Hello addlawyer:

Welcome to the ADDitude forums! Look, you're a lawyer, so you probably know more than I do about the legal considerations involved in divulging your ADHD to your employer. If that is not your main concern, then I would say yes - absolutely you should discuss your ADD and the steps you've taken recently to better manage your condition.

Perhaps you DO want to let your boss first speak his peace about your performance. Then follow up by saying that, while you don't mean to make excuses, you've targeted one big, fixable reason for the problems: ADD. It is important for the firm to know that you are dedicated to your work and to improving your job performance through various means - one of which is ADD medication.

Of course this shouldn't be your only response to the situation. You should discuss setting up more frequent reviews/meetings to keep problems from festering, solutions for eliminating common errors in your work, etc. to show that you are willing to do whatever it takes.

Best of luck! And let us know how it turns out...

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I told my previous employer at an administrative-type job about having ADD and it helped smooth awkward moments and shed some light on some of my problems at work. I connected well with my manager, however, and it was an act of trust to let her know my situation.

While I didn't request any special accommodations, just having her aware helped me in that her and my coworkers' acceptance motivated me to stay focused. They also felt comfortable to remind me to stay on task as needed. It provided extra informal "structure" because I KNEW they knew! By having it out there, I actually felt more accountable for my behavior. But this was very specific to this group of encouraging coworkers. Some didn't seem to care about the diagnosis and resented my mistakes, disability or not!

In the end, the work was very demanding and may not have been a good long term fit for me (hectic work for a variety of clients, including laywers, architects, and debt relief agencies). I have not told my current workplace about my condition, but my current manager seems to already understand how I work best.

Perhaps ADD tendencies she's encountered before (it's an IT department) makes her well suited to deal with me! She seems to know to sit me away from distracting places, has warned me not to over socialize, and expects daily updates on my work. Because of the interesting daily tasks (programming and writing) as well as a positive work environment and great coworkers, I don't feel compelled to come out of the "ADD closet" at this time. I may do so, but mostly because I trust my coworkers and manager.

In your situation, it's scarier in that this may feel like a defensive move for you, rather than a positive moment of sharing. What does your instinct say? Divulging you have ADD may FEEL like a last-ditch attempt and/or excuse if you really feel you're about to be fired. But I agree with Anni Rodgers in that divulging the information in a positive way and being proactive can go a long way. The choice is ultimately yours, but I hope our feedback can give you some insight and examples!

Oh and be careful in putting too much stock in what you've overheard from other(s?). Well-intentioned employees may be exageratting your situation. Perhaps EVERYONE's position is "up in the air" at the firm? Could there be a general slowdown with divorces overall? I don't know how often I've freaked out over what a coworker or friend has told me and it turned out not to be a big deal.

It's strange that you'd be "warned" only to be possibly fired shortly after. Don't companies try to be secret about firing employees? Also don't they do firings on Friday to soften the blow? Your "review" isn't on a Friday, is it?!? :-)

Know that even if this is the end of your position at that job, it is NOT the end of your career. My past tough and good jobs make me appreciate the current one! Best of luck as well to you.

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I had adhd as a kid. I thought I had grown out of it even though I've lost like 30 jobs in 20 years. When I had a bad review in July I went to a doctor to see if it really was the adhd causing my issues. I got meds and they did help me focus. I also told my boss. My mistake was not telling him what the good parts and bad parts of adhd are. My boss and HR made the assumption that I was "mentally disabled" i.e. not smart. I didn't realize this until a few weeks ago. I have gotten accomodations and through a great therapist discovered this is not the right environment for me and maybe not the right job. I will take some time off to find a better fit for myself that may not be in the IT field I've been in for 15 years. But back to telling the boss - ask them what they would like to know about adhd and maybe give them this website so they can research on their own. If it doesn't work out then maybe it's a chance to find an environment that better suits your wonderful abilities.

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I don't believe in telling your boss. Business and law are competitive, and you don't want people to think you're a victim. It explains your mistakes, but it doesn't explain how you'll really succeed.

Plus, no one wants to hear excuses. Dustin Pedroia just won the baseball MVP and he's 5' 8", he didn't ask for special consideration because he's 6 inches shorter than most of his teammates.

Better off getting another job that fits your work habits where you'll excel. Where are you sounds too routine for someone who thinks like we do.

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Just today I was asked by the Director of Nursing (DON) to step down from being the Manager of the hospitals transplant program. I am sorry you are having trouble at your firm and I really do relate to what you posted. The DON started out by telling me she has no confidence in my ability to remain in the position. I am so embarrassed. I have worked so hard to become a professional. I spent so much time in school getting a Bachelor in Nursing then a Masters in Business and now I realize my degrees won’t hide my ADHD. I do believe somehow this will work out the way it is supposed to but I am really uncomfortable with the whole thing. I am new to ADHD and just started meds last month. Hopefully this will help me in my next position. Take care and God Bless you.

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I completely relate. I am a lawyer too, and my problem is I let things get bad at work before even seeking therapy. Now, my therapist thinks I might have moderate ADD and this might be causing me difficulties at work. I am 35 and excelled at grade school and high school level, and managed to coast even through college and law school with fairly good grades. If I get meds, and they help, do I tell, or do I just hope that I don't get fired before I can make up for past problems?

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I seem to be in the same situation. I had a quarterly review this past Friday and my boss essentially said that I needed to get better at my attention to detail on reports or we would have to part company. I have until the end of February to prove to him that I can improve. Don't get me wrong, he's really a good guy but is right, the work that I have done on my reports have not improved in my two years with the company. The ironic thing is that my daughter has ADD and in talking with her teacher saw the same traits that I have. She is soon to be 10 and has experienced a remarkable recovery thanks to treatment. I went to my psychologist last week and told him of my issues that seemed to have gotten worse, attention span and the attention to detail issue. He thinks it might be ADD but wanted to talk to my primary care physician. I have a followup with him this Tuesday.

With that said, I eluded to my boss when we met that it might be a medical issue and was checking into it. Let's say that I am diagnosed with ADD and then tell him. I can do the job, marketing for a magazine publisher, and really like where I work. The clock seems to be ticking or can I buy some time hoping that if I'm diagnosed with ADD or whatever it will get better even if it doesn't totally improve by the deadline?

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This is too late probably for the original poster, but i wanted to add my two cents, because I had to deal with this in a new job recently and it went very well. I took a different approach, however, than discussing a mental health/disability issue.

I was having serious problems at work that caused me to seek help, and I was having major anxiety over my poor performance and what the lawyer I work with thought of me. (I'm a corporate paralegal. The lawyer I actually do work for isn't my supervisor/boss). I decided I didn't want to divulge too much information, but needed to deal with the situation, so I decided to talk to the lawyer, but not my supervisor.

I asked if he had concerns about my performance because I felt I hadn't been working up to my potential. I told him that I was having some difficulties, but was seeking some help that would assist me in reducing my weaknesses and improving upon my strengths. In other words, I used the language of business and performance, not the language of psychology. I didn't approach it as an HR issue, but as an issue of identifying what I need to improve, and being proactive about getting the help I needed to do so. I didn't mention that I was going to a psychologist or that it had to do with a potential disability. That's none of their business unless I need special accomodations.

I felt much better afterward, and got some good feedback in return. It helped with my anxiety, which helped me get out of bed and go to work in the morning and concentrate on my work.

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