"Hello, I have ADHD!" A short overview over ADHD to show loved ones

(Also this is Noodaru-Chan from your discord server; lovely server you have!~<3)

Marcy

I don’t have it myself BUT I do have some friends in various communities that unfortunately were diagnosed with adhd, this and your comics help me a lot with understanding it better so I can help my friends, thanks lil Alien c: ❤️

Marcy

I like how it *doesn't* try to cover every detail as a summary. If I tried to make an overview like this, you can bet it would have 10 times this much stuff and nobody would read it. Anyway, some other ideas from my life are Conversation: "rambling" in way too much depth about something I'm excited about without much introduction. I appreciate when someone asks me to summarize instead of tuning me out entirely. Perspective: One pro is that we tend to think "big picture" and bring some interesting perspective from that because of how attention ranges around on big topics e.g. at work. I've heard this called "a Ferrari brain with bicycle brakes". We're just chaotic in the approach and need good collaborators to help organize plans and fill in the many gaps. An ADHD example: "You're reading 7 different books right now?"

David Barnett

This is amazing. I’ve just been diagnosed and I really need something like this!! I think it might be helpful maybe to explain that ADHD isn’t just addiction to stimulus (addiction is stereotyped quite negatively where I’m from). Several people have physically reacted (smiling, un-crossing arms, more eye contact) when I explained how my symptoms come from dealing with *under* stimulation rather than being me constantly seeking highs. Not anything against people who do struggle with addictions, but each is a different kind of struggle. I don’t know if that’s as relevant in Germany though, Pina.

This is awesome, Pina. Maybe the connection between ADD and anxiety/depression. Something like 80% of people with ADD have a psychological comorbidity and those often get more of the attention, but they are related! I'm either going 100 miles/hr (and my heart beats like a hummingbird, cold blood runs through my veins) or 0 (and that's when I spiral down into depression). These are ways that people can help me--if they see me doing either--to love me through it. :)

An explanation about how I can be doing more than one thing at the same time and still be present! Just because I’m playing a game on my phone doesn’t mean I’m not paying attention- a lot of the time it means I’m paying MORE attention to because my brain can focus better when the noise is quieted by the game.

The time blindness is a big one. I think for non-ADHDers, it's hard to conceptualize what that means and personally I've always struggled to articulate it. I hired a coach to help me, and to help my partner understand. When she explained time blindness to him, it was like it changed everything.

Destinee E.

I'd add a brief thing about the lesser-known symptoms like RSD. Also that ADHD doesn't always look like bouncing around, etc; I didn't get diagnosed until 21 because I was an honors student

Syd Rosen

Oh man that’s so cute! I’d bet she’d love that!!

Taryn

I love all of this! A new person I started dating asked for any resources she could look at to understand my symptoms better and ways to support me. So I’ve been gathering a few things here and there for her to look at at her leisure!

Taryn

Ah that’s a good one! I’m always astonished when I get told “you don’t look like you have ADHD”. Well, why do you think that is???

ADHD Alien

I love this, it's totally something I'd want to give my niece who is 13 and also has adhd, i like all the ideas here, positivity, overcoming stigma, how others can be allies/helpful

MJ Wright

Id like people to understand that sometimes people get bullied into hiding their symptoms by overexerting themselves because of the stigma, so people can appear to be without symptoms because of that. (@ my family)

The Daybreak System