The e-mails I receive are all different, because we as people are all different. They are all beautiful in many ways. I read your words and I hear your pain. In many cases, I’ve felt your pain, too, because I’ve been there. I hear from those who do not believe that ADD exists and from those who without a doubt know it exists. I hear from the struggling parent who doesn’t have ADD and is desperately trying to understand his ADD child. I hear from the ADD parent of an ADD child who is at his wits end because they’re afraid of doing the wrong thing in raising their child. There are people who struggle, as I did with the issue of whether to use medication or whether to give medication to their child.
Thank you so much for sharing your pain and joy with me. I know that many of you struggle with teachers that don’t understand your children and with administrators who believe they know what is best for your child – even when you don’t agree. I know that you run into people, perhaps family members, that don’t believe you or your child have ADD. As a matter of fact, my own parents don’t believe I have it, but without a doubt, I do, and my psychiatrist agrees.
There are so many things to misunderstand about ADD and the e-mails I receive reflect this. Most of the e-mails I receive relate to problems someone is having because of misunderstanding or simply lack of knowledge – ignorance, if I may be so blunt. We’ve come a long way in terms of mental illness, and bio-chemical ‘problems’, but there is still a long way to go and much education still to be done if we are to be accepted for the wonderful, but different, people that we are. I encourage you to help in that education whenever you get the chance.
I know I’m trying to do my part with this column. I hope that you will share it with those who need to know more about ADD. There is a great deal of research in the field of ADD, and this can only help educate people more about both its existence and its complications – or at least the complications it sometimes causes those of us who have and are ADD.
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