Springboard Clinic

We are so lucky to have organizations like CADDAC working to share real stories about ADHD. By understanding what ADHD actually is and isn’t, we can avoid secondary and more damaging feelings of low self-worth.

Free Professional Learning Event: The Many Faces of ADHD with Springboard's Dr. Ainslie Gray

ADHD often doesn’t present itself the way you might expect it to. Firstly, because there are still so many myths about what ADHD is and isn’t. We talked about this in another recent post. Secondly, although we hear many familiar themes in the experiences of people who have attention issues, every individual’s story and presentation is uniquely theirs. Thirdly, often the secondary issues created by untreated ADHD can make it hard to identify the root cause, and the initial diagnosis can get missed.

Stigma about mental health issues is still prevalent. We are working on it. We are fighting it. It is improving, but it is not gone (yet)...

This week is Mental Health Week and that means it is a great opportunity to #getLOUD. For Bell Let’s Talk day in January, I decided to share my story with focusing challenges.

As an individual who actively promotes anti-stigma, it was an important experience for me to “practice what I preach”. And although I believe so wholeheartedly in openly sharing as a means to finding your best self, many fears came up for me in the process.

There are many widely-held beliefs about ADHD that can lead people to dismiss a diagnosis. In reality, ADHD is not only real, but it is also highly researched. Our understanding of the disorder is evolving, but there are some common myths that we can dispel with confidence.

Here are six reasons why people might dismiss a diagnosis, based on common myths about ADHD...

We are one week away from the Bell Let’s Talk day and at Springboard we are thinking and talking a lot about the impact of stigma.

Many of our adult clients’ mental health symptoms have been exasperated by feelings of judgment and shame. And too often, we hear stories from clients who have felt labelled from an early age for their challenges with attention, emotional reactivity, focus and mood. They were identified as a “class clown,” or a quiet “daydreamer”, but in reality they were often as confused as everyone else about why they couldn’t keep up. They continuously disappointed themselves and those around them and struggled to follow through with their intentions for as long as they can remember. By the time we see them at the clinic, they are usually exhausted by it all.

The Globe and Mail recently posted a personal piece by reader Michelle Baril-Price about her journey with ADHD, leading to her recent diagnosis and treatment. It's a poignant piece about realizing that ADHD looks different from what she thought it looked like. As she says, realizing that her "misconceptions and ignorance about the disorder had misled [her]" and delayed a potential diagnosis until later in life. Check it out here: Why couldn't I get my life together?