By Scott Latty
Ever since I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD, I wanted to help people by telling them it doesn’t have to define you. I also wanted to prove to myself I’m perfectly capable of achieving something special.
I’m not a ‘high achiever’. I walked away from secondary education with no discernible GCSE’s. I don’t have any formal qualifications to be proud of. In contrast, it felt like so many other people in my life knew who they were, what job they wanted to go into and aspired to be something. I felt like the odd one out.
I felt different to everyone, even my own family. I couldn’t relate to anyone. That’s a scary way to feel.
I’ve always been an ‘ideas’ person. However, I’ve always struggled with the ‘middle bit’ i.e. how can I turn my ideas into reality?
Having a ‘label’ like ADHD, some people think that only ‘naughty school boys’ can have it; that we must be the hyperactive type, jumping around the room, not being able to sit still, getting bored easily and always looking for trouble.
Well, that is partly true but there’s so much more that people don’t even realise. Firstly, there’s how ADHD affects someone’s mental health – depression, anxiety and many other things come with living with this condition.
Everyone experiences it differently but we can all relate to each other. Some people choose to medicate, like myself. Some have taken alternative approaches. Everyone will have their own way of managing their ADHD. It’s a very complex disorder and a somewhat controversial one too.
Trolls lurking on social media platforms such as Twitter & Facebook attack people who speak openly about it, as well as their children. It can be genetically passed down as it has been in my case. It might have been passed down by my Dad. Unfortunately, he’s not open to the idea of getting a diagnosis.
The world wasn’t designed for people who are ‘different’. Being the person I am, I wanted to prove that having ADHD doesn’t have to be a negative thing. We’re constantly told by the media & those who are sadly misinformed in what they THINK it is. This is exactly where the idea for a film came about.
I wanted to show as many people as possible that you can achieve anything if you set your mind to it. We have a condition that people can’t ‘see’. It’s a hidden disorder. Generally speaking, the only time that people see it is when we might be reacting to something, someone or a situation but that is usually a negative reaction. People rarely see the positives.
The fact that I’m writing this now is because I didn’t give up, even when I felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere.
‘Misunderstood’ is a piece that so many people will be able to relate. I hope everyone will find some part of it they can identify with. It’s a film anyone can appreciate, with or without the disorder.
We’ve all felt at some point in our life a bit different to someone else, inadequate or nervous about meeting someone that they haven’t seen in years.
The emotional connections, the inner thoughts that Matthew (the character in my film) has, could be anyone’s, not just someone with ADHD. His inner thoughts & feelings are probably intense and more heightened due to living with this condition.
In daily life however, he struggles to convey those thoughts & feelings. He’s desperately trying to understand himself & the world around him. In a world that you don’t feel accepted into, in a society that is extremely judgemental, I think that we all feel a bit misunderstood at some point in our lives.
That’s why this film matters. We all matter, with or without a label.
I really wish they’d force all kids to read this article.