So much respect for Yashar Ali sharing this. This conversation goes well beyond ADHD, but how we talk
about mental health in general. Thank you for bursting open the door for
others to be seen.
This hurt my heart to read. I struggled with ADHD for years with absolutely no idea that was why I found so many “simple” things so hard. It got really awful in college where I would be sobbing because I had an essay due and I just couldn’t make myself do it. I wanted to do it! Why was I such a stupid and lazy person?! I hated doing everything so last minute.
I’m angry at myself for not getting help when I was younger. It really sucks placing so much self-loathing and hate on yourself because neither you nor anyone else considered the possibility that maybe there was something wrong.
I was diagnosed last week. I’m 31. A lot of this thread resonates with me, especially the slipping part. I honestly thought the fact that I could manage some things in the past until I let them slip meant my inability to do them was laziness and not my ADD. The under diagnosis of adults, especially in the UK is a real thing. Up until very recently it was nearly impossible for adults to seek diagnosis and now there are posters up everywhere saying what amounts to gosh, so many undiagnosed adults! A terrible mystery, come in and get checked! Which is a bit infuriating really.
Though actually a lot of ADD people read a shit lot (I’m one of them and so are my other diagnosed friends). Just often not the things they should be reading. Hyperfocus on things that you enjoy is a thing.
