I suffer from bipolar disorder, specifically bipolar depression, and I too, for many years, attributed all my problems to depression. It is only now that ADD was suggested to me can I see my disorganization and difficulty with the way that schools are structured, as well as many other symptoms, truely explained.

I've been called lazy and told if I only applied myself I could excell at anything. The implicit judgement was that it was my own fault I wasn't accomplishing more or sometimes anything at all. Hearing such messages certainly damages our self esteem, as your title expresses.