ADHD.
For people without the disorder, the acronym may elicit images of a rambunctious young boy squirming in his seat and blurting out answers, or the class clown who barely scrapes by academically, or perhaps the person napping in the back of the classroom, not even trying to pay attention. They may believe that ADHD is a “made-up” disorder used to explain behavioral problems in children or for adults to obtain stimulants to abuse.
Those of us with ADHD, though, know all too well how wrong these perceptions are.
We struggle to overcome the stereotypes about people with our disorder. ADHD patients are all different ages, from all different races, and have all different personalities. We may have been the loud child when we were younger, or we may have been more quiet and kept our struggles to follow lessons a secret. Some of us were diagnosed as young children, and some had diagnoses later in life. We are college students, doctors, lawyers, professionals, mechanics, teachers, and retirees. Not all of us seek treatment with medication, and those of us who do choose a variety of prescriptions based on individual needs and factors.
We cannot be defined by a simple four-letter acronym.
That being said, many of us, myself included, decide to use this diagnosis as an identity, as a way to define why we think the way we do. While we have different personality traits, people with ADHD share a difference from the so-called “normal” brain. We face the same stigmas associated with being labeled as someone with ADHD, often compounded with other factors such as mental illness, and we struggle every day with the consequences of our impulsivity and inattention. We may fail a test despite knowing the material because we ran out of time, or we may not receive the same recognition as others because our superiors believe we are not putting enough effort into our work.
Relationships with people without ADHD can be challenging, too. Sometimes, people without the disorder can balance us, as is fortunately the case with both my best friend and my boyfriend. They both calm my impulses and help me filter what I’m going to say. I’m incredibly lucky to have a support system in them as well as in my family, but many of my peers with ADHD aren’t so lucky. Children with ADHD, for example, often have increased numbers of negative interactions with those around them, making it hard for sustained supportive relationships. Combined with the negative images of ADHD from those around them as well as negative self-esteem stemming from academic struggles, it’s easy to see how challenging life with ADHD can be, especially when some of us don’t seek treatment.
We can overcome these challenges, and many of us have, from Justin Timberlake to Karina Smirnoff to Terry Bradshaw, who have all gone on record to discuss their diagnoses. We need to keep encouraging celebrities to publicly talk about their experiences with ADHD because, in a media-obsessed world, the only way people will change their perceptions of something is if they are flooded with information contrary to their preconceived ideas. If successful people destigmatize ADHD and its symptoms, perhaps the differences associated with an ADHD brain will be seen in a more positive light.
We are more than our diagnosis of ADHD, but our disorder cannot continue to be ignored or dismissed. We need to redefine ADHD, not let it define who we are.
