Personal Narrative

Emily Bezjak 

     ADHD is also known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and often is present in childhood but can be present in adulthood as well. In children, it often contributes to low self-esteem, troubled relationships and sometimes trouble focusing in school or work. 

     ADHD also presents very differently in girls compared to boys. With that being said, many times girls do not get diagnosed until later in life because their symptoms are not as visible to others. 

     Common symptoms in girls can be seen as being easily distracted, having difficulty organizing tasks and having poor time management skills, according to The Cleveland Clinic.

     Think of ADHD as having 40 different tabs open in the brain and not being able to close any of them, but they are all bouncing out and off the screen. That’s often how I feel with ADHD–I can never fully shut my brain down or only think of one thing at one time.

      I struggled as a kid to manage all of my schoolwork at once and would often speak out of turn. I was in first grade when I noticed I frequently finished my work later than a lot of my peers, and I was getting distracted by the littlest thing like a foot tapping or a pencil dropping. Those little things would prevent me from being able to stay on task. 

     I also would frequently get told to wait my turn to speak in class, and I struggled to not shout something out before I was called on because I had so much going on in my brain that I would lose my train of thought. This of course frustrated the seven-year-old me because others seemed to not have this issue, and I felt different than everyone else. 

     After struggling in school and now my parents and teachers noticing my issues, I was finally put on an ADHD medication called Vyvanse, but what I would later find out is this medicine caused more harm than good for me. I was barely able to eat, and I had no personality. I felt like a zombie all day. 

     I struggled to make friends, and I would not socialize with others because I was so focused on trying to complete my work. The medication helped tremendously with focusing at school, but my social life and personality changed completely. My parents noticed a change in my behavior and were concerned about my health. 

     I eventually went off my medicine in eighth grade when I felt I was able to manage my symptoms throughout the day, but this led to me being exhausted by the end of school because I spent all day trying to focus so hard and absorb as much information as I could in each class.  

     Thankfully throughout my years of high school, I have been able to manage my ADHD much better. Small things like giving myself breaks or even just moving my leg in class seems to help me stay on task and complete my work in a timely manner. 

     My biggest advice to someone with ADHD is  to find what works best for you and get the help you need to keep yourself successful. ADHD is different for everyone, so it should not be treated universally for all.