Conflicted student with a confusing transcript + limited college options

MommaJ
Wed, 18 May 2016 01:23:08 +0000

My mom says that these drugs for ADHD are hard to get, and even if I do have it, they’re not for children and she doesn’t want me to be dependent on them. I’ve heard ADHD symptoms subside as you get older.

I am the parent of a kid with ADHD, very well versed in the subject, and I can tell you that your mother is wrong on all counts. I assume she isn’t a medical professional, so why depend on her statements when you’re smart enough to do some research on ADHD and learn about it yourself? ADHD meds are so frequently prescribed that the main concern is that they are too easy to obtain, not that they are hard to get. Most diagnoses of ADHD are made while the patient is a child, and many, many, children are prescribed ADHD meds. (Again, the concern is that too many receive them.) While many adults do learn strategies to compensate for their ADHD, with guidance or through trial and error, the condition doesn’t just disappear in adulthood, and many of those wirh ADHD take meds their whole lives. There is no issue of dependency in any case of true ADHD–functioning well with meds and not so well without them is not dependency, any more than needing medication to keep one’s blood pressure under control is dependency.

Your inability to concentrate for extended periods and slow reading and writing pace will be huge obstacles for you in college. You should get a neuropsych evaluation to find out exactly what’s going on and how to best address it.