Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a problem of not being able to focus, being overactive, not being able control behavior, or a combination of these. For these problems to be diagnosed as ADHD, they must be out of the normal range for a person's age and development.
I was diagnosed with ADHD in 9th grade, but I was only on medication for a little while, because I was doing well in school and the medication had a lot of negative side effects. ( ill talk more about that later) So I stopped taking it throughout high school, again because I wasn't really being tested that much, and I was doing well in school. I never had under a 3.0 and usually ended up with a 3.5… but my classes weren't terribly difficult and I couldn't see that it was effecting my baseball game in a negative way. That and I'm super stubborn and don't think I need to take medication to help me out, because I think I can do everything on my own. So I never thought about it again until I was in the MTC (MIssion Training Center)..
Ill tell you a little about the MTC.. Well when you get there, your family just pulls up to the curb and you hug them and say goodbye, then some elder assigned to you shows you around and where everything is at. Then couple of meetings, then you're pretty much done. But thats just the first day… after that everyday usually has you in a tiny white, small, crammed class room from 8am- 9pm.. You have 3 meals a day and an Exercise period. But you are studying the scriptures and language of your mission (if you have one) but Me being someone who was ALWAYS doing some kind of physical activity, whether it be baseball, basketball, hiking, hunting… what ever it may be, it sure as heck wasn't studying church doctrine for 12+ hours a day. So I started getting really down that I wasn't learning the language and doctrine as well and fast as the other elders and sisters in my district…So then I was talking to my mission president, and he came to the conclusion that I needed to go home off of my mission to take care of ADHD…. I fought for the longest time against it, because I didn't want to have to rely on medication, and I didn't want to come home from my mission, because Ive only been dreaming about it my whole life… saved up the money to pay for it and all, and I wanted to be there preaching the lords work. So, to say the least, I was not happy at all that he said that. After he told me that, everyday started to get harder and harder.. So one time in the shower (the only time that you aren't with your companion, and for some reason can always think clearly in the shower!) But I started saying a Prayer, and I asked my heavenly father to help me, because I was struggling major! Later that night, I got an over welling feeling to go talk to my mission president again… Not exactly sure of what, but after our classes for the day, I asked him if I could talk to him, alone. We chatted about the mission, baseball, food and whatever… but then the conversation started to die, and he asked me again what I thought about coming home and getting my ADHD medicine taken care of. The lord just put words in my mouth, and I told him I should go home and get that taken care of… I get home and my Mother and I visit the Dr and we try different medications and dosages. We get it to where the Dr and I feel comfortable with it… Then I asked the Dr when I could go back out to the mission field, and he said 6 months to a year, to where he would feel comfortable letting me go out again. So I felt at that point I should just finish school and except the fact that I would never serve a full time mission….
ADHD effects me everyday. Sometimes I wake up late and forget to take my medication to help me remember things ( ironic right??) but I can defiantly tell when I don't take my meds…. my thinking goes a little like this..
Ill see a tree, …. Oh cool tree! this tree has those leaves that look like helicopters flying down.. Oh I flew a helicopter once it was awesome!. Back to the tree… what kinda tree is that? I don't know but I really like ponderosa and maple trees.. Then I will think of all my memories associated with the ponderosa ranch I worked as a rec guide a couple of summers ago.. Oh maple! thats my favorite kinda wood baseball bat!! then all my baseball memories!
random memories and songs playing through my head all day! and not be able to put my full attention toward one thing, but think of 1000 things all at once… So you can see, its pretty difficult to fulfill the daunting work the professors give us college students… But when i remember to take my meds, the world seems to just come together! I can think clear, I am focused and determined to do the best I can, and I can finish assignments fast and remember the material I covered.
Some disadvantages of ADHD are "difficulty maintaining attention in class. It may be more difficult to follow through with the instructor's directions, which can negatively impact your grades. You may have trouble being still in class and find yourself straining to be still instead of concentrating on coursework. According to Children and Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, you are more likely to make careless mistakes on your schoolwork. You may also have a tendency to lose or forget important things, such as your homework, calculator or books." that along with career and social difficulties...
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/96700-disadvantages-adhd/#ixzz2jQrbZiPa
There are positives with regards to ADHD though! some of those include:
Outgoing
Personable
Perceptually acute
Intuitive (when you miss out on stuff because you’re distracted, you learn to figure things out)
Observant (it seems like inattention, but it often is over attention)
Sees unique relationships between people and things
Looks past surface appearance to the core of people, situations, and issues
Visionaries
Dreamers
Visual
Fast thinking
Quick to grasp essentials
Insightful
So even though I focus on the negatives of ADHD, I now can see the good parts of it in my personality! It sometimes sucks not being able to think like a "Normal" person, and with ADHD you often have other things that come into play, like depression, mood swings, dyslexia. but "Normal" people can't think like me, so Its fair… I just wish I could learn faster, but I have to learn to live with my so called "Disability" and do the best I can with what I have! and if you want to read more about adhd I got a lot of useful info from
http://theaddvocates.com/what-is-add-adhd/quick-facts/
