04.22.25
By: Kiante Parris
Happy Easter, everyone! I hope everyone had a good day! I love holidays, the decorations, and the food they bring. Being around those you love and just celebrating. But something about my brain doesn’t love them. I completely forgot about the holiday this weekend. That was until my boyfriend’s family brought it up. I feel so bad. I was not worried about anything, and it crept up on me. This got me thinking about how my brain works. Something that has impacted my life is my ADHD.
I was diagnosed in my early 20s. I was tested multiple times in my childhood, but no one could figure out what I had. So, I made it my mission to figure it out myself. As a child, I thought my brain had messed up and was different. I was either early or late to appointments and have been trying to figure out what was happening for years. I wanted to know. My parents felt like I was fine and that I was getting the help I needed from school, so they didn’t worry about what I felt was important. If I had known earlier, I could have gotten more help and accommodations that could have helped me feel better about my academics.
As a young adult, I didn’t know how to get the answers I needed, so I did it the best way I knew how: I went to school to be an elementary and special education teacher. I was determined to learn what was going on with me and help the kids that I knew needed it. For me, that was the best way I could have done it. I needed to learn and eventually see a professional about what I now know as ADHD.
Now, what is ADHD? “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in attention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.” But there is so much more to this disorder. People know it as being hyper or someone that is a childhood disorder. People with it are often considered lazy or not trying hard enough. That is the complete opposite of what it is. I have even heard that it is just in boys and that girls don’t have it. All of these are true. There is so much more to these things than this. As a girl with it, it can present in many different ways.
I get crazy focused on 3 or 4 different tasks at once, so my brain is constantly switching from one thing to the next, which can lead to me forgetting a task or not finishing things. Another thing for me is to do the everyday things that people do. I love to shower, but it takes me ages to get my mind in the place to shower. Cooking is another hurdle that I sometimes have to motivate myself to do. Another thing I’ve found is that my brain hates words. It will make up random words that aren’t there and make reading aloud really difficult for me.
Working in school districts, I learned there is a lot more to ADHD than I even realized. One of the things I figured out is that if someone is diagnosed with ADHD, they could be diagnosed with something else. 60-80 percent of those diagnosed could have another diagnosis, like anxiety, sleeping disorders, or another learning disorder. “All disorders were found to have a higher prevalence among children and adolescents with ADHD than in the general population, especially ODD, tic disorders, GAD, Social Anxiety Disorder and Separation Anxiety Disorder.” When I got diagnosed, I asked my doctor, and we did a couple of other tests to see if there was anything else that I needed to be worried about. I have depression and anxiety along with my ADHD, and that helped me find a medication that could help with those.
I love that I have ADHD. It has helped me a lot, and even though it’s a downside for some, I think it adds an extra layer to my personality. It’s like a superpower.
Do you guys have ADHD? What do you guys do to? Comment down below.
References:
Njardvik, U., Wergeland, G. J., Riise, E. N., Hannesdottir, D. K., & Öst, L. (2025). Psychiatric comorbidity in children and adolescents with ADHD: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 118, 102571. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2025.102571
Thoughtswithme 
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