Advocating for Yourself
I cannot remember how old I was when I first thought that I might possibly have ADHD. But, I do remember the first time I asked someone if it was possible that I had ADHD. I was rebuffed. That was that. However, I continued to underperform in school.
In college, I began noticing that I was struggling to focus on the things most important to me. One day, as I was praying in a chapel and struggling to focus, I became dejected at my inability to focus on something so important to me. I left the chapel wondering, “What is wrong with me?” I knew I needed to take action.
Despite being shut down the last time I asked someone if I had ADHD, I decided to seek out a diagnosis of ADHD, just to ensure I had explored that possibility. My primary care physician referred me to someone who interviewed me for a few minutes and then told me my grades were too good for me to have ADHD. She gave me a lame suggestion to test if I was focused in class and gave me a vague promise that, if I was still struggling to focus, she would see me again. I was dejected. I was left without answers. Some time went by, and I received a hefty bill from the provider who barely listened to me and apparently wasn’t in my insurance network. After seeing the bill, I was incensed, and I was encouraged by my mother to go to an in-network provider who would actually run tests. This I did, and I was diagnosed with ADHD.
Then, I was assigned to a resident psychiatrist who would be replaced every year or two. After a few years of having several different psychiatrists, I asked my primary care physician if he would handle my ADHD medications since I had basically been making all of my medication decisions anyway. He was not comfortable doing that, but he offered to call the behavioral health center and ask to have me assigned to a physician who wouldn’t leave every year or so. Now, I have been with a psychiatrist that knows me and has been working with me for a few years. It is a much better situation.
Why do I share all of this with you today? Well, I share it because my story underscores the importance of advocating for yourself. In order to thrive with ADHD, you need to stand up for yourself. The system is not catered to your needs. So, I encourage you today to be your own advocate. Stand up for yourself and your needs. If someone won’t listen to you, find someone who will. It is not easy. But, you were not made for an easy life; you were made for greatness (to paraphrase a wise man). And so, I challenge you today to make some noise and be heard.