TELL ME ABOUT ADHD

Up until maybe a year ago, I really couldn’t tell you what ADHD was. Sure, I knew what it stood for. However, there are numerous nuances to this diagnosis that I was previously unaware of.

I received a dyslexia diagnosis at the age of six. They sent me to a psychologist, showed me Rorschach tests, gave me a series of questions, and asked me to read aloud. They assigned special tutors to help me read at my grade level, considering me a textbook case.

But ADHD was never mentioned. In fact, it wasn’t until I was around children of neuropsych age that I started to question my own diagnosis.

I began to learn (thanks to an onslaught of Instagram memes) that ADHD manifested differently in females. All my adorably annoying quirks I attributed to being a Gemini were actually symptoms of a larger issue.

I now know that girls most often present with ADHD around the age of twelve. Their inward-focused hyperactivity resembles daydreaming. If left untreated, it usually transforms into anxiety. "HELLO ZOLOFT, IT'S ME, JENNY!"