What Do You Wish You Could Tell Others About ADHD?

United States
June 30, 2009 3:59pm CST
Hi! I am putting together a booklet meant to help people without ADHD to better understand those in their lives who do have it. One section of the booklet is about what people with ADHD wish they could tell everyone else. So, what would you like to tell your family members, your friends, your boss, your co-workers, etc? What do you wish everyone knew about ADHD and about you?
3 responses
@yecal10 (143)
• United States
14 Sep 09
It is hard to complete tasks due to sudden boredom with the task right in the middle of it.
• Melbourne, Australia
14 Sep 09
Or to even stay interested at the start of it. I know if it's not going to interest me I am not even going to attempt it.
• Melbourne, Australia
12 Sep 09
My 16 yo son has ADHD, was diagnosed as a 7 yo & then we found out that I also have it. So at 25 I had a naswer as to why I was so bad at school, academic wise. My son is in the top range of ADHD, he is impulsive & puts himself in danger all the time. I can NOT go have a shower without him taking off & going missing in the city for a few days. He once took off taking my laptop (and the charger) while I was in the shower for less than 5 mins. That's not worst though, worst was when some guy thought it was ok to sexually abuse him one time while he was missing. It's been about 2 months since his last adventure & I am thankfull for that. It's not good to havd ADHD, it's even worse when peole tell you that you are a bad parent & just can't control your child. Medication no longer works, nor does he have any food allergies or anything that sets him off. It's just the way he is. I still love him, he knows that. I know he tries not to do what he does, but I know he can't stop the thoughts once he has them. I should know, I have it as well. perhaps that's the reason I managed to get pregnant with him in the 1st place. I would love for people to know how ADHD REALLY is... and not how the media/people see it is.
@bziebarth (228)
• United States
8 Aug 09
Oh, there are so many, many things. Where do I start? Probably the most misunderstood thing about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is its origins. ADHD is not a mental disorder. I realize that doctors everywhere will read this and gasp. How dare I question the medical community? When you consider the facts then a very different picture of ADHD emerges. People with ADHD do pay attention. People with ADHD have been characterized as unable to pay attention. In reality, people with ADHD pay attention to everything. Our mind is constantly scanning our environment. We notice many things that other people's minds filter out. To many people, this is seen as an inability to pay attention. People with ADHD tend to be less risk adverse. We have the ability to look at what needs to be done and do it. We tend to have less impulse control. I realize this sounds like a bad thing, however, this allows us to more easily move fear or apprehension aside. This is why ADHD has been found in such careers as fire fighters, police officers, and entrepeneurs. ADHD is actually a set of genetic characteristics. I have outlined two of these traits. The book "The Edison Gene" outlines that ADHD traits were necessary in hunter/gatherer societies. Hunters needed the ability to always scan their environment and be less risk adverse to be successful hunters.