Stigma Stinks

Not too long ago I wrote a blog about my journey through ADHD-land with my son Ben.  I've had people since who have read that blog reach out to me and thank me for being open, honest and an advocate.  The major reason I've begun blogging is mostly a selfish one.  It is a way for me to clear out my brain.  I also started blogging because I felt that as I cleared the clutter out of my brain, maybe, just maybe someone else out there in the world could benefit somehow from reading about my "crazy".  It is nice to know that this does indeed happen on occasion. I'm glad that my writing about something like having a child living with ADHD, I was able to make one person feel less alone in their journey with a child living with ADHD.  I enjoy being able to be a resource for anyone who may need it.  Having a child with any kind of health issue, medical condition or learning disability is a big deal for those parents and the affected child(ren).  Hearing and learning about other people's stories and journeys can be informative, helpful and healing.

There is a tremendous amount of stigma in the world regarding mental illness and learning disabilities. ADHD is at the forefront of the stigma.  From people who don't believe that ADHD is real to "Oh everyone has ADHD today".  Uhm, no.  No they don't.  I could literally throttle a person before they can even finish THAT sentence!  Do we live in a world today that requires attention to be diverted to a million different places and often simultaneously??  YES!  Yes we do!  Do we live in a world where we are so plugged in that it creates ADHD-like behaviors in people.  Sure!  We are always plugged in and always looking for that next "fix" to keep us engaged and interested.  The cell phone, the ipad, the laptop, the televison, the xbox, the wii, the playstation etc etc etc.  Where can I plug in next and when???  How long will it be before I can do it again??  This is the world we are living in.  We are all hustling and bustling to our jobs, our families, meetings, appointments and our next plug in fix in between all of it.  We are a society squirreling from one thing to another, very much like someone who has a neurobiological condition in which there brain synapses misfire and constantly search for a dopamine fix...someone who has ADHD.

So we live in a world that makes most people "act" a bit ADHD-like.  Oddly enough, the world we live in can actually be pretty conducive to someone who has ADHD. The ADHD brain likes this plugged in world. It makes it a bit easier to have your brain constantly hyper-linking when you can literally be hyper-linking on your phone or your computer.

I could go on and on but I won't because my brain just might hyper-link itself into a whole other topic such as why is my dog smart enough to hear when the neighborhood dogs are within a million feet of our house but when I walk into the house in the middle of the night he can't recognize my voice to know it is me???!!! Crazy puppers!

I recently came across an awesome TED Talks video regarding what it is like for someone who has ADHD. My husband also lives with ADHD and when he saw the video he said it was spot on.  "This is exactly what goes on in my brain!!"  So instead of listening or reading my banter, check this video out.  This is how an ADHD brain can work and NO, we don't all have ADHD!!  ;o)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0hY5TYVv_s

ADHD is a journey I never planned for but I sure do love my tour guide!

Tootles
Ro