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ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)

Find out about what it means to have ADHD

Topics in this section:


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Signs of ADHD

People effected by ADHD may:

  • Find it extremely difficult to stay focused on an activity for very long time

  • Get easily distracted

  • Not finish an activity before starting another one

  • Be fidgety and restless

  • Seem very talkative

  • Constantly interrupt

  • Find it hard to be organised

  • Always seem to be forgetting things

  • Lose things or seem preoccupied

  • Have trouble following instructions and paying attention
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The cycle of ADHD

  • ADHD is not recognized by those around them.

  • They are seen as “acting up” at school.
     
  • They are given a reputation of being “hard to manage”, “slow” or “rebellious”.
     
  • They actually start acting up because they feel no one expects anything different.

  • They keep doing poorly at school because of the ADHD and the acting up all the time.

  • The ADHD never gets addressed.

  • They don’t get any support to do better.

  • Their self-esteem is affected.

  • They begin to believe they really are “hard to manage”, “slow” or “rebellious”.

  • They begin to adopt that as a reputation or identity.

  • The cycle continues to affect their self-esteem, opportunities and relationships. 
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If you think you have ADHD

  • The first step is to ask your G.P. to refer you to someone who specialises in diagnosing and treating ADHD. Since the signs of ADHD are often also signs for other problems, so it’s important that if it’s ADHD or if it’s something else, that it’s properly diagnosed.

  • For more info, check out the ADHD Association

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