ADHD
How attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has affected my life
I knew early in life that something was wrong with me. I absolutely could not sit still. I could hyper-focus on things that interested me, and I found it nearly impossible to pay any attention to topics I found boring.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was first added to the DSM in 1968 (it was just called ADD then), but I grew up in a hyper-conservative ultra-evangelical Christian family, so I had no chance of being diagnosed and treated for ADHD. When I acted out due to my condition, the parental units simply prayed for me. The prayers did absolutely nothing to address my easily distracted reality or my need to finish other people’s sentences for them.
Having ADHD means that any rabbit hole I come across MUST be explored immediately. That makes it extremely hard to maintain the type of deep focus that is required to, say, write a novel. Or get any kind of advanced degree…
