See "Silencing Skeptics: The Truth About ADHD" in ADDitude Magazine. Also, a summary of it "Snappy Comebacks to ADD Doubters: in ADD Myths & Realities.

Best wishes to you!

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I have this posted and carry it with me - hopefully it will help (sorry it is long): 18 Things Adults with ADHD Would Like Other People to Know

I have ADD; I cannot get over it or get rid of it - I can, however, learn to manage symptoms of it. Some days I will be better at this than others. I do not use ADD as an excuse. ADD can cause me to be distracted. Never assume that a careless word was intentional until you talk it over with me. I'm not deliberately misunderstanding you. I do tend to latch on to a picture of what you're saying, and it can be wrong. If I ask interminable questions, it's because I want to be sure I get what you're saying. It's a sign of respect for you. If I'm out of order, just tell me that. I get conclusions mixed in with facts easily, and with a little patience, we can work out what needs to come first, middle, and last. I want my partner to allow me to win (Do not focus on what I did not get done or what I did incorrectly, look for what I have completed and accomplished and ignore the rest.) Have the patience to allow me to learn what they are trying to teach. You are one of the people who sustain me and quirks, or no quirks I have every intention of meeting your needs. I try. Even if it looks like I am not. I am also as tired of failures (maybe more) than you are. Just remember I try. I am frustrated with my abhorrent short-term memory. I prefer to refer to ADD as "Multi Focal Cognition" a term that better describes my drifting thoughts and tangential conversations. The answer to the question: "Why can't you just get your act together and do things like normal people?" is: "Normal is a selection on a washing machine, imagine how boring we'd all be if we were all normal." ADD is not something that gets "cured," but that gets treated and something that one lives with every day. I will probably always forget thing, lose things, miss details and have difficulty paying attention. Some days will be better than others. We think a little different, just as it is tough to understand how we think in your mind, so it is with us to understand how your mind "works". It does not make us stupid or uncaring, just different! This is not anyone's fault, it just "is". Accept me for who I can only hope that you can someday relish my uniqueness.

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I am quite open about my ADHD. As an educator I think the biggest difference I've made is dicussing ADHD with parents of children with ADHD. I think that many times they appreciate hearing about it from an adult perspective. I

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When I first was diagnosed I absolutely believed that sharing and educating was the way to go! Now, I wish I could erase it from a few people's memories. I have a boss at work that appears to be the kind who wants to talk things through and learn from others, so initially when some mixups happened I was more then willing to talk to her about some of the issues. Those later showed up in an eval as "blames others" and "appears to expect special treatment" both of which I had to laugh about because both are soooo far from the truth. She has brought it up multiple times over the last 4 yrs and continues to tell me I just have to "choose" to think and react in the right way, i.e. her way. I'm done talking about it now. I am leaning more and more toward the just think I'm odd camp :) For my daughter, however, I am all about advocacy and education for her teachers. I let her choose whether to tell friends or not.

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I'll admit, I've discussed with a few people. My best friend, my family and a couple of colleagues at work. People I actually do talk with on a personal level. One other person I shared the info with, as well as some literature, was my manager. My main reason for trusting her, and being willing to share the information was she has an ADD son and I think she'd be more understanding.

She has started to read the lit I gave her, and she's now going to share it with her best friend, because she may have an ADHD teenaged daughter.

Knowing how under diagnosed it is in women, I have no problem sharing the info with people I believe will not act in ignorace or prejudice.

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I too have to consider who I am around before I mention my ADHD diagnosis. My closest friends no that I have it and can tell when I have an ADD moment.

These are frustrating at times, but they can also help me laugh them off also. I get great support from my treatment team, husband of 24 years and close friends and relatives.

My doctor once told my husband and I that he wanted to try me off of my meds and my husband told him that he couldn't stand to be around me without it. I did't take it personal because I couldn't stand to be with myself either.

I guess that I am one of the lucky ones to have so much support. I am 42 now and was diagnosed when I was 30. Before the medication life was pretty miserable out there. I just make sure to take my meds like I am supposed too. Thanks

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Oh, I wished we all lived in a world where it is 110% acceptable to discuss mental health issues in the same way that most people discuss physical health issues...just as the medical facts, thank you very much! Well, unfortunately we don't live in that world - there are still plenty of members of the general public who, despite being well-educated and having the best intentions, still see mental health issues as character flaws, not legitimate and treatable conditions. Even if they do accept these conditions as legitimate, there is so often a great stigma attached to anything remotely related to mental health. I feel very fortunate to have grown up with a parent who is a health professional, and on top of that a locally well-known advocate for mental health awareness and treatment - and it still took me until three months ago (at age 24) to get diagnosed with ADD. Go figure. Anyhoo - so, because sadly there are plenty of people out there who do not think that ADD is "real," or if it is that it's something that's "acceptable" to have, the fact that I have ADD is not something I choose to share with the general public.

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