[danceislife]

I am in grade 12, and i'm a 17 year old girl. I've struggled with ADHD all of my life but never put a name to it until a year ago. I googled "why do I daydream so much" and a bunch of websites came up about ADHD. From there I began my journey of educating myself and finding the balls to tell my mom I wanted help. It took me over a year to finally tell someone about it.

At the beginning of this school year (september) I was put on a waiting list to see a specialist to diagnose me and manage treatment and such for ADHD. My family doctor basically told me I had it but in order to be officially diagnosed I had to see a paediatrician. I was set to see this specialist by the end of september but then I got sick and I was in the hospital. Not only did this mean that I was going to have a ****** 2 weeks after being discharged with my recovery... It meant I couldn't get another appointment until november. Instead of spending October finally diagnosed, on a treatment plan (in my case medication). I spent my october being told by my family that ADHD wasn't real, that I needed to try harder, and I was accused of being "drug seeking". So take someone who has trouble focusing and give them this family rejection on top of it and obviously my grades are going to suffer. I live in Canada and my school is semestered. Midterm report cards are given out in november. By the time I saw the specialist, got a diagnoses, and was put on medication it was too late to "bring up my grades" if you will.

So now i'm on medication, and life has gotten so much better in these first two weeks of being on Vyvanse. I have so much focus, I can listen in class, I can do work in class, I can do homework at home. Learning is so much easier, and I have so much more confidence. I know my grades are going to go up, they already are! But i'm just feeling so sad still. My midterm report card is not a reflection of my intelligence. To those who don't know I have ADD (I have the predominantly inattentive type) they look at my grades and probably see someone who doesn't care, or doesn't try hard enough. But i know that these grades are a reflection of waiting too see someone for treatment for a month longer then I expected while dealing with family rejection and frustration from not being able to focus. I had a ****** start to the school year.

I know my grades are going to improve, but because I had such a hard time focusing the first half of this semester... My foundation of knowledge is kind of weak. I just don't know what to do. The only people who know I have ADHD is my mom, dad, sister, and doctor. THATS IT. I haven't told my friends and tbh i'm not going to. I kind of want to talk to my guidance counsellor. She hasn't been the greatest counsellor in the past but as of recently she has been really helpful and supportive for other things. I kind of need to vent to someone and I was going to talk to her about what I should do about this.

This semester I have Chemistry, Adv Functions (math), and Dance. My chemistry teacher knows i've been struggling because I made him fill out the teacher rating scale thing. But he only filled out half because he hasn't known me for that long. My math teacher knows i've been struggling because I got my math teacher i've had for grade 10 and 11 to fill out the rating scale, and my grade 12 math teacher I have now actually gave me back that rating scale because my old math teacher asked him to. So I think my teachers know, but they don't really know. I was hoping maybe I could talk to them and ask them how to develop a better work ethic now that i'm on medication and out of that dark place I was in before. I just want to succeed and get my grades up because i would've been diagnosed earlier if i didn't get sick and admitted to a hospital for 4 days, and have to wait for another appointment a month later.

This school year has just been so frustrating, and i didn't expect to face my ADHD, or get sick, or feel this rejection from my family. I'm too scared to go to guidance right now, and I feel like if I go she might want to call my parents or something. UGHHH i just need to figure out how to get my life back on track. So I guess what i'm asking is should I speak to my guidance counsellor about this? And should i ask about talking to my teachers?? I'm just frustrated and I never want my friends to find out, but I feel like having a serious conversation with my teachers would benefit me. What do I do ???

[Skeezyks]

Hello danceislife: I'm an older person now. But, decades ago, when I was in high school, because I couldn't tell my guidance counselor what I wanted to do when I grew up, she told me I was going to be a bum! So I don't have the greatest confidence in guidance counselors. Hopefully they've improved over the years! I can't say whether or not you should talk with your guidance counselor or not. Likewise for your teachers. You know them. However, one thing is for certain. If they don't know about your ADHD diagnosis, they can't help you with it.

It sounds to me as though you're having some difficulty accepting your diagnosis. On the one hand, you're glad you finally have it & are getting some help with it. But, on the other hand, you'd really rather keep it a secret, especially from your friends. There is often discussion, within the mental health community, with regard to whether it is better to "come out" or to remain hidden. Ultimately, this is always an individual decision. However, I would like to suggest that it is something you should give some serious thought to. Carrying around secrets can be tough. It can become a way of life. I know because I've spent a lifetime carrying allot of them. After a while, they can drag you down. There is something to be said for letting the sun shine in.

I wish you all the best...

[Nike007]

Hello. I am in grade 11 and live in Canada and I am waiting to be tested for ADHD. I thought I had ADHD when I was reading the difference between giftedness and ADHD, since I was told I was gifted in mathematics. Anyways, I understand your pain of it. I have a busy semester of 5 courses. I got my midterms on Wednesday. My average dropped 10% since last year. It's not bad at all (83% I think), but it's not a full reflection of what I can do. I am starting to notice my attention getting worse, I forget things all the time, everything distracts me, and I have even been not doing my homework because it takes too much energy. Lately, I have been getting 60s in my courses, and I know it's not me at all.

I'm sorry about your parents. I have anxiety issues and my mom doesn't want to accept that I have anxiety issues. Maybe you want to get an IEP. I managed to get myself an IEP for my anxiety. An IEP means "individual education plan", meaning that you can get accommodations to help you be on the same playing field as others. You need to find the special education department at your school and give them a doctor's note stating you have ADHD and you need accommodations to help you succeed or what not. My IEP have helped me a lot, and I would be even at a worse state than I am now. So really try for an IEP. You can get things like extra time for test, extensions on assignments, and frequent breaks. If you want a better list of accommodations, you can ask me more about it. My friends know I have major anxiety and are cool with it. I have tried to explain to them though that I have attention problems and social skills problems and what not, but they forget too. I hope you manage to find something that works. I really think the IEP would be good for you. Good luck .

Also, you can get accommodations in college/university for it because of the disability act or whatever. I don't know what it's called in Canada, even though I live here lol. But I know in the states it's the ADA (American disability association) and the bill that allows the accommodations is the 504 bill. Anyways, sorry, some fun facts for you. I got distracted, lol. Good luck .

Social anxiety disorder, GAD, OCD, and panic attacks

Lexapro, 10 mg

[flyspy]

There are times when you are going to have to make your own path. It's times like these when you know you are right. You've done great so far with seeking treatment on your own. I hope your family becomes more supportive.

As for catching up, something similar happened to me in chemistry. Fortunately the teacher worked with me after class and my grades went up. Can you get a tutor, or get the teacher to spend extra time with you after class? Those options may help you improve.


Sent from my SM-G900M using Tapatalk