[msluyter]

Isn't that crazy, that one could go 45+ years without knowing they had ADHD? It wasn't until I was... > 50yrs until someone I was talking to said "sounds like you have ADHD" and I was like "what???" But sure enough, after seeing a couple of specialists and reading up on it, turned out I had all the classic symptoms and was coping with it in a number of suboptimal ways. Knowing about it and treating it has improved my life immensely.

[SyzygistSix]

Almost exact same boat here, other than treatment; only diagnosed, still awaiting and finding treatment. But I think I can answer that question. Perhaps we assume that others are the same as us and have the same mental environment and are just better at navigating it? I assumed I was lazy. And considering the amount of substance abuse among adults who have ADHD, people often look at that as the problem rather than a reaction. Mental environments are invisible. The higher functioning people tend to work hard or be lucky. The folks on the margins or who are failures have no voice.