I think that the stuff published on ADHD is a little too clinical. By this I mean that professionals are trained to identify the symptoms and treat the negatives. They do not know and can not know ADHD like an ADHDer does. This does not mean that we know about our condition better than a professional, but we understand what it FEELS like, not what it LOOKS like. We don't know what medication to administer or who to refer a patient to but I think it is time that people from this website try to explain as best they can what it is like to have ADHD. I encourage others to write an article on this site like mine because those who do not have ADHD and are indirectly affected by the condition should not only know the clinical stuff, but also the stuff that we as ADHDers just KNOW.

To start off with, to all non-ADHDers who are reading this: You must understand that you can NOT entirely comprehend what it FEELS like to have ADHD just by reading the clinical stuff or even reading this article. The only way you can build up a clear picture is by researching multiple works. ADHD is a very controversial subject. There will be clashing statements. Some may be just wrong and some may be right in only certain circumstances where some are generally accepted to be true. I hope that by spending some time here and getting to know the ADHD community at this wonderful website you will be able to decide for yourself what is true and what applies to the ADHDers you know.

To the ADHDers reading this well you know why you are reading this. You are reading this because it is bloody interesting to read about yourself, don't deny it ;) Of course if you disagree with anything I said you are welcome to submit another story like this one in opposition.

My first point is about inattentiveness. They SAY we have poor concentration. This is most likely interpreted to mean we can't sustain our attention to one thing for very long. Not only this but it is observed that this is the truth. On the contrary, people with ADHD tend to have the best concentration. Let me explain. Non-ADHDers are more linear thinkers than we are. They see the word TRAIN and they imagine a little train, chugging along around a green hill. ADHDers see a train and that triggers many, many thoughts all at once. They instantly dive into their own world. If they were to say their thoughts to another person, after only a minute it would seem to the person that they are now talking about random dribble, nothing related to the train. They would be right. That is because when I or another ADHDer sees the word TRAIN, their instants thoughts are of that image of the train chugging along, with a shiny red coat and the steam shooting out, thinning as it rises. A shiny golden whistle. The fat controller from Thomas the Tank Engine shouting "all aboard!" people rushing along, each getting to their destination. One particularly interesting man with a fancy suit and a suitcase. That reminds me, one I heard a story about one of the most baffling cases in the history of unsolved English murders where a man took a suit case containing a body part of his victim and left it on a train then repeated the process at several train stations and they never caught him... What was I talking about?

My concentration is great. I can concentrate on one thing for hours. The trouble is that my mind thinks so fast and so laterally that I have trouble keeping up. Much like a car accelerating. As it accelerates, the driver has less control. Once my mind gets racing, I can't keep up and tell myself "STOP: You should be concentrating on your work instead of daydreaming about unsolved murders!" like most people can. Hang on, but didn't I say I have good concentration? That certainly isn't good concentration. Weelllll.. another thing is people with ADHD have less dopamine. That's right, that naturally produced happy drug. Your body releases it when you are happy. It gives you a feeling of euphoria. Because people with ADHD don't have as much of that, we suffer from constant boredom unless we can find something external to keep us happy. When I sit in maths class I get bored. Something the teacher says triggers a thought about that murder case. Now most people would block it out, but sub-consciously my mind craves the interesting thought and I am helpless. Another maths class wasted.

"That must be so frustrating!" "ADHD is a terrible burden!" you non-ADHDers might be thinking. Well no, but it is easy to see why someone might think this. It is imperative to our self-esteem that everyone knows that ADHD is in fact just one of our traits. Sure, it makes us bad at concentrating in maths class, sure it makes us bad at washing the dishes (I hate that job!) but our lateral, fast thinking minds just LOVE to dive into something interesting! That is why many ADHDers can excel at things we enjoy. We may not enjoy the chore of washing the dishes but we might love washing the car and get it done to perfection. We may not be great at maths but we may be excellent at computing. We might find the sport Basketball dead boring but we may be excellent Water Polo players. Coupled with a high-self esteem and an "ADHD helps me do things that I'm good at!" attitude we can excel in certain areas.

But what about things we don't like? There lies a problem. As with everyone, we are not perfect. Everyone needs to improve but the difference is we have different flaws. We suck at things we don't like. To others this appears to be us not attempting or simply laziness, but even the simplest of tasks like paying attention in one maths lesson or washing the dishes proves impossibly difficult. The key to solving this problem is finding a way in which we can enjoy such dull tasks or at least get something out of it so that we find doing it more bearable. Even if the task has no natural rewards we need to create them for ourselves. With the help of ADD community center, this goal can be more achievable.

Hyperactivity and Impulsiveness are the other traits of ADHD and whilst one would observe them to be unrelated symptoms, they are really exactly the same with a different coat on and a false moustache. The difference is that they are physical. Much like our lateral, fast-paced and all over the place minds, people with hyperactive type ADHD feel the need to do everything at once, running about from thing to thing. We crave entertainment and so we run around, playing when we perhaps shouldn't be. The main solution to this is much the same as with inattention: find a way to make it enjoyable or to get something out of it. Another thing that helps in maths class is to have a small toy, like a knot ball that can be easily hidden from a teacher. Because of our lateral thinking, we are able to concentrate on the knot ball AND our work at the same time, so it isn't really so much of a distraction. All it does is satisfy our desire to run around (which compensates for our lack of dopamine) because we are physically doing something stimulating and enjoyable. Excercising can also satisfy this desire so taking up a sport really helps! Make sure it is a fun one, though, so that the hyperactivity can be put to good use (ie; Water Polo, not Basketball :P)

Impulsiveness is simply caused by us not having time to think twice about what we are about to do. We think so much at once so fast that sometimes we don't really take the time to think twice before we act. This can be good as often our first thoughts are good ones and we get ideas and take action before others. Unfortunately, though, some poor decisions are made when something appears to need a simple solution when really the solution is complex. This is perhaps one of the most difficult situations ADHDers face and the only way to cope is to train ourselves to stop and think about what we are doing. There are many strategies. One that I have adopted is to stop and think "If it seems simple then it probably isn't. I should think more before I reach my verdict". I'm sure that you can come up with other solutions that suit you :)

The last problem with ADHD is memory and organisation. I've heard people say people with ADHD have poor short term memory. They would be wrong. The trouble again is that when I'm trying to listen to the list of jobs mother asks me to do, I'm also thinking about that murder case again, and thinking about trying to stop thinking about that, and thinking about the fact that I have no idea what mother is saying. How on earth can you expect me to do all the things she asked me to do? No, I didn't forget. I didn't know in the first place. Even if I was to hear though, I would forget. Not because it isn't stored in my memory- but just because my brain is so busy that it didn't have time to enter my mind. Organisation is very much the same. The two strategies I know of is when mother asks me to do those jobs I just say "sorry, the tv is on and I couldn't hear. What was that?". The other is to get Orage. It is an organiser that can help you stay on track. It can be obtained here: http://www.kolumbus.fi/~w408237/orage/ (make sure you get the SVN version though, the current release is crap.) Find ways to keep organised! Don't rely on yourself to remember things because you almost certainly will forget (like I forget my lunch and my homework most days and which classes I have).

I hope this has taught you not what ADHD LOOKS like but what it FEELS like and that you give my strategies a try and post any strategies you have learned: I would greatly benefit from them!

-- by Greenmanwitch