I think there should be way more social awareness about ADHD and what it really is.

Hi, I'm Mateusz, I'm 19. This is my very first post on this subreddit. So...

I truly feel like ADHD is such a misunderstood disorder and I haven't understood it myself before I got diagnosed.

I have quite a long health history regarding my mentality. All that time I've been speculating on a lot of mental issues, disorders, but honestly, ADHD has never crossed my mind.

I decided to do a diagnosis, because my therapist suggested it. It turned out I have a really impactful intensity of the disorder.

But the fact it never crossed my mind that I might have it, is just really concerning. It shows that it's very difficult to understand how negatively ADHD can impact your life and the collective social awareness about the disorder is very low.

People generally view ADHD as the fidgety and overly enthusiastic kids. This stereotype is really, really harmful, because ADHD may be like that in some way, although it's very far from defining it. It's really quite a complicated issue, because it has so many layers to it and it's also a spectrum.

I hadn't been as fidgety as a kid, but I still had many symptoms of ADHD. I have rather been the quiet, shy, polite kid living inside his head.

ADHD forced me to spend about 7 years dealing with other mental issues, I would have never suspected are caused by it.

I just wanted to vent about this. I'm truly mad so many people overlook ADHD, or don't see it as a downside to life, because it's named a disorder for a reason. It's something you have to spend a lot of time on to learn to live with.

In the last couple months, I started feeling happy and got on stimulant meds, but I'm still struggling. The chaos of ADHD is tough. At least I'm a lot more aware now.

Thank you if you read it all, it means a lot.

I'd love to hear your opinion and experience on this subject <3