Thank you to Oliver Crawford and Tom Coates at ADHD Foundation for sharing this poem:
The Five Faces of ADHD (copyright: Oliver Crawford)
My first face was anger…
My temper spiralling out of control
Sleep was impossible
An endless stream of thoughts running through my head
Like a never-ending nightmare my life went on, torturing my mind, seeping through as physical energy, taking it’s toll on all around me.
My second face was frustration
My mind playing tricks on me I didn’t understand
I felt cut off from the world, as if alienated from everyone else
School was a battle and more difficult than ever – I was in the classroom but my mind was elsewhere…
My third face was one of sadness
The guilt took over as I hurt those around me
I became an emotional mess that others and myself found difficult to like
My heart had left my body and was sinking deeper into the abyss.
My fourth was relief
Finally somebody understood
I was not alone
My questions were answered
My feelings were released, like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis
Sadness was replaced by relief.
My final face was hope
I was on the road back home
My mind was clearer, like a breath of fresh air
The parasite that had taken control of me was now removed by the power of medication
My jagged past, now smooth ahead.