The A.C. Hunter Library is hosting an online seminar about adult ADHD.
Clifton Tam
Kicker
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) still faces misconceptions even after a century.
Sheri Roberts, a Canadian certified counsellor specializing in ADHD, says there is a lot of misunderstandings around ADHD, such as the idea only boys are impacted and people with it can’t focus.
“There has been a lot of stereotypes of what ADHD looks like,” Roberts said.
“That, along with the stigma that is attached to it, leads to a lot of the issues that we’re seeing around the understanding of it.”
Education is very important, Roberts says.
“It really is about removing the stigma around it and being more public about it,” she said.
ADHD sometimes can be misdiagnosed because there are overlapping symptoms with other disorders such as anxiety and depression, Roberts says.
Roberts says it is important for health professionals to have more conversations with not just the patients but also people close to them. It might help in getting a bigger picture, she says, which can avoid the misdiagnosis of ADHD.
Julia Mayo, a library technician at the A.C. Hunter Library, has organized an ADHD information session called – Well Now! Adult ADHD AMA (Ask Me Anything).
Mayo says it’s a series of health information sessions where professionals give talks on various aspects of health.
It’s a first for the library, she says.
“We’ve noticed that there’s been lots of news, a lot of social media centred around ADHD in adults,” Mayo said.
“As a public library, it’s one of our jobs to make sure that people have correct information and up-to-date information about a number of different things, and this is one of the things that we think is important.
“It’s important for us to make sure that people have access to truthful and well-researched information,” Mayo said.
She recommends people seek information from a reputable source such as NL Health Services.
The information session is on Nov. 15. It is an online session with a health expert from NL Health Services.
More details about the event can be found on the library website and its Facebook page.
There are lots of resources available online, Roberts says, which can help people to have a better understanding about ADHD.
“You don’t have to struggle with ADHD, there’s lots of support out there,” Roberts said. “There’s lots of people who would be willing to help you with practical solutions.”
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