Being open about ADD

[Flory]

Also having to tell your taekwondo instructor especially come competition time...and certain other people (like gyms etc) that you are using meds and why is pretty important say for instance anything horrible were to happen like you blacked out...v unlikely i know but is important still...also if/when i enter into the bigger competitions i believe they test for PEDS

[Subtract81]

In other words, Don't mess with Flory!

[ADDMagnet]

I'm open about it but I don't announce it to the world. I have inattentive ADD so most people are surprised when I say I have ADHD. If it's appropriate in the situation or if the subject comes up, I will usually speak about ADHD. I also like to correct misperceptions but am more likely to speak out if in a small group or one on one than a large group of people especially if there are people there who don't already know me.

If I see that someone else is being harmed or unfairly criticized because of their ADHD behavior, or a parent who is blaming their child and refuses to consider how the child is suffering from not receiving any help, I want to speak up for that child's sake.

[Kasi]

I haven't really bothered to be particularly open about it, but I'm also not hiding it either. Like Fractured said, I will take my meds openly, such as in the middle of class. I don't think it's a big deal because I tend to drink water in class and I'm pretty sure most people don't bother to notice. I'm not going to leave class to take it, because there's a high chance, with my luck, I'd miss something important and that is not acceptable to me.

It's kind of a take it or leave it thing. I don't find it important that everyone needs to know about it, but I'm not going to pretend it isn't there either.

A couple people DO know more about it because right around when I first got diagnosed and when I went in for counseling, I started going heavy into research about it and telling them what I found. lol. I'm pretty sure *none* of those people now think it's a bs disorder anymore if they ever did because I involved brain scans and studies...

[parliate]

Originally Posted by Flory

Also having to tell your taekwondo instructor especially come competition time...and certain other people (like gyms etc) that you are using meds and why is pretty important say for instance anything horrible were to happen like you blacked out...v unlikely i know but is important still...also if/when i enter into the bigger competitions i believe they test for PEDS

yeah also you should say about if you are doing kickboxing like me

[SquarePeg]

Thing is even after telling someone, they don´t really get it at all and then I end up getting annoyed.

I told my best friend about my son having adhd, and she just kept dismissing everything I was saying by saying, he is such a lovely sweet boy and not everyone is academic and there´s nothing wrong with him. I felt really angry.

I expected more from her as she has a lot of experience with mental health issues, and she has another friend with three dyslexic children. She means well but it is very difficult for other people to understand something that they have no or limited knowledge about.


So after that I have decided to keep my mouth shut.

[alan1]

Very few people I know, know I have ADHD. That includes virtually all of my family with the exception of my wife. Everyone has their own conception and misconceptions about it, unfortunately more of the latter. So they immediately superimpose their wrongheaded ideas about me based on their ignorance. Explaining the issue is a long conversation that I don't think most people want to hear.

[finallyfound10]

I think that there are balanced and healthy reasons to keep things private and then unbalanced and unhealthy reasons to keep things private. The latter reasons are really shame-based/low self-esteem based/co-dependency based.

I operate in the latter reasons for "keeping things private" unfortunately. I am getting better though it will be a very long road and am not sure that I will ever be at a healthy level. I think that figuring out which land of "Keeping Things Private" you live in is the first step.

I have told medical professionals d/t to the meds, therapists, two schools for accommodations but that's it. To tell others for non-necessary reasons is still one of the scariest things I can imagine. I am actually jealous of the people that have very healthy views on it and are very open. I have spent lots of time talking to my therapist about this topic, actually.

[upagumtree]

I've told very few people. The few people I've told its only because I had to (e.g doctor,psychiatrist,parents-my dad answered when my doctor called).
I'm not ashamed of it but I don't plan to tell anyone until I know a little bit more about my own ADD and ADD in general. I've only just begun my diagnosis. #

The problem is, its such a little known condition that when people hear ADHD they think of little boys who can't sit still, not women in their 20's who manage to hold down jobs and get into college.

When I start to talk about it I want to be able to answer any questions without people thinking I'm making things up.