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ADHD stinks! That mostly sums it up for Mack, not completely, but mostly.
It's hard to focus and concentrate, and so at school Mack's grades started falling because she would find herself paying attention to a ton of things that weren't important, or at least that didn't have much to do with what they were studying. For instance, in Math, instead of paying attention to the teacher and the work on the board, she would be transfixed by a tiny crumb sitting on the edge of her desk.
Mack has had ADHD for as long as she can remember, so she figures she's had it since she was born. And, it has also been really hard for as long as she can remember. Sometimes people think she's weird but she's just Mack, a kid with ADHD.
Living with ADHD comes with its own side effects, like depression, and anxiety, and she's been living with those since she was in 4th grade. Now she's in 8th. ADHD treatment also comes with a lot of pills and medications. Mack has been taking as many as five different pills every day for her entire life. That's a lot of medicine.
Now she takes three pills a day: one antidepressant, one medication to help her stay focused, and one pill to help her sleep at night. See, ADHD also sometimes brings on insomnia, which is difficulty either falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early.
Mack has had insomnia since she was in 3rd grade, and at one point it got so bad that she couldn't sleep at all - she stayed awake for four days straight - she kept falling asleep in school, literally passing out from being so tired. One day she passed out during recess and opened her eyes to find all of her friends standing over her, staring at her.
In Mack's opinion, ADHD is one of the hardest conditions to live with that there is. She's still learning to deal with it. It comes with so many side effects, and living with ADHD just makes you really self conscious. People who don't know her probably think she is really weird, especially because when she is feeling really overwhelmed with anxiety she finds she has to find a quiet place, curl up in a tight little ball, and not talk with anyone. And that can go on for up to an hour or two before she starts to feel better.
It's been really tough living with ADHD, and Mack's great hope is that she can learn to manage it and overcome the effects and side effects as an adult. BUT, the one thing Mack knows for sure is that living with ADHD, and fighting to overcome it, has made her a stronger and better person, while at the same time, of course, it also is responsible for the parts of her she could do without.
It's hard for her to explain - Living with ADHD is definitely a burden, but in a weird way it's also a special thing to have - it boosts your creativity and imagination. It has helped to shape who Mack is today and she is more than okay with that! She has ADHD and she's still learning to deal with it.
ADHA is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. ADD stands for Attention Deficit Disorder. They both relate to the same chronic condition including attention difficulty, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. Concentration can be extremely difficult with ADHD and ADD. Diagnosis and treatment from a Doctor are necessary. 11 million people have ADHD.
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