How my roommate manages & lives with Attention Deficit Disorder- and how I live with her living with it.

1. True
Life
Living with Attention
Deficit Disorder

2. Paige, a Michigan State University senior
was prescribed Adderall her sophomore
year of college in order to help her focus
and control her ADD.
She already had focus issues in high
school, but once she got to college, it only
got worse because of the increased
workload.

3. I have lived with Paige for two years and have
known her for 8. She is that one friend that
always wants to be active, go out, do basically
anything other than just sitting around and
watching TV.
I don’t find many negatives with those specific
qualities- it’s only when it’s past 11 p.m. and I
can hear her playing soccer against the
basement wall that I start to pull out my hair in
frustration.

4. Attention deficit disorder (ADD) is one of
the most common mental health disorders
of childhood and often persists into
adulthood.
From 1998 through 2009, ADHD prevalence
rose to 10% in the Midwest and South
regions of the United States.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db70.htm

5. She enjoys riding her long board in
the house and doesn’t think it’s
a big deal to leave her things
all over the kitchen
table, rendering it unusable.
When we first moved in together, I
started enforcing strict rules
because I thought it was just
nonsense to ride something
with wheels in the house
(thanks for that, Mom) and I
thought it was unacceptable for
her to leave her things all over
the house.
Safe to say, things have changed
and Paige has taught me to
relax, have fun and to not
compare the house we live in
at school to my parents home.
Now if I hear a banging in the
basement, instead of getting
mad, I go downstairs and play
soccer with her.

6. Paige only uses her
Adderall as a crutch
when her ADD
symptoms start to kick
in, it is not always an
every day occurrence.
Her symptoms:
 Can’t sit still
 Talkative
 Day dreaming
 Doing anything involving
movement

7. “I started out taking it every
day when I was first
prescribed, but as I
have gotten older I’ve
learned to only take it
when I notice that my
ADD symptoms are out
of hand and I’m going to
be unable to get
anything done without
it,” said Paige.

8. “When I take my Adderall, I’m
not only productive, but I
pay attention to very minor
details for whatever I’m
working on,” said Paige.
“It takes a long
time, but I’m a creative
person so I’m able to
spend a lot of time on
ideas and projects and
make it exactly how I
picture it.”

9. As Paige’s roommate and friend, I sometimes worry
that she focuses too much on projects that don’t
have to do with school.
She really has shown me that her ADD is not my
problem, and that everyone has their own way of
managing how they get stuff done in their life.
I’m proud of her for not implementing Adderall into
her every day routine and knowing when to use it.

10. “I like the idea that I’m still able
to be in control of my life
and that I can manage how
often and when I take my
Adderall...”
“I never want to be dependent
on it.”

11. To this day, Paige only takes her Adderall
when she feels she needs to.
She hopes other college students with ADD
or ADHD don’t feel they need to depend
on their Adderall to function 24/7.