ADHD Reflection

I have a personal connection to this topic as I have struggled with having ADHD my whole life. Since I was a child I have battled with decision making, completing tasks, getting distracted, forgetting necessary things, being unaware of my surroundings, having random bursts of impulsivity, judging the importance of certain things, as well as not being able to let go of things easily. I had always seen it as nothing but a character flaw, something that I could just fix if i worked hard enough. Boy was I wrong. Close to two years ago I had been diagnosed with depression and my family pushed me to see a counselor, so to get them off my back I agreed. My first appointment, my doctor had many questions for me and half way through the session …show more content…
As I sat there with a dumbfounded look on my face, the first thought that crossed my mind was “where on earth did this lady get her credential”. As I proceeded to tell her that I in fact did not know this, she explained to me how just in the 20 minutes I had been answering her questions I displayed almost every major indicator of ADHD. Now not only did I believe every stereotype about ADHD before this, but I resented my parents for the lack of discipline they had displayed toward my brother who had been diagnosed years before this and had extreme behavioral problems, so you can imagine my astonishment to her question. She then continued to explain to me that ADHD often is hard to diagnose in girls that have never had behavioral issues, but that does not mean it’s not present, in addition to the thought that even though my brother and I have the same mental disorder, It displays itself in different forms for different people. I went home that night and I did TONS of research, and eventually came to the conclusion she was correct. Soon after, I decided that the only way to really tell if that was what I was struggling with, was to start taking …show more content…
Stereotyping is a widely perceived notion about a person or group of people that originates from an exaggerated version of the truth. Stereotyping comes from a human’s susceptibility in attempts to over simplify the social world. Unfounded stereotypes are called misconceptions. Misconceptions are an assumed belief about someone based on the group one assumes they affiliate with, that usually have no foundation of truth whatsoever. Not only do misconceptions and stereotypes demonstrate a warped perception of what defines someone, but they allow influences like the media to display stigmatizing versions of the truth in a persuasive manner, as well. Regardless of the cause or of the or benefits of stereotypes, it's time to stop social categorization and help spread awareness of the detrimental impact to one's life, that a misleading stereotype can