PHOTOGRAPHED BY LISSYELLE LARICCHIA
Author: Dr. Sanah Ahsan's article, please click here.
Are you struggling to focus? Finding it hard to concentrate on one thing or read for more than 30 seconds without picking up your phone? Do you feel like you don’t fit in, like you can’t do bills, taxes or keep up with the pace of society? Are ADHD memes circling online resonating with you? You’re not alone.
Hundreds of thousands more women are being assessed for ADHD than ever before, especially Black women. According to data from 2014, 19.3% of Black British women had been recently diagnosed with ADHD, compared to 9.4% of white British women. On top of this, many people are self-diagnosing: videos with the hashtag #ADHD on TikTok have 2.4 billion views and more young people are visiting doctors to report they have ADHD based on a TikTok video.
But are those of us experiencing difficulties with attention really mentally 'disordered' or are we experiencing understandable responses to a distracting and overwhelming world? And what additional harm is caused by telling those who are struggling that they are 'disordered' rather than normal?
What is ADHD?
ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a description of a group of experiences, not an explanation. These very real and sometimes debilitating experiences include difficulties with concentration and focus, forgetfulness, restlessness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness, which show up in verydifferent ways for different people.
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