Lab 4 – Life with ADHD

Nathan, outside his apartment on Monday, October 12. He is returning from a morning of working as a TA on campus.

Nathan is an Oakland University student studying chemistry. He has taken medication for ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, since he was 5 years old.

Nathan walking to his car to commute to Oakland University, where he works in a chemistry lab. He is currently working on applying to grad school.

He is 21 years old now, and a senior in college. ADHD is just a fact of life for him, he says. “It’s my entire life. It’s the way my brain works, it’s who I am.”

Nathan takes his medication to prepare to focus on a day of work and studying.

Asked about how he felt about taking medicine, Nathan said, “My relationship to my medicine is complicated. A lot of my happiness is based on being productive, which I need my medicine to do. But even when I’m focused I don’t get that feeling of motivation and drive to get things done. I don’t feel that at all. Sometimes feel like I’m really missing out on that.”

On days when there isn’t much to do, Nathan sometimes doesn’t take his medication. “Sometimes I try to do my classes when I haven’t taken my medicine. It literally feels impossible,” He said.

Dealing with academics, Nathan says there are always challenges. “I feel like I have to work much harder to succeed at school, for sure.”

Nathan studying for an upcoming exam. As a TA, research assistant, and full time student, his schedule is often packed.

“I’m comfortable with who I am,” Nathan said. “It’s not like I feel like every day is a chore or a struggle to get through. ADHD is a part of me and I embrace it, it’s not necessarily something ‘bad.'”