Neg. Stigma

This topic is very personal to me seeing that I have been diagnosed since my second grade year. As an adult with ADD there are all new sigma's that come along with this issue. The most important one is the misbelief that ADD is something that you out grow. This is incorrect however I have to continue to put myself through retesting and have to provide new documentation every 4 years to continue to receive the adaptive needs for my college classes. It is also hard because some people or even some professors do not believe that this is a true disorder. I suffer from this problem daily and have to constantly remind myself the coping techniques that I have learned through the years. Because of the retesting and the medications needed the extra expense of keeping up with this disorder can become costly. The negative stigma attached to ADD has cost me myself esteem, and several relationships due to the friends and or family who does not understand this disorder. Most people do not realize the emotional stress caused by the stigma attached by society. Growing up and even as an adult with ADD you are made to feel like an outsider because you are ashamed of many of the daily problems that you may encounter. For example my spelling is not at the same level as my vocabulary so I often do poor on written exams or just feel to ashamed to even write detailed notes at work. This is just one example of the fear that all adults with ADD have because of the negative stigmas that society has placed on these individuals. The most horrific thing that I have witnessed due to the negative stigma's is the fact that most teenagers are not encouraged by their peers, teachers, or parents to pursue further education. I graduated with 6 students who were ADD or ADHD and 2 of us went on to Jr. college and graduated and I am the only one who obtained a B.S\B.A. degree and the only one who went to graduate school. The other students allowed for the stigma to prohibit them from believing that they were capable of graduating from college. I was lucky and had my family who believed in me and refused to allow me to settle for less than my true potential. I also have a cousin who has ADHD and went on graduate with his B.S. and then his M.S.