Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is seen by some as “not real” or an attempt to “normalize” the behavior of children, in particular boys and young men. The truth is that it is a real and diagnosable mental illness, and labeling it as “not real” harms those affected by it.

People who are opposed to treating individuals with ADHD fail to grasp the evidence:  differences in brain activity and structure, as well as the hereditary nature (40 percent have at least one parent with ADHD). Some might point to scientists and doctors who call it fake, but forget that there are scientists who deny global warming’s existence. 

While I am not a scientist, I can see the outcry against the disorder has a real effect, especially on me.

I was diagnosed with ADHD-Hyperactive in kindergarten. All I knew then was that I had to take a blue pill and a yellow pill every morning. Life continued like that until high school, when I started learning about the disorder and my mind. It helped immensely.  No longer was I alone, but part of a community. Previously, I lived my life unaware of others like me; normal people with a brain like mine.

By labeling our illness as “fake,” the people who could help us push us down, labeling us as lazy or as “just being kids.”  The brain of an ADHD patient sends signals slower compared to those without, which is why we are prescribed stimulants.  Without help, we struggle through a society that is not built to accommodate our needs.

Many teens with ADHD will drop out of school, be suspended or fail a grade level.  The system either catches the illness and treats the individual or fails itself by allowing a student to fall through the cracks. 

ADHD has high correlation with other illnesses, such as depression and anxiety. In fact, 25 percent of us with ADHD have anxiety, and 30 percent have depression. People telling us our pain is just a lie built to sell drugs do not help. Many of us, including myself, have experienced moments of self-hatred and loathing, temporarily convinced by a minor error or bad luck that we have failed our loved ones and ourselves.

I do not want to sound offensive towards others with mental illnesses, but the focus of the public is to “cure” people on the Autism spectrum and others. We do not want to be “fixed.”  We want a society that appreciates us for our abilities and gives us room and time to discover them.  We don’t want people to see us as broken or weak, because we sure don’t.