AN ADHD campaigner says stereotyping can prevent people from seeking a diagnosis and support for the ‘difficult’ condition.
Melanie Daffin, 19, spoke out after being diagnosed with ADHD.
Miss Daffin said: “It was never something I suspected I had. To somebody who doesn’t know anything about ADHD, you wouldn’t know that I had it at all.”
“Most people think of a boy at the back of a classroom messing around.
“Most people know boys with ADHD rather than females. In females it is often undiagnosed until later in life, as the symptoms display differently.”
Miss Daffin, who was diagnosed last August, explained how the condition affects her life.
She said: “Everything goes about 1,000 miles an hour faster than (for) everyone else. It has an impact on my financial situation. If I am having an argument with someone, I will say the first thing that comes to mind. I am forgetful, and it makes my time management very difficult.”
“It can make work quite difficult if my medication isn’t working one day. I have had some days where I have told myself I should quit my job because I am not good enough.”
Miss Daffin, a medical laboratory assistant, said: “I can get quite frustrated and I feel doubt in myself. I think I am letting other people down or letting myself down.”
Miss Daffin struggled to accept the news when she was told she had ADHD. She said: “I felt ashamed, I felt isolated, I felt suicidal because I didn’t know who I was.”
However, she says she is now more positive. She said: “Since getting my diagnosis, my life has improved. It allowed me access to the medication and treatment I need and gave me answers that I could explore on my own to get myself better.”
She said there are “perks” to having ADHD. “If I do a job I tend to do it well even if it takes me a bit longer than some people. I think more people should come out and talk about their experiences. There is no shame in it.”
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