Do You Really Know What It's Like to Live with Adult ADHD?

Actually, that's a trick question, because each person with adult ADHD is a different person, with different levels of the condition, different symptoms, varying levels of symptoms, different abilities which help or hinder coping, family support, or lack of....

Well, you get my point.

I am pretty classic.

I forget things, particularly if there's a list of instructions or a sequence involved.

I am easily distracted. What I call my "Look! There's a squirrel!" condition.

I cannot focus. Don't try to talk to me if the TV is on. If you want a serious discussion, or really want me to listen TO YOU, turn the TV or radio off. Don't talk important stuff to me in a crowded room or other busy place. I am probably going to lose track of what you are saying anyway, but, it will happen faster.

I am a genius, and that helps. I can figure out what you wanted, what I'm supposed to do, and....having adult ADHD, I just lost that train of thought.

It happens.

One other thing.....

I feel stupid, ashamed, and embarrassed every time it happens. Over the years, many people have drummed into me that I am lazy, stupid, disinterested...or...just plain no fun to be with.

Those are some of the things I feel. If you have adult ADHD, you may have different experiences. If you do NOT have adult ADHD, you may be trying to understand someone who does.

A recent article, What It's Like to Live With Adult ADHD offers another person's view of what life is like if you suffer from ADHD.

The author Jaime Lutz, a writer and comedian currently living in Brooklyn, sums up part of her point of view in this paragraph:

"Panic over starting a new job; depression and feelings of low self-worth from consistently failing at tasks that other people find easy; and, most of all, skepticism and condescension from other people who think it's not a "real" disability. I'm far more embarrassed telling people I have ADHD than telling them I take antidepressants."

As I read through Jaime's article, I noticed that while we have similarities, we also have differences, which I pointed out at the start of this post. As I said, we are not all alike and specific symptoms and difficulties may occur from person to person.

One difference between us, which may account for some of the other differences, is that she was diagnosed as a child AND as an adult, while I was not diagnosed until I was in my 60's, in the meantime, I was simply regularly informed that I was lazy, no good, and stupid. More than one person in my life informed me that, "You've got your head up your ass."

By the way, one additional point that both Jaime and I and most other people with adult ADHD share: additional mental disorders. Most people who have adult ADHD have at least one other mental disorder. I have mild OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). Jaime says she suffers from depression and anxiety disorder in addition to ADHD. I personally used to have what I now recognize as panic attacks, but, I just did not have time to deal with them and learned to just tune them out.

It's a good article and worth the read if you are interested in knowing what it's like to live with adult ADHD, or just want to compare your experiences with someone else's.