My ADHD makes managing money nearly impossible

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I had navigated the medical system to make an appointment, filled out pages of forms, answered a nurse’s questions that repeated what had been asked on the form and answered the psychologist’s questions, which repeated the nurses. If you’ve ever heard someone scratch their nails against a chalkboard for an hour straight, you can imagine the feeling in my ADHD body, averse to every single part of this process, yet drawn to the promise: medication.

It had taken me years to officially get diagnosed after first hints I might have this neurodevelopmental disorder, and years more to land here, at medication. My life without it is a swirl of forces, leading to natural disasters of impulsivity that often lay waste most acutely in my bank account.

The doctor explained that he was newer, and he wanted to bring in the expert. This “expert” came in to the windowless room, leaned against the wall and said, “I’ve never heard about anyone with ADHD struggling with personal finances. Have you tried seeing a therapist?”

The dam broke. Tears and a raised voice followed. “Yes, I’ve seen a therapist, as I told him, as I told the nurse, as I filled out on the form.” I was a hysterical woman joining the ranks of generations of women who have sat in a male doctor’s office not being believed. I scrabbled to regain ground. “I wrote about this for the New York Times .”

The expert, standing with his arms crossed, looking down at me in the chair, told me I was very emotional. He suggested they increase the dosage of my anxiety medication, and he left.

“Well then he is, by definition, incompetent,” said an expert I’d interviewed for a previous story, whom I called in desperation.

He knows what I now know, that the connection between ADHD and financial struggles is well-documented. A study on the finances of people with ADHD begins: “ADHD has a debilitating influence on everyday functioning, including the capability to make financial decisions.”

Previous studies have found that we have trouble with impulse spending (as I said), maxing out credit cards and saving.

“Furthermore,” the study continues, “compared to adults without ADHD, adults with ADHD showed difficulties in making decisions referring to the future and reported more often to … Read More