Time ADHD

EVERYONE FEELS A LITTLE RESTLESS, IMPATIENT, or unfocused from time to time. Usually, it’s a fleeting feeling and not much cause for concern. But for the 6% to 11% of Americans who have a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, these symptoms are much more frequent, are longer-lasting, and can be truly disruptive to home, school, work, and family life. Although there are many overlapping symptoms, everyone’s experience with ADHD is unique. For some, it looks like racing thoughts that make it diffcult to concentrate or finish a thought or project. For others, it’s impulsive spending or risky driving. For others still, ADHD manifests as frequently making mistakes due to rushing through tasks, frustration and impatience with waiting, and often interrupting conversation partners. When untreated, these behaviors can lead to…

After years of suffering from mental health problems, it only took four months for my life to completely change. I’d been depressed, anxious and addicted to anything that made me feel less. For eight years, my life became more and more rancid. I lived through many cycles of trying so hard to be better, to be the me I wanted to be, followed by bouts of extreme lows and almost death. A switch went off when I was 24 and I started pursuing a diagnosis (ADHD and borderline personality disorder) with medical professionals. I came to realize the diagnosis was not the end of the world—not even close. My diagnosis became a saving grace. Before I knew my brain is wired in a different way, I would beat myself up…

The reality of living with ADHD every day can be a struggle. The symptoms can become burdens, and the risks of untreated ADHD are real. Some people who have the condition will see little or no upside to it. But that’s not the case for everyone. The ADHD universe includes countless people in a wide range of fields, including some who are quite famous (see page 86) who credit their ADHD with contributing to their happiness and success. In 2022, a Dutch study of 206 people with ADHD found that nearly all of those surveyed were able to identify some positive aspect of the condition. And the study indicated that talking about these aspects would contribute to greater understanding: “The identification of positive aspects of ADHD may also contribute to…

IN MAY, WHEN THE WHITE HOUSE released the MAHA (“Make America Healthy Again”) Report, the reaction from many in the medical community was, predictably, outrage. The report was mostly a collection of opinions, some of them fringe in nature. Many of the report’s most extreme assertions were ones that had been around a while but now suddenly enjoyed the imprimatur of the federal government. The 73-page assessment came out against some familiar villains, such as ultra-processed foods and environmental toxins, but more controversially argued that vaccines and medications are making America’s children sicker. Among the report’s main targets was ADHD and the drugs used to treat it. With ADHD diagnosis rates hovering at 11.4% of children 17 and younger, and 14.5% for boys and 8% for girls, it’s easy to…

JEREMY DIDIER, A SUBURBAN MOM, HAS ADHD. SO DO FOUR of her five children. She lives about an hour’s drive from Kansas City, Missouri, where most of the qualified specialists who help her navigate her family’s mental health needs are located. Without telehealth, she estimates that she might have to take off four or five days a month from her job as a clinical social worker to keep up with therapy and medication-management appointments. Her children would have to miss school, and her family’s financial well-being would be jeopardized. “With telehealth, I don’t have to drive an hour each way to see the specialist, and the visit can be just as impactful,” Didier explains. Her situation is increasingly common as telehealth has grown in popularity—with the COVID-lockdown era being a…

LIKE SO MANY AMERICANS, I’VE BEEN trying to avoid social media in recent times. But just after a supper earlier this year, as my kid heads off to his bath and the dishwasher waits to be loaded, my thumb finds the Instagram icon on my phone and I’m sucked away from the table and into a post that stops me cold: “Section 504 is Under Attack.” When I reference Section 504 out in the world, most people scrunch up their faces like they’re trying to recall the name of that one guy from that one movie. “Is that related to my kid’s 504 plan?” they might ask. Even when they vaguely recognize the words, few have any idea what this tiny piece of legislation means, let alone its history. A…