ADHD Aha! | 'You can't have ADHD.' (Farah Jamil's story)

Farah Jamil had to stand up for herself when two health care providers told her she couldn’t have ADHD. The reasons cited? One thought she was too smart, charming, and cared for to have ADHD. The other seemed to question whether ADHD was even real. Fortunately, Farah has strong self-advocacy skills that allowed her to debunk these myths in real time.

Farah is an executive coach, ADHD life coach, and the founder of the community groups Muslim ADHDers and Interfaith ADHDers. Listen as Host Laura Key and Farah bust common ADHD myths. They also talk about how ADHD can make keeping friends hard.

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Related resources
From Sorry, I Missed This: The impact of ADHD on workplace relationships
8 common myths about ADHD
Muslim ADHDers
Interfaith ADHDers

Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:14 Farah’s first attempt to get an ADHD diagnosis
05:11 Unpacking the 4 myths her doctor told her about ADHD
09:22 Farah’s second attempt to get an ADHD diagnosis
10:55 What was Farah struggling with?
13:41 Why is Farah surprised she “still has friends”?
18:53 The ADHD communities Farah has founded
27:24 Farah’s advice
29:53 Where you can find Farah

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the ADHD Aha! podcast page at Understood.

[dragonabsurda]

OMG! So many of the comments Farah's doctor said to her are exactly what my doctor said to me! Like the "maybe you just have too high expectations" after I described: not being able to complete university despite multiple attempts and being able to get good grades; spending my entire life jumping from job to job; struggle maintaining friendships because I lose touch with people; not being able to ever get things done, and so much more. He said a lot more that was far more insulting and shockingly ignorant. The other comments were bad enough that I filed a complaint with the licensing board because I was concerned about all the other patients who present to him asking for help. I asked the licensing board asking to get him to do continuing education in neurodevelopmental disorders, but since this was a "he said/she said" issue, even that was apparently too much to ask. People typically don't understand just how hard it is to find support as an adult when you have ADHD.

[KathrynHenny]

Such lovely people. I am so glad I found this channel. I feel seen or at least some kinship with many of these experiences.

[melaniefarrow]

Thank God for TV and other media. I didn't own my ADHD until a documentary where the little girl shared that she would forget what she was doing while in the shower. It struck me so hard. That happened to me all the time. I finally accepted this was not " normal".

[teresa]

Sounds like my day. Full of good intentions, 59 and 18 months waiting for diagnosis. Hopefully soon