'Knowing there was a name for what I had was an enormous relief, but I felt worse before I felt better. I cried a lot, thinking, 'I spent 53 years suffering from ADD, and it could have been treated.' I had always been successful, but I was struggling.'
A diagnosis of attention deficit disorder can transform an entire family. Just ask Carolyn O’Neal, a retired school principal in Elgin, Illinois. Her diagnosis strengthened her marriage and helped two of her three adult children realize that they, too, had ADD. Treatment gave her the focus to earn a doctorate in education and made her more sensitive to the needs of kids who struggle with ADD at school.I first heard about adult ADD in 1996.
My wake-up call came at a CHADD conference she talked me into attending. In a session for spouses, people talked about how stressful their marriages were because of ADD. A lot of them were divorced, and I didn’t want to be in their shoes. I figured I’d better start coming around.Knowing I had ADD really helped me at work. For one thing, it allowed me to understand kids with ADD better. I could approach parents and say, “Your child is showing signs of ADD.
Like my mother, I was scattered and forgetful. In college and law school, I struggled just to stay in the middle of the pack. It was frustrating that my disorganization kept me from graduating at the top of my class and getting offers from the best firms. Had my mother not been diagnosed, I would have stayed in a fog, knowing I was different but not knowing why. I’m really grateful to her.Forgetfulness was my biggest problem.
Lately, she’s been insistent about medication. In my ADDness, I sometimes forget to call for a refill and then run out of pills. Two or three weeks go by and I don’t feel much different, until I realize one day that I’ve been at work for six hours and have accomplished nothing.ADD also affected me socially. I’d talk too much and interrupt others. In my impatience, I’d answer a question before the other person finished asking it.
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