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21 Comics About ADHD By A 29-Year-Old Artist That Only Got The Right Diagnosis A Year Ago
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There's a common misconception about ADHD that only children can suffer from it. But adults have it as well. Adult ADHD symptoms may not be as clear since the hyperactivity may decrease, but struggles with impulsiveness, restlessness, and difficulty paying attention may remain. Also, many adults with this disorder aren't even aware they have it — they just know that everyday tasks can be a challenge.
Pina, a 29-year-old artist from Germany has been living with ADHD for a while now. "I'm a freelance illustrator and visual development artist for Animation but in true ADHD manner, I have studied graphic design, of which I dropped out, and game design, in which I graduated." Pina is currently juggling quite a few artistic endeavors, including a comic series dedicated exclusively to ADHD.
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Wow, i actually thought I was the only one like that! No, I don't have ADHD diagnosis, but do have generalized anxiety...
"I had been suspecting that I have ADHD ever since I was struggling and developing anxiety at university," she told Bored Panda. "It wasn't until my life fell apart being a self-organized freelance artist that I started to seek help and eventually received my ADHD diagnosis at 28."
"I started mental therapy when I struggled with university and it helped me only a little bit, [mostly] with my anxiety and depression. However, my ADHD went unconfirmed because according to the therapist I was seeing at the time, 'I didn't drop out of university yet, so I can't have ADHD.'"
As a teenager with unmedicated ADHD, I can totally say that this is accurate. Medication spaces me out, and when I go without medication it makes me anxious. Fortunately, I have a lovely group of friends who understand and are willing to help me!
"After being told I couldn't have this mental problem because I was too quiet and smart, I started journaling my behavior, using self-help techniques from therapy to analyze them. I was able to piece things together when I started researching ADHD, reading any book or paper I could find and watching endless amounts of videos. Group therapy and talking to my doctors has helped me strengthen my knowledge. One of my favorite resources is Dr. Russel Barkley’s talks."
Now, Pina takes ADHD medication and visits self-help groups. "[These things] have turned my life around completely."
"Seeing other people like me at the self-help groups was eye-opening," she said. "[It was] the first time I felt like a legitimate human being, so I wanted to share this feeling through my art. I finally started this relatable comic after being told by a respected fellow artist that everyone is a little bit ADHD nowadays. It made me so mad that people would judge ADHD without knowing what it really is or what we 'aliens' struggle with that I couldn't stop myself from drawing."
"My comics can't tell anyone if they have ADHD or not, but they might help someone understand the struggles they've had and give them courage to seek a diagnosis."
"What I talk about in my comics is so shunned upon and made me feel embarrassed all my life and I just want my fellow Aliens to know they're not alone. Even though not everyone with ADHD is like me or makes the same experiences, we all suffer from the same stigma."
emotional dysregulation is so hard to manage!! i deal with this all the time but i internalize all of it because i've been told to stop talking so many times.
"If there is something I could tell everyone, it would be that even if you relate to the problems and can overcome them, it doesn't mean that everyone else can. ADHD symptoms are a question of severity and can prevent people from living life the way they want to."
.... My heart is both warmed and hurt. I have always struggled with.. A LOT of depression and anxiety and was always told that I'm making excuses and just lazy, absent minded, self centered... and I've always been hurt with being misunderstood. Desperate to be heard. This hits home so hard and makes me feel so much better. It's nice not to be alone.
This is true, BUT, ADD does manifest different in boys versus in girls. I always could and would get hyperactive but I would also space-out and daydream constantly, which is common among girls with ADD, but not boys
That last one... gawd... that last one gets taken advantage of so often...
i feel like that's an issue with a lot of kids. once they're good at one thing in school, they're expected to be a child prodigy, and anything that comes difficult to them is their fault for not working hard enough. it's absolutely ridiculous.
The part when you interpret every sign from your surrounding as an indication that you are a worthless being who is only a burden to everyone sounds more like a symptom of depression.
It's the safest way to get along, to protect yourself - and others - from yourself, but then people think you're stuck up.
Boy oh boy...my daughter has adhd and as i read these comics to my husband we both said you hit the nail on the head
This was very helpful to me, as the mother of an ADHD teen. I've always felt like he didn't understand the concept of time but this really illustrates that well.
For me it was not 'What if I'm just lazy?', but more 'What if I'm just stupid?'. Still hits me sometimes: Am I just a fraud? Was is all just hard work and luck? Late diagnose is hard, you've been addapting your whole childhood to what society thinks is normal. Thank you for sharing this commics.
Yes, sitting on chairs is impossible, yet sitting on the floor is disturbing to others. "Are you all right?" Yes. "Do you need help?" Probably, but not with this. "Would you like to sit on this chair?" No, I'm quite comfortable here.
How many kids with ADHD does it take to change a lightbulb? Wanna go ride bikes
Yay, bikes!
Can we get snacks?
What kind of lightbulb? Where will we buy it from? Is this the best option? I read about this one sort, but us it really worth it? If I do my own research I’m sure I’ll find the better solution. I saw two bikes for free in the alley today! Omg I was supposed to start dinner an hour ago.
ye- OH LOOK A DOG!
How do you ride a bike?
The chances this man doesn't have adhd are immensely close to 100
Ooo! Bikes! Wait- I have a school project- and dinner- and my dog to take care of- should I eat now or take care of the dog now? The project can wait, dog & food is most important right? My teacher said I could fail if i miss this project though- Eat, ride bikes and walk the dog, then pull an all-nighter working on the project-
Did you see that really pretty leaf?
how does the gearing on a bike work *takes bike apart*
Oooh bikes!!! There was this one time I was riding my bike and the- OMG A DOG LOOK
Yes bike rides! Let me research all the cool things to do with bikes, spend a ton of money buying things, then use it once, if at all. Sigh....
I am disappointed with all the down voting in the comments for the comments and and responses that seem to be from people who have ADHD while the upvotes seem to support be against the diagnosis of ADHD and meds. I think that goes to show how misunderstood this condition is. These comics do an excellent job of describing the experiences of having ADHD and we owe it to those who have ADHD to listen to them and their experiences instead of writing them off. My 6 year old daughter and husband were both diagnosed with ADHD less than a year ago and they have started medication and are immensely better, especially my daughter. She was in trouble constantly at school and they even started sitting her alone in the cafeteria because she couldn't sit down and keep her hands to herself. I am grateful that we were able to diagnose her and get her help so early because I see what the lasting damage of untreated ADHD has had on my husband.
Ignore CTRL ALT MEL she dosent know what she's talkign about only ONE teacher on staff has to be Montessori certified for a school to call itself that and they don't ACTUALLY have to teach the curriculum (which is questionable at best) my moms old boss got involved with a rent dispute w a Montessori school
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
You should try sending her to a Montessori school. Montessori education promotes individuality, and allowong children to learn at THEIR pace, not be shunned and automatically diagnosed with ADHD the minute they show signs of being a little different than the rest. Individual thinking needs to be embraced, not turned off.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Ctrl Alt Mel -
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Ctrl Alt Mel Good response!
I have had Adhd all my life tried meds as a teen they just made me an emotionless walking zombie. Everyone should embrace their Adhd and realize our brains are more advanced they fire at a much higher rate then other people feel sorry for them all my non Adhd friends say I feel retarded next to you.you get so much done in a short amount of time on little to no sleep and they say your like a genius
If your meds made you a zombie they gave you the wrong meds or wrong doze.... I think doctors today are too quick to prescribe meds, BUT, they do help (and change the lives) of a lots of people
Agree with the notion that you got the wrong meds. Honestly, there are good aspects, but what is there to embrace if the underlying ADHD cripples your ability in daily life? I am sick of trying to "embrace" my inability to maintain friendships, to follow plans, to have anxiety due to overstimulation, to thrive on structure but at the same time detest routine...managing the symptoms really has a positive impact on the lives of those with ADHD.
I don't know why you got the downvotes, comcoplush. Do we have some anti-meds fanatics here? I think if ADHD infects daily functioning (like you discribe), meds are the way to go. If not, you can choose for yourself. I hope someday you can see the possitive sides of your wonderfull 'disorder' and they will win from the negative sides (like not able to maintain friendships, how do people do that? Maybe it requires remembering birthdays and other important stuff..)
It's great that your ADHD has been helpful to you, but for others, including myself, it has been a misery. I am now in my 40's, and finally medicated for the first time in my life. It's like a veil has lifted. I can sit an enjoy a movie without having to have 3 other things going at the same time. I can have a conversation with a friend and focus on what is said instead of whatever other random thing comes to my brain. I'm less forgetful, more present in my every day life. I was incorrectly diagnosed and medicated up to this point, which only made things harder. Everyone with adhd has had it "all their life", and always will. It's just more of a struggle for some than others.
There are many ADHD meds and it’s not a one size fits all. My husband used to be on Ritalin when he was younger and yes he did his work and concentrated better. BUT he hasn’t been able to retain the information he learnt during those times. I had a class mate who was on dexaphetamines and he was like a zombie, it was like he was in a daydream and on auto pilot. We tried for many years to help manage our daughters ADHD without meds but after 7 years of no results we tried her on a non stimulant called Strattera but it made her suicidal. Now the Paediatrician wants to try another called Guanfacine but my daughter is hesitant and I want to do more research on it coz I have never heard of it before. Everyone reacts differently and what work for some may not work for others. It’s trial and error.
My son was the same on strattera but did well on Adderall (but lost too much weight) and is now doing great on focalin. I know lots of people are scared of stimulants but they don't have the same effect on us as people without ADHD they don't rev our brains up they bring them up to normal. All the racing thoughts and fidgeting and movement are just our desperate attempt to increase our brain's stimulation so we can function but it's tiring so the meds give the same boost without having to do 20 things simultaneously.
Honestly, try a stimulant. I took the same route you’re taking with your daughter, and the non-stimulants didn’t do anything (I tried both of those you mentioned). But my life has changed completely since starting stimulants. I know they sound scary, I was scared too, but the difference is night and day.
thats a bad attitude to take esp cause there are ATLEAST 6 diffrent conditions that qualify as ADHD* so what works for you won't work for me and vice verssa this was discovered by a doctor who insists on brain scans of all his patinets before he perscribes meds he has them watch videos while they get a scan to see what parts of their brain light up and he had found 6 diffrent patterns at that time and had holy been at it for a few years
My ADHD destroyed my education and career dreams. If I had been on my meds from early age, everything would've been different. I strongly feel you're lying because ADHD meds don't make you feel like a zombie.
NoYFB, I understand where you're coming from, but everyone is different. My daughter does feel like a zombie when she's medicated for her ADHD, but I feel focused and grounded. I do feel for you, it ruined my education and career too. It's heartbreaking, and not something many can understand.
How many kids with ADHD does it take to change a lightbulb? Wanna go ride bikes
Yay, bikes!
Can we get snacks?
What kind of lightbulb? Where will we buy it from? Is this the best option? I read about this one sort, but us it really worth it? If I do my own research I’m sure I’ll find the better solution. I saw two bikes for free in the alley today! Omg I was supposed to start dinner an hour ago.
ye- OH LOOK A DOG!
How do you ride a bike?
The chances this man doesn't have adhd are immensely close to 100
Ooo! Bikes! Wait- I have a school project- and dinner- and my dog to take care of- should I eat now or take care of the dog now? The project can wait, dog & food is most important right? My teacher said I could fail if i miss this project though- Eat, ride bikes and walk the dog, then pull an all-nighter working on the project-
Did you see that really pretty leaf?
how does the gearing on a bike work *takes bike apart*
Oooh bikes!!! There was this one time I was riding my bike and the- OMG A DOG LOOK
Yes bike rides! Let me research all the cool things to do with bikes, spend a ton of money buying things, then use it once, if at all. Sigh....
I am disappointed with all the down voting in the comments for the comments and and responses that seem to be from people who have ADHD while the upvotes seem to support be against the diagnosis of ADHD and meds. I think that goes to show how misunderstood this condition is. These comics do an excellent job of describing the experiences of having ADHD and we owe it to those who have ADHD to listen to them and their experiences instead of writing them off. My 6 year old daughter and husband were both diagnosed with ADHD less than a year ago and they have started medication and are immensely better, especially my daughter. She was in trouble constantly at school and they even started sitting her alone in the cafeteria because she couldn't sit down and keep her hands to herself. I am grateful that we were able to diagnose her and get her help so early because I see what the lasting damage of untreated ADHD has had on my husband.
Ignore CTRL ALT MEL she dosent know what she's talkign about only ONE teacher on staff has to be Montessori certified for a school to call itself that and they don't ACTUALLY have to teach the curriculum (which is questionable at best) my moms old boss got involved with a rent dispute w a Montessori school
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
You should try sending her to a Montessori school. Montessori education promotes individuality, and allowong children to learn at THEIR pace, not be shunned and automatically diagnosed with ADHD the minute they show signs of being a little different than the rest. Individual thinking needs to be embraced, not turned off.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Ctrl Alt Mel -
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Ctrl Alt Mel Good response!
I have had Adhd all my life tried meds as a teen they just made me an emotionless walking zombie. Everyone should embrace their Adhd and realize our brains are more advanced they fire at a much higher rate then other people feel sorry for them all my non Adhd friends say I feel retarded next to you.you get so much done in a short amount of time on little to no sleep and they say your like a genius
If your meds made you a zombie they gave you the wrong meds or wrong doze.... I think doctors today are too quick to prescribe meds, BUT, they do help (and change the lives) of a lots of people
Agree with the notion that you got the wrong meds. Honestly, there are good aspects, but what is there to embrace if the underlying ADHD cripples your ability in daily life? I am sick of trying to "embrace" my inability to maintain friendships, to follow plans, to have anxiety due to overstimulation, to thrive on structure but at the same time detest routine...managing the symptoms really has a positive impact on the lives of those with ADHD.
I don't know why you got the downvotes, comcoplush. Do we have some anti-meds fanatics here? I think if ADHD infects daily functioning (like you discribe), meds are the way to go. If not, you can choose for yourself. I hope someday you can see the possitive sides of your wonderfull 'disorder' and they will win from the negative sides (like not able to maintain friendships, how do people do that? Maybe it requires remembering birthdays and other important stuff..)
It's great that your ADHD has been helpful to you, but for others, including myself, it has been a misery. I am now in my 40's, and finally medicated for the first time in my life. It's like a veil has lifted. I can sit an enjoy a movie without having to have 3 other things going at the same time. I can have a conversation with a friend and focus on what is said instead of whatever other random thing comes to my brain. I'm less forgetful, more present in my every day life. I was incorrectly diagnosed and medicated up to this point, which only made things harder. Everyone with adhd has had it "all their life", and always will. It's just more of a struggle for some than others.
There are many ADHD meds and it’s not a one size fits all. My husband used to be on Ritalin when he was younger and yes he did his work and concentrated better. BUT he hasn’t been able to retain the information he learnt during those times. I had a class mate who was on dexaphetamines and he was like a zombie, it was like he was in a daydream and on auto pilot. We tried for many years to help manage our daughters ADHD without meds but after 7 years of no results we tried her on a non stimulant called Strattera but it made her suicidal. Now the Paediatrician wants to try another called Guanfacine but my daughter is hesitant and I want to do more research on it coz I have never heard of it before. Everyone reacts differently and what work for some may not work for others. It’s trial and error.
My son was the same on strattera but did well on Adderall (but lost too much weight) and is now doing great on focalin. I know lots of people are scared of stimulants but they don't have the same effect on us as people without ADHD they don't rev our brains up they bring them up to normal. All the racing thoughts and fidgeting and movement are just our desperate attempt to increase our brain's stimulation so we can function but it's tiring so the meds give the same boost without having to do 20 things simultaneously.
Honestly, try a stimulant. I took the same route you’re taking with your daughter, and the non-stimulants didn’t do anything (I tried both of those you mentioned). But my life has changed completely since starting stimulants. I know they sound scary, I was scared too, but the difference is night and day.
thats a bad attitude to take esp cause there are ATLEAST 6 diffrent conditions that qualify as ADHD* so what works for you won't work for me and vice verssa this was discovered by a doctor who insists on brain scans of all his patinets before he perscribes meds he has them watch videos while they get a scan to see what parts of their brain light up and he had found 6 diffrent patterns at that time and had holy been at it for a few years
My ADHD destroyed my education and career dreams. If I had been on my meds from early age, everything would've been different. I strongly feel you're lying because ADHD meds don't make you feel like a zombie.
NoYFB, I understand where you're coming from, but everyone is different. My daughter does feel like a zombie when she's medicated for her ADHD, but I feel focused and grounded. I do feel for you, it ruined my education and career too. It's heartbreaking, and not something many can understand.