On ADD/ADHD.... a brain/behavioural disorder, not a psychotic/personality disorder.....?

How do i deal with the ignorance of prejudiced& uneducated people that mistakenly assume that attention deficit disorder is the same as being mentally ill, or unintelligent & incompetent...so that it doesn't rob me of what little confidence i have left? (this may make u laugh, but i'm serious).

i.e., even though i can laugh at myself 4 being ADHD, i find it is never to my benefit to allow friends,co-workers, or supervisors know that i have ADHD, because then, they read one article about it (ADHD)& begin to treat me as though im either a complete boob that is mentally incompetent to perform the duties of my job OR, i'm completely crazy. This really bothers me, (its the ONLY THING (besides being called a liar) that i am VERY sensitive about) as, it frustrates me because i'm treated as though im "not normal" & need to be "babysat" & that i'm "stupid" or "dishonest" when i'm not.

Being ADHD, I have a problem with my attention span & impulsivity...NOT my I.Q or integrity.

Isn't it true that there are different 'types' of ADD/ADHD? and though there are certain characteristics that are common among ALL people with ADD/ADHD.... there are also characteristics that they don't share?
Like i.e., impulsivity, loquacity, easily distracted.... hyperactive and so on... BUT not all people with ADD/ADHD share ALL of the listed traits of the disorder.
so.... if someone were to read an article on ADHD and ignorantly assume they know 'all about the person' with the ADHD... wouldnt that be biased and ridiculous?
Like, how would you deal with this?
I have several friends that are ADD like i am, and yet, we only share a few of the characteristics. I heard that its said that sometimes lying, is a common trait. (the person who read the article made a point of it). But, i know people without ADD who are compulsive liars, whereas i have ADD and i never lie. ( not because i am umbale to, but i just dont as a matter of integrity). I've NEVER lied about anything ever..

Your main problem is not *that* you are ADHD, and people know it. Your main problem is that you haven't gotten your impulse control for talking about it to slow down.

If you are not on meds, you might consider them. Of course ADHD does not make you less intelligent, and the meds don't make you more intelligent. All the meds do is shift your brain chemistry so that YOU and not the ADHD have the control over the excessive talking.

As for convincing others what ADHD is? And what it is not? Some people will never believe anything other than what they think already. You cannot change their minds. All you can do is, like you say, not tell people. It is NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS.

I have ADHD and am now an IT administrator of several companies. Your going to have idiots on both sides; on one side, you are going to have people treat you like your retarded and on the other side, your going to have people basically telling you its fake and that its all in your head. Well I always say, it is in my head, then why do I constantly have to change the channel even when I am watching my favorite show? Basically, you need to figure out what is best for you and not let people tell you what is best for you.

You dont need the approval or disapproval of those who do not understand. You are much better then those ignorant fools.
You have more courage than them.

Be indifferent. That's all. You don't need to worry about other. Let them worry about themselves. Be who you are.

I have ADD, and sometimes ADHD... I may even change the subject whilst typing this answer LOL...

Please keep your confidence, people that have one track minds while we have several tracks aren't interesting like we are!!

Keep your chin up and stop telling people that you have ADD etc.. Maybe that will help.. I have a great excuse for mine cause I'm blonde :)

Those with ADHD/ADD appear to be mentally deficient because they tend to lack the attention span to sit and work, resulting in poor grades.

I know you have been diagnosed with it but, if you haven't tried it of course, have you tried eliminating dietary causes? Junk food and e numbers (chemical colours that make smarties etc brightly coloured) have been linked to attention deficits and bad behaviour, and not all doctors think of it.

In order to understand ADHD/ADD properly, you need to read up about it PROPERLY, in a psychology or medical textbook.

I've dealt with ADD/ADHD my entire life, unfortunately when I was younger and in school they just called me slow and I struggled all through school. Today with all the information on the disorder, your peers should be especially sensitive to your problem. I understand your not looking for special attention, but it's important to let your superiors know of this. There are some great advantages to being ADD/ADHD. One of them is the ability to retain detailed information far beyond the capabilities of those not afflicted. It may take you a bit longer to understand information, but when you get your head around it, you can excell beyond your wildest dreams.

Simply i believe that it's best not to label yourself as we are all unique and have truly wonderful qualities.

Some have problems but not one person in the world is perfect and unless they have experienced what you experience then they are not qualified to have a say.

You are 1000% fine by me.

It's a neurological thing babe nothing to do with any personality traits.

I like ......you was diagnosed with ADHD. I have delt with it ALL my life.

Keep your head up....be your self....your who you are for a reason....DON"T LET ANYONE CHANGE YOU.......we are very fun...out going and active people. They just can't keep up....and don't like that we can run circles around them....in more ways then one. !!!

They have one track brains and we have 5 track brains!!!LOL

We can multi task and they can't.

ADHD is a neurobehavioral disorder...not a mental disorder.

Now some web sites and reports make ADHD look bad and make the people with it look bad.

ADHD people are very smart.
Look on-line...print some of the information off ...highlight the "good parts" and tape them all over your office and in the brake room at work. Let them see the "Good" about ADHD.....

Be creative...that's what we are good at any way...right!! Let them see that side and then they will shove off. !!!

It is obvious that if they are treating you like this then they must have a mental illness, be unintelligent & incompetent and don't want anyone to know.

They have to be...because ADHD is not a mental illness. You are very intelligent, and completly competent.

Good Luck with it.....I had the same problem and had to set a bunch of people straight too....it's hard...but you can do it.

Many ADHD people are actually of very high intelligence. It is believed that Thomas Edison was ADD. There's that creative thing. Don't let other people's opinions be so important to what you think of yourself. They should stick to themselves, and let you take care of you. What do you enjoy doing? Find a way to pursue this, study this, learn more about this, so you feel good about the things that are important to you or that you find interesting in life. Let the other people do the same for themselves. If organization is a problem, try making a list. Don't make your list too exhaustive, just write down what is important for the day, and then check the things off as you do them, perhaps with a nice highlighter. If you are not dishonest, don't even let this enter into any situation that you come up against. Say what you mean and mean what you say, and let those around you know that is your motto. Let them know that this is how it is, and they need to respect that, just like they want you to respect the things that are important to them. Regarding food, have you read books by Dr. Doris Rapp? Some of them refer to children in the titles, but the text is for anyone who is experiencing the symptomology of ADD or ADHD. The book that I found especially helpful and informative with my son, was, "Allergies and the Hyperactive Child." Just pretend that the word "child" is replaced with the word "human" or "person", and then get the book and read it. It will explain the connection of foods and ADHD. (Only available on used booksites, but s-o-o-o worth it). In a nutshell: if the gut is not functioning properly, partly digested food proteins go through, and pass into the blood before fully digested. These chemicals are now in the blood, where they should not be, and they can enter the brain chemistry, causing much upset and chemical imbalances. You say that sugar does not affect you, but what would people who know you very well say about that? When my son ate tomatoes or orange juice he was irritable; peanuts or peanut butter caused extreme agitation and temper flare-ups; sugar caused silliness; milk caused digestive upsets and behavior symptoms, but I am not sure what the behavior symptoms were (it has been awhile). I found the book invaluable for understanding what was happening. Maybe it could do the same for you in understanding some of the things you are going through, sometimes, in your life. Do have a good attitude about yourself, as this is where a good attitude toward you begins: if you don't appreciate the positive in you, then others may not, either. Write down as many good things about yourself as you can. Include anything, big or small about you as you can think of. Be generous and be very inclusive. If you have any problems with this, find a friend or family member who can help you with this. Loving who you are is the first thing you can do to help others appreciate who you are and all the good things about you. And that finding something you really like to do: do that . . . we all owe it to ourselves to discover what we like, and ways to invest ourselves in that.

hello my dear I have adhd so do my sons its three in the morning and my brain is off on a tangent and here i read your question....you are wonderful and articulate so keep on keeping on i now teach adults and kids with adhd and i love it and i am passionate about it !!!be yourself and be creative do something that lights the fire in your belly and youll be fine take regular rest breaks and dont overstimulate your mind too much and you will be just fine did you know einstien had adhd so does billy connellyy billy chrystal robin williams micheal owen daniel and natasha bedingfield and robbie williams to name a few that says it all to me we are wonderful fabulously magnificent people and by the way you could be a writer dont let them grind you down be proud of what you are and that when all the others are swimming one way your swimming the other i love that!!!!!! xxxxxx

I have ADHD too as does my son who is also autistic. I have written about it in blogs and on websites. You can do something ( a little) about ignorance that way. As for prejudice people like that are not worth the precious attention we do have!
xx

i would see dr

My daughter suffers from ADD, this doesn't make her any less of a person. She just has trouble focusing and concentrating on one thing at a time. She takes a low dosage of meds and it has made a great difference in her life. She gets good grades, does after school activities. She isn't dumb by any means, she just needs alittle help to put her best foot forward. My son on the other hand is ADHD, along with the inability to concentrate he is full of energy and can't sit still often times, he takes a different medicine than my daughter, and also is doing great in school, after school activities, and will be taking a part time job this summer. I don't believe that meds are for every child, but for my family this was the best thing that we could have done because it gave my children the ability to be themselves and they are experiencing a great life free from complete caios.

ADHD will never br resolved as an issue or illness because to much controversy over behavior surrounds it> Why wasnt it heard of before laws restricting coporeal punishment came about?if u hold a normal iq u can conentrate no matter what bs about adhd goes. I bet u can concentrate when ur out of class huh? its all in ur behavior.