Mental illnesses can interfere with our daily lives. ADD, Attention Deficit Disorder, or ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, can get in the way of one's concentration from completing work to even having a simple conversation. If you suffer from ADD/ADHD, perhaps you can relate to the common challenges that other individuals with the illness often encounter.
School Work
Growing up in school, your teachers would probably catch you doodling classic S drawings in your notebook or glaring out the window into the bright blue sky. Focusing on classwork can be difficult and can't be fixed with a simple scolding by teachers to retain your attention to the lesson. From elementary school to college, you most likely face an extra level of difficulty in class, having to consistently reinforce your concentration while also trying to understand the topics. According to Cleveland Clinic, it's not uncommon for the illness to go undiagnosed until an individual reaches adolescence or adulthood.
Conversations
Meeting new people or gathering for an evening with friends can be exciting yet challenging. While having a conversation, maintaining eye contact and avoiding glancing at things in the background behind the person you're speaking with can easily evolve into an inner battle. Focusing on the conversation's path and only contributing topics relating to the conversation can be a struggle. You may have multiple stories to contribute, yet your mind branches off quite easily that you must reconsider which stories are actually off-topic and unnecessary to bring up. Holding a conversation while dealing with these inner struggles can unintentionally appear to an individual that you're not interested in speaking with them when it's truly due to the difficulty of keeping a steady and concentrated mindset.
Medication Reminders
"Did you take your Adderall today?" is something you're probably sick and tired of hearing from people. If you take medication such as Adderall to help with your ADD/ADHD, family and friends will sometimes ask if you've taken your pills when they notice you're a bit jumpy or lacking concentration. Once people know you have the illness and take medication to counteract its effects, they assume that each time you're full of energy or constantly talking it's because you didn't take your pills, rather than reason being you're happy and awake.
Procrastination
Constantly interchanging your attention from one thing to the next can unintentionally lead to procrastination. If you're a fellow member of procrastination nation, you understand the negative impacts it results in. Running late and being forgetful are situations you can easily be found encountering. Ensuring you're submitting work on time, arriving at places on time, and remembering all the items on your to-do list can be challenging. While it's not ideal to admit it, having procrastination does happen to some of us but it is normal and in some cases can gradually be taken control of. According to a recent study in Psychology Today, adults diagnosed with ADHD reported significantly higher decisional and behavioral procrastination than those without the disorder and that the results support the clinical diagnosis that frequent delays in completing tasks may be a symptom of AD/HD disorder.
Sitting Still
Whether it's a classroom setting, driving with friends, or sitting on a plane ride, sitting still can feel intolerable. In my personal experiences, I've had people sitting in nearby rows on a plane once move seats because my friend, who also suffers from ADD/ADHD, and I were talking too loudly and frequently. Since we hoped to sleep on the plane and didn't take our medications that day, other passengers asked to move away from us because we couldn't sit still and keep quiet throughout the duration of the flight. Remaining still and quiet in one place for a long period of time can seem almost unbearable. Having ADD/ADHD means our minds essentially move a-million-miles-a-minute, as our attention is always moving from one topic to the next. With an endless thought process and inability to be confined to one place for too long, sitting still feels like an impossible task.
Adderall Stereotype
According to the DEA, Adderall is an amphetamine and is a Schedule II substance that has a high potential for abuse. When people find out you take Adderall for your ADD/ADHD, they'll often question if you "really" have the mental illness. People will easily jump to conclusions, assuming you only take Adderall because you want to gain an accelerated focus on your work, especially in college. According to the Center On Addiction, 5 to 35 percent of college students report using ADHD stimulants for nonmedical reasons. Since college students are surrounded with the stereotype of abusing the drug during study seasons of mid-terms and finals, being a college student that has ADD/ADHD means dealing with people that'll question if you truly need the Adderall or if you simply want it. People with ADD/ADHD take medications like Adderall because they need it to assist with problems like concentration that derive from a condition they're medically diagnosed with- there's no other motive behind it.
Lack Of Public Acceptance
Since Adderall and similar medications prescribed for ADD/ADHD patients are controlled substances, people will often look at you differently once they know you take them. According to the American Addiction Centers, using drugs like Adderall recreationally may increase the chances of developing a psychological and physical dependence on them. It has the potential to become an addictive drug, yet is avoidable when used properly and only taken by those diagnosed with the disorder. If an individual becomes addicted to the drug, fortunately, the side effects and changes in the brain will most likely be repaired over time with sustained abstinence, proper care, and support. People will often input their opinions about diagnosed ADD/ADHD patients potentially getting addicted to the medication and relying on no other possibilities to handle their disorder. If someone takes medication for their illness, that's great for them. If they decide not to take medication for their illness, that's also great for them. Members of a society may contribute their thoughts on patients taking medications for mental illness but ultimately it's the patient's decision on how to help their disorder.
Having a mental illness isn't something to be ashamed of. Taking medication for your diagnosed mental illness isn't something to be ashamed of. Despite perceptions surrounding illnesses like ADD/ADHD, a medically diagnosed mental illness can be taken control of with help from doctors, friends and family, and even medications. Don't feel ashamed for suffering from a mental illness and don't forget you're never alone in your struggle.
If you or someone you know is questioning whether they may have ADD/ADHD, go to the Attention Deficit Disorder Association, or call your doctor for more information.