Recognizing ADHD in Adults | Heather Brannon | TEDxHeritageGreen

Many people feel badly about themselves and have no idea why. They just aren’t interested in opening their mail or picking up their clothes from the floor. They feel ashamed because they believe the people around them who say they’re lazy, have a serious character flaw, or—at best—are quirky. They don’t realize that adult ADHD doesn’t look like ADHD in kids, and remaining undiagnosed can make them feel anxious, overwhelmed, and powerless.

Speaker Heather Brannon, MD, draws on 14 years of experience treating adult ADHD. A family physician who has been practicing for nearly 30 years, she realized that many patients who felt overwhelmed, anxious, easily frustrated, and tired actually had ADHD and that diagnosing it correctly and treating it was life-changing for those patients. She decided in 2014 to devote her entire practice to adolescents and adults with ADHD.

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[Christineavila]

Anyone else with ADD listening to the video but simultaneously reading comments and thinking about what the video is saying but also have a mental response to all the comments?

[RodriguezGorge]

I was severely traumatized years ago as a teenage, got diagnosed with ADHD. Spent my whole life fighting ADHD. I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Not until my mom recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Much respect to mother nature the great magic shrooms.

[nicolehaleybrown]

Perfectly explained. Constantly in crisis. Cannot take care of myself or my home like I should. Cannot get organized to save my life, I constantly feel behind, etc. I feel so heard 🥺🥺

[robertocesarborges]

The first time I watched this video I cried copiously; It really hit me hard. Never before had I seen such a rich and detailed description of my own life. I can relate to every little thing listed, literally every one of them. I'm 40 now, but throughout life I'd convinced myself (and been told) I was simply lazy, unfocused and even unprofessional, but now you're giving it a name, and I thank you for that.

[coldplayhurtsfan]

that is also my problem when it comes to choosing a career, every job seems either boring or too overwhelming, there's like no in between

[TooLittleInfo]

It's kind of funny how listening to her describe parts of my life in detail made me realise how many coping mechanisms I put into place to deal with problems that other people don't have

[BaolinLiu-gmfq]

At my 37 years last year, I finally figured out what is wrong with me, the shame, frustration, anxiety has tortured me since my childhood. The diagnosis is life changing!

[ToreOnYouTube]

Worst part about watching this? Having to rewind every other minute, because something she said was relatable and now my mind was focusing on that, and nothing she said afterwards was registered.

[armfart]

"These people are living their life in crisis all the time." Me 😩🤯

[TurtleRocker]

I'd add in the story about Tom, he may be hiding that mail, because it still "feels" important. So while the outside observer thinks it's a simple out of site out of mind thing, Tom is haunted by that mail and it makes him sick and he's hiding something as simple as that from people who love him 😔

[Hison-Dcarman]

I was diagnosed with ADHD 18 years ago as a teenage. Spent my whole life fighting ADHD. I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Not until my wife recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Never thought I would be saying this about mushrooms.

[wewatchmovies]

The mail scenario is my life. Literally. She knows what she's talking about

[Amanda-vclp]

To be honest, I'm really impressed that "Tom" put the mail in the same place each week!

[honeychurchgipsy]

One difference with me regarding the 'not doing things because they are boring/uninteresting until things get desperate' piece of the adhd puzzle is that, for me, I don't think it's a boredom/not interesting enough problem.
I often have anxiety surrounding the completion of a task - even a simple task such as answering an email or reading a response to a message I have sent - sometimes the anxiety is totally unreasonable and unexplainable - but it nevertheless prevents me from doing the task.
Eventually the cost of not doing the task (i.e the water being cut off for not paying a bill) becomes higher than the anxiety caused by the thought of doing the task, and then I manage to complete what is often a very simple task.

[jennalynnnelson]

Thank you for speaking so slowly and clearly and giving us ADHDers time to process what you’re saying 🙏 🥺

[hananaltaf]

These adulthood responsibilities are making my ADHD symptoms much more conspicuous than they initially were

[ingenueee]

living a life of hidden shame...wow...that is literally me.

[cgriley]

I'm over 30 now and I just assumed everyone was like this -_-

[annemohn]

"In their minds the only way to counter the shame of not getting things done it and then hearing about it is to do it perfectly." And thus not getting things done and feeling even more shame until the pressure gets to high.

This!

Like so many others commenting here: I cried as everything she says in this talk hits home.

[KayRae]

I’ve always explained it with this analogy: having ADHD is like your brain is a puzzle… that was dropped from the top of the Eiffel Tower… and I am at the bottom trying to put the pieces together- seeing everyone else with their puzzles put together while I am overwhelmed, anxious, and pressured with just trying to put the pieces together.

When ppl react negatively to the point that ppl with ADHD don’t do things bc they aren’t interesting, it’s enraging bc I’m not just sitting here avoiding everything bc I don’t find it amusing. I’m not consciously avoiding things most of the time, it just does that. Having the right medication was life changing.