As someone who is married to a man with ADHD, and was not prepared for what that would mean over the course of years, I can tell you that ADHD is absolutely more than just not being able to focus or sit still.
There are so many people who live with atypical brains, who have to work hard at learning to function inside a “typical” society, and whose frustrations and failures and very real struggles are dismissed as merely not wanting to just act like everyone else.
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If you love someone with ADHD, have ADHD, or struggle with another similar issue, this Twitter thread is a must read – and a must share.
It begins with a call to start treating ADHD like a serious disability, and not people who just can’t control where their thoughts go at any given moment.
ADHD shares many symptoms with autism, and people who have it often struggle with things like social cues and fitting in, the same as their autistic peers.
https://twitter.com/str4wberrym1llk/status/1310612246201065472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1310612246201065472%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.distractify.com%2Fp%2Fadhd-thread
People with ADHD do things that don’t seem “normal,” or that seem like something they could just change, but their brains literally won’t let them – not without a fight.
having a hard time with mental math & math in general, hyperfixations, getting attached to objects in the store easily like a teddy bear and literally NEEDING to take it home, only eating foods you like, easy anxiety & nervousness, opposition to most authority, needing to do your
— • 天使 • ☭ 🍓 (@str4wberrym1llk) September 28, 2020
It’s not only annoying when people say they’re “so ADD today” when they can’t focus – it’s dismissive of a brain abnormality that’s far more than that for hundreds of thousands of people.
own thing or else you’ll be severely unhappy, ect. I AM TIRED of people thinking of it as being “distracted by a bird….oh look a butterfly! omg my leg is bouncing so fast! wow!” /j
people who had ADHD have complex problems that come with this disorder. ♥️
— • 天使 • ☭ 🍓 (@str4wberrym1llk) September 28, 2020
Others chimed in, saying that ADHD’s overlap with recognized neurological conditions like autism prove that it needs to be taken more seriously as a real disability.
Big fat bump to this thread and also a little addition from me.
These above things are not solely part of ADHD. There’s a lot of overlap with other neurological conditions like ASD (what I have).
If anything, that shows it’s a disability. See it as one.
— Dan (@AlienWithABox) September 29, 2020
People chimed in with how hard it was to do normal, expected things like just finish school without knowing why, or without being treated like their ADHD was that big of an influence on their lives.
let’s hear it for only discovering the reason why you always had trouble daydreaming, paying attention, keeping deadlines, motivation, organization, time management, and noticing small mistakes 3 years after graduating high school folks 🎉
— 🖤🌙gothretro🌙🖤 (@__gothretro__) September 29, 2020
Basically, what this thread and the replies are saying is that if we normalized talking about neurological conditions and all of the ways they might manifest, fewer kids would be left feeling like this one did.
When I got diagnosed, my mom, my doctor, and myself all just thought it was me being loud and not being able to pay attention in class, then I did research of my own when I got older, and so many of my habits make so much sense now… I wish I knew this when I was younger.
— ella (@LavendeElla) September 29, 2020
People who struggle with neurological conditions, even if they seem “not that bad” because they’re now so frequently diagnosed, shouldn’t be dismissed or made to feel like it’s something easy to control.
All human beings, no matter how their brains work, are worthy of respect and accommodations, when necessary, so please – do your research before writing anything off as just “no big deal.”
What did you think about this thread? Have a story about ADHD and want to share?
Let us know in the comments!
