My ADHD Problems and How I Solved Them

Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADD or ADHD) is a condition in the brain that comes from the person's genes. It can also develop naturally in children and sometimes adults. However, children's symptoms are easier to spot than an adults.

Symptoms. The usual symptoms of ADHD include restlessness, poor concentration, easily distracted, impulsive behavior, and sometimes depression.

Treatment. While there is no particular 'cure' for ADHD, there are plenty of ways to control it. The three major methods used are medication, therapy, and socialization skill training.

As you see, I didn't load this page with tons of information, yet. As a chronic sufferer of ADHD, depression, and much more, I can supply you with all the information you need.

My childhood: was pretty dismal. I remember being a fairly popular kid in grammar school. However, I was too afraid to ever call anyone to hang out and would always run in my room and hide when a friend called and Mother was yelling at me to pick up the phone. It solely was fear: what if I call Johnny up and he says no? I will be depressed forever. When a friend called me and asked me, it turned into: He's just feeling sorry for me, or maybe it must be a trick! This is too good to be true! Its all in your mind, folks. By 8th grade I never went out at all, and stayed home every weekend studying languages, working, and feeling sorry for myself. I dreaded events such as the school dances, graduation parties, and birthday parties. By this time I was severely depressed as well. I lost weight, motivation, and any friends I had left.

Transition to High School. In the summer between 8th grade and high school I fell ill. I was hospitalized for two months. I was diagnosed with cackasakivirus, mononucleosis, shingles, and other minor illnesses all simultaneously. It sucked. I lost my little girlfriend I had going, which also sucked. But then again, losing a girlfriend or boyfriend at age fourteen feels like the end of the world. I couldn't even graduate and my diploma came in the mail. Imagine spending ten years in the same school and not being able to walk down the aisle and receive your own diploma? The only good thing that came out of all this was that I didn't have to go to any of the graduation parties, which I now regret thinking that. What really crushed me, after all this, is that I wanted friends, but was too socially scared to do it. i became fidgety and restless in front of my peers. But the kicker was the hospital visits. Never once did anyone but Mom, Dad, and my two brothers visit me. Even the man in the bed next to me with one eye in his socket and the other in a jar on the table (ok it wasn't on the table but it certainly wasn't in his eye) felt sympathy for me.

High School. I went to an all boys high school, which didn't necessarily help. As a soccer player, I tried out for the team and was the last person cut. I was cut because I hadn't played in months and was out of shape. i remember I was too scared to talk to the coach after I was cut and ask him how I can improve. My grades freshman year sucked; I could never focus on the teacher for the full 40 minutes! I squirmed in my desk, never sitting still. Eventually, with no friends and plummeting grades, Mother signed me up for a private therapist. Man, did I not want to go to her (we will call her Terry because of the pun). Every time it was Wednesday at seven, I would hide somewhere and refuse to go. After taking a few tests and what-not, she scribbled on her pad and prescribed me medications. I was prescribed Lexapro, Ridilin, and Abilify over the course of a dozen sessions (once a week). They were mainly for depression, anxiety, and sleep.

How it all improved. Sessions with Terry are supposed to be confidential, but I will share anyway! About every fourth session, she would have me take out my phone and call a friend "by mistake" and show me how the friend doesn't care and won't get mad. For an hour I was yelled at to just make the call! It worked though, and I have to give Terry credit! I started to feel better, and I picked up a key hobby in my life: running. I had a hidden talent in which I could run for miles and miles (this is also where I formulated an idea to buy a Siberian Husky). With all the medication and help from Terry, there was still a void: the social piece of my life. Nobody but myself could go up to a classmate and ask to hang out that weekend. It was a big step in my life, but once you do it the first time, it is all downhill from there.

To brag about myself. Currently, I have a girlfriend of 10 months and tons of friends. Since my high school offers no academic help for ADHD sufferers (were a strict Catholic school with brothers and priests for teachers), I was on my own to flourish in school. I am a three year honor roll student (you guessed it, freshman year).

• It is a real disease. Yes, it is. There is no way of getting around it. I cannot stop my symptoms, but i can control them well. Sounds like a disease to me.
• Its all on you. Therapists, medication, and other methods certainly do help. In the end, however, its all up to you to stand up and face whatever fear you have.
• YOU ARE NOT ALONE! The most important words right there. Once you realize that out of the ten people next to you on the bus, half of them are suffering like you, everything is put into perspective. Also, you are not alone in the sense of no help. There will always be support groups, therapists, and even family members to guide you along the way.
• The "mental" portion of it. Some of ADHD is in your "head" with no pun intended. Don't allow yourself to feel sorry because your 'different' or abnormal. Grab the mindset that you are just the same as everyone else!