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I Struggled. I Cried. I Failed. Then, I Was Diagnosed - and Reborn

When I suddenly couldn't function at work or at home, adult ADHD was the last thing on my mind, until my therapist saw what I didn't and gave me a diagnosis.

5 Comments: I Struggled. I Cried. I Failed. Then, I Was Diagnosed - and Reborn

  1. I had the same reaction when I took my meds!I have not been the same since. I suffered too long with ADHD! Diagnosed at 47 and I was a total mess! I will never go off my meds!

  3. Yay, Stroney!

    I’m a photojournalist, and love to see articles and photos properly matched up. So, good for Anni and ADDitude for making this right.

    That said, the stigma needs to GO! So many of my African American and Black fiends (British, Ethiopian and from the NL) say there is still a HUGE stigma within their communities against anything wrong “in the head” and we need to change this, so everyone can get the help they need. One of my friends I am sure is bipolar. He brags about only needing three or four hours of sleep per night, and being so productive…for about three months, before he crashes, loses another job, and sleeps for weeks at a time in a deep depression. There are such good studies now, and drugs that WORK.

    René Brooks is one of my heroes now, and I hope she continues to write about these things and inspire others. My ADHD wasn’t diagnosed until I was 46, so most of my life I thought I was on the wrong planet. My first time medicated (I had to “borrow” Ritalin and try it myself with my husband watching me carefully to see if I did anything crazy) was very much like hers. Sadly, it did not continue as well as the first time, and my house is still a wreck.

  4. Such a relevant article. I can truly relate to the feelings expressed by her. I have followed Renee Brooks of Black Girl Lost Keys for awhile now and have to say, I was disappointed with the image selected to represent this article. It is of a Caucasian woman with red hair. I understand that sometimes there is not much thought that goes into the selection of an image, but it can represent so much. It can highlight how universal ADHD is and how it transcends Race, it can be just another image of a woman with adhd, or it can be a beacon of hope for women of color who are often underrepresented in the arena of mental health. The amazing writer of this article is a woman of color that has adhd. I for one would have loved to see that reflected in the image selected.

    1. You are 100% right, sroney. Thank you for alerting us to this and for prompting us to find a more appropriate and inclusive image for this great essay. We apologize for the error and will work on evaluating other images.

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