What struggles do people with ADHD face?

Not being able to hold a conversation without veering off course or forgetting what you were going to say half way through talking and then having to apologize to someone because they think that you don’t care enough about the conversation or that you’re bored talking to them. Also trying to stay on task for even a short period of time. The slightest movement or flicker of light can distract you and cause you to go off into your own little world in your head where you lose track of time and sometimes completely forget what you were doing in the first place

If you're undiagnosed, at whatever age, you likely feel guilt and shame at not being able to perform as quickly (or quietly) as others do. Diagnosis can be a relief, to know that there is something biologically off inside of you and it's not inherent to your personality and who you are that you have trouble focusing or act disinterested. Whether you are an adult or a child, being given medication can be quite helpful, but for others the side effects are a trial of their own. People with ADHD generally perform behind their peers even though they have just as much ability and intellect as the others, only they don't understand that it's not their fault.

I find my memory suffers a lot, I forget things often, sometimes I forget what I'm saying mid conversation. I forget where I've left things, I forget appointments, I forget who I've told what. I find it extremely difficult to stay focused on any particular project that doesn't spark interest and find myself getting exhausted when I force focus and usually need a nap afterwards and am unable to attempt any other task. I get carried away constantly on unrelated topics, I call it rabit-holing but it's commonly known as hyperfocus. I can spend hours on something unimportant and fail to eat, move or even take toilet breaks, I frequently find myself sitting in a dark room as I haven't noticed time passing. It affects every aspect of my life really.

As a person with ADHD, I can say that learning in a school environment, and working in a office are very hard for me. It feels like you’re constantly bubbling under your skin, ready to burst out at any moment. By bursting, I mean shouting standing up and walking around. It essentials feels like you’re a child on a 24/7 sugar high that you can’t control no matter how hard you try. For me fidget tools help me concentrate, and some of my friends take meds, but it’s best to do what works best for you. Hope this helps!

People with ADHD struggle with a variety of different issues. Many people with ADHD not only have ADHD but have other disabilities as well. They can have co morbid disabilities like depression, body image issues, eating disorders, anxiety and other learning differences. They can face struggles on jobs and in everyday life. Many people with ADHD also have Executive function disorders which excubate the ability to organize and prioritize and it can affect you at work or school. Accommodations are available on the job and in School. I was told because of the ADHD I would never succeed in college I am almost finished with my second Masters degree. I am now pursuing counseling to help other people that have struggle with disabilities.

People with ADHD face humiliation and/or ridicule for their inability to sit still and often other problems like not being able to pay attention-subsequently causing a fall behind others and a race to catch up along with a difficulty in relationships-, or extra responsibilities in life-remembering to take medicine periodically, extra self-control, a need to reach out for help that others do not experience- which can lead to other negative psychological characteristics with anxiety and depression being common. Even just the label of ADHD closes doors for people, causing them to lose opportunities and jobs to those without this distinct classification.

Generally ADD/ADHD can be very confusing. Especially if diagnosed late (like in adulthood). We grow up getting told how people work and learning from watching others but we do not realize we got a manual that does not apply to us. When diagnosed early, you grow up learning how the ADHD brain differs from a stereo typical one. When not diagnosed, one does not know these differences even exist in the first place. This can lead to low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and other mental problems. Also late diagnosis makes it harder for a person to change behaviours that just do not work with an ADHD brain but were lived their whole live.

Everyone experienced ADHD differently, ADHD comes in many different flavours. There's the obvious main flavours of ADHD, attention deficit, where we struggle to hold our attention onto certain things, and hyperactivity, where we experience an excess of energy, and these can also be combined in an individual BUT there is also a lot more to ADHD that you wouldn't expect such as; Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD): A common occurrence in those with ADHD where we have severely negative perceptions of social interactions, that aren't necessarily realistic, and we also second guess ourselves and constantly fear rejection and overemphasise any rejection we do face. Impulse Control Difficulties with executive functioning, such as performing basic tasks like brushing our teeth or showering that others may find simple. Difficulty with emotional control as well as understanding emotions.

Struggles only people with ADHD can understand 1. Nothing on earth is interesting enough to keep your attention over the sound of loud shoes click clacking against the floor. 2. You know the easiest way to clean a room is to throw everything away. 3. As soon as you let me know you got adult ADHD, you get to hear a half-hour tale on how they also have someone with ADHD but are not diagnosed and how they do all the same things and they totally relate. 4. Whenever anyone tells you that, you just lack discipline. 5. You get highway hypnosis from reading long books. 6. When you have to work in any open space that is not the quietest, emptiest, most boring library ever. 7. The one time you found your purse in the fridge. 8. Every time, there is something that keeps getting you… missing the little details. 9. You keep 23 windows open on your computer.

I struggle the most with saying things impulsively, I don't think about the things I say and well I'm always afraid it sounded rude or that I've hurt them... I also have problems with concentration, I can't focus myself on things for a long time and I get bored very easily. So while making homework I just get distracted very fast, which makes me take a lot longer on my homework than I should. And well I have more energy than other people, normally, and haha, I talk a lot. I just hope that I'm not bothering people with that.