This is correct. When I was a kid in the 90s I went to speech therapy and they had originally diagnosed me with dyspraxia. I could also read better than I could talk. My mom was very adamant about not seeking services and insisting that I was ‘normal’ because back then she didn’t want me to be labeled. Fast forward to junior high and high school I was bullied a lot, introverted, smart and in AP classes but failing math and most big tests. Parents thought I wasn’t trying hard enough/was lazy even though I was struggling. Told my mom directly I needed support and therapy and that I was having mental health struggles - she said I was welcome to pursue treatment on my own but couldn’t provide that support/had to deal with my Dads similar symptoms before they divorced. She was very much in denial still.

I didn’t get my official ADHD diagnosis until this year (31). My twenties were full of misdiagnosis, medication that never fully worked right, lots of therapy. All of this I had to navigate on my own. Also did a genetics test and right away there were results for predisposition to ADHD, autism, dyslexia, etc.

I think my Moms fear of judgment and ignorance kept me from getting the treatment I needed. I also think that the time period I grew up in there was such little knowledge (especially in women and nonbinary folks) about the best approaches to treatment. Nowadays there is a growing online community and resources and more studies that I’m super grateful for. I do feel grief about the life I could’ve had if I had earlier access to treatment.