself for your failings. Sometimes you ARE responsible, which adds to your own confusion. The fact remains, research shows that ADHD is probably linked to deficits in working memory. Very few deny that learning disorders are real (dyslexia, reading disorders). And deep down inside, you know that you have used your intelligence as compensation for why you can't find the right word for that common object or why sometimes you can't seem to organize your thoughts. You also know that there have been many times you tried to read a book, only to get 3-4 pages into it and not remember a darn thing you have read. Someday, maybe people will realize that your brain is wired differently. Maybe someday there will be no shame in speaking your disorder and maybe even asking for accommodations.

Comments (3) | Add comment

Terry Matlen, ACSW, Health Guide

7/11/08 10:50am

Bravo, Chris!

Thanks for that great post.

I've spent nearly 13 years trying to educate people about the realities of ADHD and advocating for the rights of children and adults with ADHD. We need to continue that effort, for there are still many (including mental health professionals) who still don't "get" it.

Keep up the great efforts!

Terry

amber williams

7/15/08 12:46pm

it is frustrating to try to explain my condition to others, just to have them look at me and say, oh, i thought only kids get that. like it is something that is catching. up until now, adhd, has only been seen as hyper little boys running in circles. but my eyes have been opened to see that it is so much more. my adhd is engrained into my personality, it makes me who i am. i was born with it, but because no one can see any outward sign of my disorder, then nothing must be wrong. so much has been learned by studying the brain and nerve impulses. i can only pray that all the new information can get out to the public so that people like me wont think that they are going crazy.

ms muddle

8/14/08 12:52pm

Yes, I am with you on all this.

For myself and my son, the question is always, to whom do you tell that you have ADHD? For my son, at school and elsewhere, I worry about him being "labeled." For myself, especially, in the work setting, I worried too, about the snickers and sneers, or just coworkers or boss dismissing it as nothing or thinking I had an overzealous doctor making a diagnosis or that I was being diagnosed incorrectly for some other "mental health disorder." Or that having that diagnosis was just an excuse for lazy or disorganized work habits.

I worked in medical clinics & found that many of the staff, including family prac. & internal med docs, dismissed the whole thing when it was an adult client or family of said client, that even suggested that they may have symptoms. The thing I see is a lot of ignorance or lack of knowledge, by those that have never "been in the trenches," with ADHD. Everyone is easy to accept this diagnosis for children. I did really find good support for my son when he was in cub scouts and boy scouts. I think that the scouts, compared to other organizations, have a lot more acceptance, knowledge, and strategies for dealing with it. And they have a lot of info for the adult leaders too.

Ohh...., and when I was initially going to various doctors/counselor to get evaluated and then counseling, don't you know that taking off from work raised some red flags that you hoped no one would notice? Yes, the employer has to let you go to your appointments, because it is legit and yes, you have rights to privacy. The problem is,

when you have to take freq time off or take larger chunks of time to get evaluated, no matter what kind of privacy you have, your coworkers or boss are nosey or genuinely concerned for you or both. It becomes difficult to know what to tell them if you tell them anything at all. It really isn't their business.

But when one coworker was diagnosed with cancer and one had to abruptly leave work due to symptoms of high blood pressue and one had to take time off for her gallbladder surgery, it does make it hard to say," and oh, I have ADHD." Like as if it wasn't a legit diagnosis.

I have been very selective with whom I share info about in regards to my diagnosis.

I would say a lot of the issues are about educating the public.

Believe the reality of a real disorder NOW!

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