The Diagnosis

        After the diagnosis of ADD was confirmed I was like a wind-up toy that had been being wound for 20 years and then suddenly released. I did not have the hyperactive type of ADD but I'm sure it seemed like it for a few weeks. A lifetime of frustration and heartache finally had an answer! I was not lazy and unmotivated. There was a reason that I had always felt left-out. The conflict between who I thought I was on the inside and what my life said about me was resolved and I wanted to shout it from the rooftops! I wanted to go to every teacher (the ones who tried to encourage and the ones who dismissed me with tangible disappointment), every classmate (the ones who were kind but distant and the ones who straight out rejected me), every relative (the ones who silently judged my parents for my lack of discipline and the ones who obviously preferred the other children), every boyfriend, boss, coworker, counselor, pastor, doctor... every failed or frustrated relationship and tell them that the conflict between who I was and what I did had been resolved!
Here's what happened when I did just that; not much. Unfortunately the stigmatism that goes with ADHD, which I had held just days earlier, had penetrated the minds of those around me as well. The ADD diagnosis (ADHD the way they believed it) only confirmed what they already thought of me, I was lazy and had just found a new excuse. One loving member of my family even suggested that, "maybe you could pay attention better if you didn't talk so much". Ouch! The words and perceptions that had discouraged and stung me all of my life had not changed, but I had! If no one believed the diagnosis, I knew the truth and that was enough validation for me!

What about you? Do you have ADD/ADHD? Do you tell people and how do they react? Please comment with your response!