I’m seventeen, a senior, and have ADHD. Everyday whether I’m at school or home, I struggle to pay attention. Almost every little thing like the clicking of pens, gum being chewed loudly, and any other trivial sound, distracts me. ADHD stands for Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; it affects both children and adults. ADHD is not a learning disability, but it does affect my life.

In school I have trouble keeping myself focused on the task at hand and usually find my attention going elsewhere, which hinders my ability to maintain good grades. From forgetting an assignment to getting bored easily with what we’re doing in class ADHD inhibits me all throughout the course of a typical school day.  ADHD does not affect me only in school however; it invades every aspect of my personal and social life.

At home I sometimes have trouble paying attention to the topic that my family and I are talking about and have to be told to stop and slow down.  We find out that I had ADHD when my teacher told my family that I had trouble sitting in my seat and paying attention on the task ahead.  After being given that information my family took me to the doctors, where it was confirmed that I had ADHD.

Having ADHD made it hard for me, especially when it came to making friends or working with others in a group. I ended up keeping to myself a lot and became really shy around anyone who wasn’t family or a friend. Since I was diagnosed, I`ve had to make sure to keep myself in check, especially when I`m not on my medication. ADHD also affects my self-esteem, which up until last year; I had no idea that ADHD affected my self-esteem.

Although I struggle with ADHD, there are many good things about it. It forces me to push myself harder to succeed, catch smaller details that others may miss, and have unique view of the world. Although it seems like I`m struggling with my neurological disorder, I have a lot of people helping me, my parents help keep me on track at home and make sure that I get my homework and projects done. My friends and teachers have told me to go to them for help, and they’ll even check up on me during class, to make sure I understand everything. So I may struggle with something that makes me different, but I`m still me and not a completely different person because of my disorder. I’m a senior, seventeen, and I have been living with ADHD all my life.