I promised myself I wouldn't give this article an introduction like this, but here I am. At 9:00 PM, I sat down to write this article, it's 10:48 now and I've composed and erased the same small patchwork of an introduction more times than I can count. I've brainstormed deep and complex ideas for this article for days now, I planned coming home at 3:00 and writing this within a matter of a couple hours. I tried so hard to conjure up an insightful and refined opening, but I can't.
I hate saying that: "I can't." But it's true, ADHD doesn't only cause hyperactivity, it also hinders the ability to fully accomplish tasks, caused mainly by chronic difficulty with concentration. I hate that too, blaming my lack of attention on my disorder, but it truly is the cause. It's not that people with ADHD don't want to succeed or have no motivation, it's much deeper than that.
That being said, it is important to establish that ADHD is real. It is a real diagnosis, listed in the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), as a neurodevelopmental disorder. Essentially, this means that the disorder will be present at birth, but may not reveal itself until the individual matures, dismantling the notion that someone can "grow out" of ADHD. ADHD can and will often worsen throughout the duration of one's life.
"Picture a room with 1,000 TVs with each TV showing something different. Now try and concentrate on just one TV without getting distracted." -Damian DaViking Aird on what ADHD feels like.
However, ADHD is not a life sentence. Many non-sufferers of ADHD seem to think that being diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder renders the sufferer a prisoner to their own abnormal brain chemistry and will damn them to a fruitless and difficult life.
This is simply not the case. Many people with ADHD, myself included, don't consider themselves sufferers. ADHD makes tasks harder and more time consuming for us, but far from unachievable. Many of us attribute our creativity, wit and passion to our ADHD. Living with a brain that can't help but concentrate on everything at once lends itself to the discovery of hidden talents and passions for us.
For me, this comes in the form of writing. I've written all my life, about seemingly any topic that sparked any sort of interest in me, and with ADHD, being able to explore and educate myself on different topics, concepts and people at once comes with ease, even though it may take some time to sit the hell down and actually write. Of course I still have my struggles, which mostly manifest themselves in the form of math problems and sitting still, but I do not suffer from my disorder.
ADHD makes life harder, but not impossible.
