A Case of the Two ADHD Writers and (their incredibly procrastinated investigation of) The Rise in ADHD Diagnoses

There is this irony with ADHD support resources: if people could work through all the steps to get accommodations, (i.e. schedule the mental health appointments, show up to said appointments on time, do the paperwork, and apply through their workplace or university) then they probably wouldn’t have needed the accommodations in the first place. I think the same concept should be applied to this article. If the process of us, Annabel and Emily, writing this article (while both having been diagnosed with ADHD) was seamless, then we wouldn’t be qualified to give an inside perspective on the topic in the first place. Executive function impairment found in those with ADHD can cause individuals to lack organization of time and space. This often results in habits of being rushed, scattered, and impulsive, and struggling with attention. Unfortunately, this lack of attention includes―you guessed it―deadlines (such as the one we had made weeks ago for this article).

Our Manic Pixie Dream Girl Experience

Everyone with mental health disorders incorporates symptoms into their life differently, meaning there is no manifestation of a disorder that is ‘more valid’ than another. It can be common for boys with ADHD to fulfill the role of class clown or trouble maker in the class (usually resulting in getting them the attention they need to be diagnosed), but we had different, more ‘quirky’ methods for our undiagnosed manifestations.

For us it more so looked like rushing into class, hair disheveled, outfit a mismatched assembly of the first pieces of clothing, with the usual lame excuse for an untimely appearance and an explanation of yet another ‘crazy’ 3 hour night of sleep, all while scribbling haphazardly the last of the notes due that morning. I was eccentric and bubbly, with limitless curiosity, both seeming to excel in academics, sports, and extracurriculars; however, I was absolutely and utterly falling apart. This was the constant cycle I knew as “life”. This cycle has been further exacerbated under Berkeley’s academic load. Being diagnosed late in college, about 8 months ago, was not necessarily easy. My first appointment with a psychiatrist began similarly to many of my…