Last fall, I was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. As it says in the name, ADHD affects a person’s ability to focus, causing them to show hyperactive and sometimes impulsive behaviors. There may be general characteristics for the disorder, but every case is different. If I were to describe my ADHD to someone, I’d say that sometimes my thoughts just go too fast, and my brain eventually exhausts itself. This causes me to space out or get tired. On days that I don’t take my medication, I’ll have periods of being hyper and manic, followed by a period of drowsiness. This was actually the reason I was diagnosed. My family always had a suspicion because I was just a rambunctious kid, but then I started nodding off in math class my eight grade year. This problem continued when I started classes my freshman year, and that’s when they took me to the doctor.

I have the most trouble focusing when there isn’t any background noise and nothing stimulating my brain, which makes class lectures especially hard. I think this need to stimulate my brain is why I involve myself with so many extracurriculars, like theatre, band, and Student Council. My least favorite thing is when I’m stuck at home with nothing to do, which is incidentally what has been happening for the past six months. Over quarantine, I almost completely stopped taking my medication. Without taking my medication, I’m not focused or motivated enough to get anything done. My room slowly became a mess, practicing for band became rare, and I started to get out of shape. The whole experience taught me a lot about myself and the things I need to be successful. ADHD isn’t a life-destroying thing. I simply need to hold myself to a schedule. Having said that, most mental disorders differ from person to person. My experience with ADHD isn’t universal.