I'm a 17 year old girl diagnosed with predominately inattentive ADHD. To keep the story short i've been struggling with this disorder for a very long time, but didn't realize it was a struggle until I put a name to it. One day a little over a year ago I decided to google "why do I daydream so much" and many links came up about ADHD.

BOOM.

Clicking on the links on the topic was such a surreal moment. You know when you're talking to someone and you're trying to think of a word but you just can't put your finger on it. ADHD was the thing I couldn't quite put my finger on, and once my finger found it... it got worse. I was now fully aware of my day dreaming and I could now look back on my life and have a reason for so many things but oh my god it just got worse from there knowing I had it and suffering in silence. So fast forward a year and my ADD almost got my friends and I in a car accident. I wasn't even driving the car and my failure to listen (failure to hear really from being zoned out) put us in a very dangerous situation which made it clear to me that wanting to get help wasn't a selfish thing anymore, it would keep others around me safer.

I had a negative response from my family. I really don't want to get into the details because its a lot to type and I don't want to re live that time but just trust me that it was awful. I'm now on medication and it was life changing. I've had to switch medications now and its not effective at ALL but i have to wait until i can try the next trial dose that is a higher dose. But putting that aside, medication has made life better, but its not enough. After tests and assignments being on medication there was one thing left to fix. School. I've been able to study more, listen more in class discussions, but test taking has been incredibly hard because I miss the details which dock me marks big time. I had a conversation with my doctor and we made the decision for me to get extra time on tests. I gave the doctors note to my guidance counsellor and I know officially can be given extra time for tests and such. However, I have just gotten this approval or whatever now at the end of the semester, and I will be getting extra time for my final exams which start in a week. In terms of my friends in my class, seeing my friends in other classes after finishing the exam, and carpooling with people it will be obvious that I am getting extra time. I have chosen to start writing the exam with my class as my teacher will be there to answer any questions and then I will be escorted to the special ed exam room to finish my exam. I have no choice but to tell my friends that I am getting extra time but the reality is that I don't want to tell them.

I'm not ready to tell people I have ADHD.

The way I pictured it in my mind, I always thought that my first time telling people would be my roommates in university as having a quiet space is important for me and such... I have to tell people that i'm getting extra time but how do I tell them why? Should I just not tell them the reason and say I have an IEP orrrrrr? Can I not tell them I have it, and if I am telling them how do I even begin I don't want to give them my life story in terms of how it affects me, when I was diagnosed, why i'm getting extra time. I'M NOT READY TO TELL PEOPLE I HAVE ADHD.

So how to I go about this situation. I do not want to be judged and even if my close friends won't judge me I know that once people know that it will be different. People will be tempted to make comments, assume i'm acting strange if I'm "off my meds", and in the back of people's minds they will always be able to point out when my inattention is coming out. Thats scary and intimidating and i've already faced enough stigma with my own family and i'm not ready to face it with others... but I have no choice.

What do I do