Clinically Depressed Pug

I constantly disappointed my parents, teachers, friends, and employers, and I had no answer for their chiding. The things I had to do—pay bills, renew services, fill out forms, make appointments, turn up—were so simple, all I had to do was go out and do them. But I just . . .  couldn’t. Ultimately, I found it easier to try to cover up the holes in myself and my life than to mention my difficulties to anyone else and face potential ridicule.   Besides, I had other, more immediate problems with my mood that were severe enough to force me to speak out. I was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It was discovered very early on that I couldn’t tolerate the most common antidepressant medications without experiencing extreme agitation and/or mania. Other things were tried instead, including stimulant medication usually reserved for those with an ADHD diagnosis. And so it was that, at the age of 25, after having been in the mental health system for six years, I learned that I likely had a primarily inattentive form of ADHD.