62 marieclaire.com.au
I
was diagnosed as having attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
as a child, but my mum chose not to
medicate me. They used to think that
ADHD was a childhood condition and that
when you turned 13, your brain would magi-
cally develop executive functioning skills
overnight. The truth is that it stays with you,
but your symptoms change.
By my 20s I knew I had to do something
about it. My life was simply not working.
I was disorganised, always running late
and never able to finish tasks. Getting
through each day felt overwhelming. I was
burnt out and depressed.
I’ve chosen not to take medication
anymore and it’s working for me. I’ve learnt
to live with my challenges and I have plenty
of weird little rituals that I use to feed my
sensory needs. At work, for example, I slip of
my shoe and rub my heel on the carpet, or
rock in my chair – little things like this stop
my mind from drifting. If I’m attending a
medical conference, you’ll always find me
sitting at the back so I can leave if I need to
without disturbing anyone; I also always
have a pen and paper to take notes, which
keeps me listening and, if my mind starts
to wander, I doodle.
I’m a fidgeter. I’ve learnt to bounce
my leg because the movement keeps me
engaged and because I physically cannot
sit still. I don’t even realise I’ve got up out
of a chair sometimes.
At home, it’s not as easy to avoid distrac-
tions. I’ll be doing something and then, for
instance, notice that I’ve left a cofee cup in
my bedroom. So I’ll get it and put it in the
sink. Then I’ll realise I need to finish doing
the dishes so I’ll get started on that. Then I’ll
see something in the kitchen that should be“My life was simply not working.
I was disorganised, always running late
2?5?6G6C23=6E@]?:D9E2D<D 6EE:?8
through each day felt overwhelming”
DR MORWESI MAHLANGU, 36,
CORPORATE GENERAL PRACTITIONERADHD, OCD
& AUTISM IN
AUSTR ALIA
Nearly1 in (^20)
adults are diagnosed with
ADHD. Males are almost
three times more likely to be
diagnosed than females.
OCD afects more than
500,000^
Australians. It’s found
slightly more frequently
in women, and most
people are diagnosed
in their late teens.
More than 160,000
Australians have autism,
an increase of more than
40 %
since 2012. Only one
in five is female.
in the bedroom, so I’ll stop doing the
dishes and take the item to the bedroom,
where I’ll realise I need to make the bed ...
I can go on for hours like that without
finishing one task completely. I have note-
books all over my house that I use to write
down personal reminders.
It can be physically exhausting and
mentally draining, but because I’m so hyper-
active, I still seem to have energy at the end
of the day. I find meditating in the morning
before work helps me a lot , a s does ta k ing f re-
quent breaks during the day.
I have an 11-year-old son. Being a mother
isn’t easy for anyone, and especially for peo-
ple with ADHD. I am easily overwhelmed so
I have to focus on staying calm, for him.
Remembering he needs a clean uniform and
lunch box may seem simple, but when you’re
so busy trying to navigate your own life, it’s
easy to drop the ball. I’ve had to set up rou-
tines to remind me of all the little things I
need to do for him daily.
Relationships aren’t particularly easy for
me, either, because I have no filter. People
with ADHD can also come of as aloof and
insensitive, although I am an empathetic
person – sometimes too much, I think. My
forgetfulness can also be dicult for another
person to live with.
LI
VI
NG
WITH (^) A
DH
D