The Forums › Forums › I Just Found Out! › My Story › Has anyone else had their entire life affected? › Reply To: Has anyone else had their entire life affected?
Apparently, ADHD doesn’t affect IQ. There are some really sharp people on the site, some of whom have gone on to be successful business owners, doctors, lawyers, etc. Unfortunately, ADHD does severely impact the ability to “cash in” on one’s brain power. It’s as if after ADHD shaves off about 20-30 IQ points, you work with what’s left. Mildly retarded for those with average IQ to above average for those with “genius” IQs. All perform below their potential, particularly when undiagnosed and untreated.
The more I learned about ADHD and reflected upon my life’s choices, the more I could see how ADHD had impacted my life. The diagnosis also explained a lot to me about myself.
Be thankful that you found out at 33 instead of 63. Even without an official diagnosis and medication, there is a lot you can do by educating yourself about ADHD and putting in place strategies to help compensate for your symptoms.
I could write more, but it’s late now and last night I got distracted on ancestry.com until 2 am. That happens a lot that I stay up too late and then get up at 7-8 am, thinking maybe I’ll take a nap in the afternoon, but I usually get busy with something and next thing, “surf’s up” on the web.
Occasionally I think I’ll go in and throw the breakers on everything but the refrigerator just so I could sit in the dark and do nothing. But then there’s that pesky old iPhone.
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