ANN/THE DAILY STAR – Imagine trying to focus on a task while your mind races with a flood of unrelated thoughts. Or, attempting to listen to an important talk, but instead, your mind drifts, bringing up overwhelming emotions that make it hard to follow along.
Long conversations become a challenge to concentrate on, and remembering details like roads, names, or small pieces of information feels nearly impossible.
Often, people misinterpret these struggles as irresponsibility or inattentiveness, when in reality, focusing is simply exhausting and elusive, no matter how hard you try.
For those living with ADHD, this experience is isolating and deeply challenging.
Despite being trivialised by some, ADHD can bring about serious obstacles. Symptoms like inattention, forgetfulness, impulsivity, emotional instability, procrastination, and difficulty focusing often lead to stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, and constant restlessness.
Left untreated, ADHD can result in career instability, mental health issues, and impulsive behaviours, significantly disrupting daily life.
Students with ADHD might find it nearly impossible to concentrate on a teacher’s lecture. Instead of following the class, their minds drift to lunch plans, video games, or last night’s football match.
They might fidget with their pen and frequently lose track of the lesson, which eventually leads them to frustration and confusion.
The struggles can finally result in misplacing homework or forgetting things, leaving teachers and parents puzzled about their behaviour.
Most children who exhibit these characteristics do not even realise that it can be associated with a serious physiological condition like ADHD.
Even their parents and teachers think they are just inattentive and irresponsible.
One might struggle to do daily chores, academic tasks or official work due to missed deadlines, forgetfulness, and disorganisation.
With all the mood swings, and increased anxiety going on, individuals with ADHD may struggle to maintain personal relationships and even parental abilities.
Overall, it can create substantial barriers to achieving personal goals and maintaining stability because of impulsive behaviours and misunderstandings.
Questions might arise, why do some people suffer? Are they born with ADHD?
ADHD has a high heritability rate of approximately 70 to 80 per cent, which means that genetics play a significant role in developing the disorder. People are more likely to be affected by ADHD if a family member has it. Environmental factors also contribute; exposure to substances like tobacco and alcohol can increase the risk.
The disorder is linked to physiological factors related to brain function and structure. Some parts of our brain are responsible for decision-making, attention and impulse control like the prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, and cerebellum.
The size and activity of these brain areas are formed differently in people with ADHD. Moreover, imbalances in neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine, which help regulate one’s behaviour and attention, can also cause symptoms of ADHD, such as hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity.
So, what can be done?
The first step toward understanding and supporting ADHD is recognising and acknowledging it. Signs like difficulty concentrating, emotional instability, overthinking that leads to procrastination, mood swings, confusion, and impulsive decision-making should be recognised by both those affected and the people around them.
An environment of empathy, support, and understanding can break down barriers and establish a space where those affected by ADHD feel seen and supported. – Fahmida Khanom
