Contributed by: Terry Matlen, ACSW
Over the years, I've had many people ask me how to
go about explaining to their boss, partner, friends and family
their ADHD diagnosis. Often times, these are folks who have
recently been evaluated for ADHD and are eager to explain their
lifetime difficulties to people they know, with the hope that
they'll be better understood.
I'm all for openness, honesty and disclosure, but
you may be surprised to hear that I don't always recommend that
people share their ADHD diagnosis; at least not to everyone.
Sadly, there are many people in this world who
still do not believe ADHD exists. We can spin our wheels forever,
talking till we're blue in the face trying to prove that it does,
indeed exist. We can point out the new research coming out that
shows chemical and structural differences in the ADHD brain. In
many cases, the effort is worthwhile, but in others, it can
backfire. For example, if your boss is concerned that you are
consistently late for work, you may want to explain that your ADHD
prevents you from getting out of the house in time. If your boss is
one of those people that firmly believe ADHD doesn't exist, or that
it's over-diagnosed, then revealing your ADHD can put you in a
pretty tough situation. A red flag might go up and your job could
be in jeopardy. It doesn't matter if you have the top ADHD expert
in the world telling your boss you have ADHD. If your boss doesn't
care or doesn't get it, it may just backfire for you. Even though
there are federal laws in place to protect employees with
disabilities, it is very very hard and expensive to win such
cases.
Continue Article Here... 