ADHD isn't a joke.
The anecdotes you read about people with ADHD --and I'm guilty of writing some here in this blog-- can sound harmless and almost endearing. Cars keys left in the microwave? Went to work in your slippers? Almost kinda cute. Big deal! No one is perfect!!
The truth can be less charming.
Working or living with people who suffer from ADHD can have serious consequences; "fallout" in the way of extra risk, extra work, frustration and even danger.
Months of lost or unopened mail or unpaid bills can equal ruined credit and the inability to buy a family home. Worse, it might lose you the home you have. And your car. Distracted drivers fiddling with phones and music are dangerous, but the same careless driver with the lack of focus the comes with ADHD can easily kill someone. Forgetting to set the alarm at work can result in tragic losses, not least of them your job. Locking your keys, and your toddler, in your car on a cold winter night is not funny. Candles and ovens and heaters left on and unattended can burn down your house and even kill your family. Careers and reputations can be ruined because of a forgotten appointment or some form or application not completed.
Even if you manage to keep a co-worker or employee or family member with ADHA from ruin through constant vigilance, consider the price of such vigilance. Do you have the resources necessary to --in effect-- "babysit" this person? How much of your life are you going to give up in order to take on that extra responsibility?
That doesn't mean that people with ADHD are "bad." Not at all. Everyone and everything in life has benefits and problems, everyone has faults as well as skills.
Every choice creates consequences.
Make your own decisions. But do it with your eyes open.
Don't ignore the "fallout" from ADHD. Don't minimize it.
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