I’ve been around a loooong time in the ADD world and have worked hard to help, support, and educate those with ADD as well as their families, friends, teachers, bosses and more. Yet, the amount of ADD misperception that still lives in this world confounds me. Here are 10 misconceptions that are still alive and (not) well:

10 Big Fat Lies about ADHD

  1. You can’t have ADD! You’re married with kids and have a great job!
  2. You can’t have ADD! You have two college degrees!
  3. You can’t have ADD! You can watch TV/work on the computer (fill in the blanks) for hours and be fully focused!
  4. You can’t have ADD! You’re a great cook!
  5. You can’t have ADD! Your desk/home/office is tidy!
  6. You can’t have ADD! You like to read!
  7. You can’t have ADD! You’re not hyper!
  8. You can’t have ADD! You’re too smart.
  9. You can’t have ADD! You look so…together!
  10. You can’t have ADD! You have lots of friends!

The truth is, you can do all of these things very well, even with ADD. But what the outsider does not see is how HARD we work at the things that come easy and naturally to others.

To do many of the things above, we exert more energy than most because of our distractibility, inattention, impulsivity, fear of boredom and more. It’s exhausting. Then we hit the sack and our bodies- burned out from a day of running uphill- collapse, but our brains continue raging down the railroad track into ever lasting loops of thoughts, worries, ruminations.

What about you? What naïve comments have you heard over the years about your ADD? How do you respond? Share your thoughts in the Comment section below.