ADHD, what is it? ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is “marked by an ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development”. For the general population, the stereotypical imagery of an individual with ADHD is a hyperactive little boy. However, many adults (particularly females) go undiagnosed into adulthood! As it turns out, it affects a wide variety of the population and there are actually different types, so you may not be ‘hyperactive’ at all! Here is a little psychology lesson! There are three types:
- Inattention
- Hyperactivity
- Combined
So many girls go undiagnosed into adulthood because they tend to present more with inattentive, which to the outside eye can look lazy, uninterested, bored. Boys are much more likely to be diagnosed because they often show hyperactivity. It is so common for a little boy to be energetic and someone comments ‘oh they must have ADHD!’ It’s unfortunate, because realizing much younger that I had this would’ve made my life make so much more sense.
I have this incredible superpower of forgetting EVERYTHING! I would say I’m decently intelligent; that is, until I have to recall information and be tested on it or talk about it. The number of conversations I ‘supposedly’ have and have no recollection of is incredible. The list goes on. I bring this concern to my doctor because it is making my university career quite difficult, obviously thinking I had a brain tumor or something catastrophic. She looks at me and asks, “Have you considered you might have ADHD?” I respond, “Absolutely not, but my husband has been saying I do for years.” She says, “Well, do you have trouble focusing on something you find boring, can you sit properly and still…” and goes through a list of questions. I was baffled because I thought these were things that everyone did!
Some other signs I had (if you have any of these, I am NOT saying you have ADHD; they just happen to correlate with it in my case! If you are questioning whether you have it, please talk to your doctor):
- Forgetfulness
- Memory recall issues
- Losing everything
- Sit funny (I wouldn’t say I have trouble sitting still; I can sit for long periods of time, but if I need to think, my right leg NEEDS to be up on the chair in a weird position or my brain doesn’t work)
- Overwhelmed in busy places
- Spontaneous spending
- Either a couch potato or a tornado-there is no in-between
- Spacey (I got called ‘a space cadet’ a lot in high school)
- Finds a new project, goes HARD for a day or two, the excitement wears off, it’s left unfinished, new project discovered, repeat
There are SO many things looking back that it makes me laugh at how obvious it should have been. But I’m introverted, quiet, shy, and laid back. I also grew up with a brother who was diagnosed with ADHD. He fit that hyperactive mold, so in comparison, no way would it have looked like I had it.
Knowing now is great. Not that my life has changed in any significant way, but it justifies the way I think and act, which makes me feel better. It is so frustrating forgetting something that you need to do, even after repeating it 100 times out loud while on your way to do it. It can just make you feel lousy at times. Now in my house (my husband is also diagnosed with it—our kids are doomed), we make a joke out of it rather than getting mad at each other. Knowing about it has also helped me SIGNIFICANTLY with school. I always understood everything and felt so smart until I was tested and would do awful. It still makes me question if I’m actually just a big dummy. There are so many different resources to help with attention, memory, and info recall; this diagnosis honestly saved my academic career and for that I am so grateful!
October is ADHD awareness month, so I wanted to share my ADHD story (Cliffsnotes version) to bring awareness. So many adults go undiagnosed. ADHD is not a bad thing, or something you should be ashamed of; it just means you brain works differently and knowing that it can make life so much easier!