Think You Have ADHD? How to Talk to Your Parents

*** Links for more info ***

For kids:

For parents:

Quick note: when I say proper treatment does not turn kids into zombies, I do not mean no medication has ever made kids feel that way, I mean the right treatment at the right dose shouldn't. I am on a dose of Vyvanse that works very well for me, but it took some time to find what worked.

Links from the video:

"The Show Must Be Go"
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

[elvirasvard]

My parents laughed at me when i brought it up at first..

[sarafigueredo]

what if your parent won't believe you and just say it's an excuse because you give many excuses.

[hithere]

If I tell my parents how I’m feeling they will just blame it in my phone

[ellexcel]

I think I have adhd but if I tell my mom she will just be like, hmmm no you don't

[roaaoife]

I was diagnosed at age 34. When I told my parents, they said they'd always known that.

When I asked why they never told me or got me treatment?

"We knew that you could focus if you really tried."

After failing out of college, my first marriage, and too many careers to count, I can't even begin to express my anger.

Especially since my brother got treatment for ADHD as a child.

[gloriamusic]

I truly believe I have ADHD. I have almost all of the symtoms and it really does affect my life. Even my sister has Aspergers, it's possible that I have ADHD. I want to get diagnosed but I'm really afraid the doctor doesn't think I have ADHD. It's bad that no one believes I struggle with these problems, it's worse even a doctor doesn't believes you also. It's really frustrating and I'm only 13. 😲

[tarabrooks]

I’m almost positive that I have ADHD, but when I try to tell my parents about it, they won’t believe me :(

[beinghappi]

Something to be aware of, as kids and as parents, is that ADHD is highly genetic so one thing that makes talking to parents difficult is that often one of the parents have the exact same symptoms the kid has but has been told to just deal with it. That parent might have heard a lot of bad stuff growing up.. "Just apply yourself", "don't make up excuses", "take some responsibility". And they might repeat that to their kid because they think that is helpful.

Also, the parent might be hearing "I think something is wrong with you" when they hear the kid describe symptoms they share, and become defensive.

If you're a parent and just had this conversation and recognize yourself in this, please take a moment and admit that this is scary and might make you question a lot of things about yourself, but many people don't get diagnosed until they're 30, 40, 50 or even 80! Stop and think about what is best for you and your kid, maybe keep an open mind and get educated before you dismiss it.

[koopi]

I'm just scared my parents will think that I'd wanna go to the doctors simply to get prescribed with like Ritalin or adderall etc. Even if I convince them that I struggle everyday in school and social situations etc they will probably just think I want some drug for it - the "easy fix" :((

[juliap]

Told my mom and she said, "I don't think you do, you get all A's and B's" and listed other reasons why I didn't have ADHD, so i dropped it and we haven't talked about it since...

[estellesandford]

Please do a video on dealing with people who don't believe you have ADHD/ doesn't think ADHD exists

[hi-zkee]

When I told my mom she didn't believe me she said everyone is like that and I felt really sad.

[jessicagarrett]

Btw. I'm a mental health case worker, and I share your channel with all my ADHD clients and parents! You have great insight!!!!

[cosmologicalx]

I have just talked to both of my parents about the symptoms and explain to them about ADHD and told them about how I feel but unfortunately, My mother just say she relate to that and turn it into a religious conversation.She said I just need to pray that I can focus more and pray to get good grades but I don't want to rely everything on praying, I want a real help, I want my parents to understand that but everytime I try to have this talk with them, they always turn it into a religious conversation and it just make me sad sometimes.I was thinking that I might try and find a psychiatrist in my town and try to diagnose it secretly.

[sweetnspicy]

Theres what i did. Wrote a note containing all research i had done, situations were one or more of my symptoms were present and what i wanted them to do next (in my case, leave me alone and get me tested after Corona is over) i left it on their bed and went to sleep. As my parents go to bed latter than me they saw it when i was asleep, it also gave them time to think it over and consider their next step. Hope this helps, and remember you are not alone in what you are going through

[rebeccac.]

What if I ask and I don’t have it? I feel like if I don’t end up having anything asking will just make things worse.

[gery]

Screw brakes! I need a steering wheel!

[froggy]

It’s scares me that if I went to the doctor and they confirmed I didn’t have adhd I would be so embarrassed and flustered, although I have so so many signs of adhd! I think that’s what worries me most, that I would go and be told otherwise, then feel burdened not knowing why I feel the way I do often and do certain things.

[Oli.V]

Last year my mother and I suspected I had ADD (not knowing that it's a form of ADHD) and we went to my pediatrician and she gave us forms for my teachers to fill out. They teachers comments said things like "no obvious signs other than spacing out occasionally" and "scattered attention". Because of these answers, I was on the border of ADD and we could choose if I wanted a prescription, we decided yes, and it has help monumentally. From videos like this, I've learned that my ADHD is much more apparent than thought.

[yarelygaleno]

I tried telling my parents, even though I also tried like 4 months ago and my mom said it's because of my phone, and my dad says that I just need to try harder but he said he can make a doctors appointment if I want or need.