What does it mean to have ADHD?
A former pro athlete and opera singer share their stories
Seydou, 31
Former professional football player
Sophie, 52
Former opera singer
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF SOMEONE WITH ADHD
KEVIN*
- 42, roofer
- Father of three
- Two of his sons also have ADHD
Kevin’s wife is hoping he can get help managing his ADHD throughout the day.
Mornings:
- Commutes to various
job sites in the city - Struggles to follow
GPS directions - Often gets lost, arrives late
Afternoons:
- Recently had a few careless
accidents at work - Often argumentative
with co-workers - Long commute home
- Loses patience in traffic
and frequently feels “road rage”
Evenings:
- Often has a few drinks
throughout the evening - Seems to ignore the many
unfinished projects sitting
in his garage - Has difficulty helping kids
with homework and bedtime
routines – loses his patience easily
Justin*
- 18, university student
- Living away from parents for
the first time
Justin needs help with his ADHD throughout the day, and into the evening.
Mornings:
- Frequently late for classes
- Rarely makes it through lectures
without taking walking breaks
Afternoons:
- Has trouble staying awake
in class - Has had to reduce his
course load
Evenings:
- Studies well into the night, has
trouble maintaining focus - sometimes takes him hours to
read a few pages - Struggles with low self-esteem
- At the end of the day, he feels
like he let himself down by not
keeping up, and is buried in work
luci*
- 8 years old
- Wants to be rich when she
grows up
Luci’s mom is looking to her doctor for a formal diagnosis and management advice.
- Luci’s mom complains
that Luci is easily distracted
and spends a lot of time
daydreaming - Luci has difficulty engaging in
play activities quietly and often
acting as if “driven by a motor”
- Luci’s teachers say that she
consistently avoids tasks that
require sustained mental effort - She often blurts out answers
before questions have been
fully asked and talks excessively
- Luci has difficulty getting
organized - Her friends complain because
she is frequently late - Takes over conversations,
and intrudes on others
* All patients are fictional.