WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.818 (Introduction music plays) 00:00:08.198 --> 00:00:09.956 Hello brains! 00:00:10.513 --> 00:00:13.472 I say that to you because... if you think about it. 00:00:13.522 --> 00:00:16.302 It wasn't really you that decided to come here today. 00:00:16.302 --> 00:00:18.142 It was your brain. 00:00:18.142 --> 00:00:22.579 And whether you decided to walk or drive, take a taxi, ride a bike 00:00:22.579 --> 00:00:25.169 That decision was decided by your brain. 00:00:25.169 --> 00:00:29.168 Behavior, all behavior, is affected by the brain. 00:00:29.801 --> 00:00:31.704 This is a story about my brain. 00:00:32.923 --> 00:00:37.520 So, I was a smart kid. By 18 months I was speaking in full sentences. 00:00:38.107 --> 00:00:42.321 By third grade I was scoring post high school on standardized tests. 00:00:43.102 --> 00:00:46.320 I had as all my teacher's agreed, so much potential. 00:00:47.054 --> 00:00:51.854 I was also struggling. I didn't have many... any friends. 00:00:52.853 --> 00:00:55.922 Outside of books. I was easily overwhelmed. 00:00:56.238 --> 00:00:59.786 I spaced out in class. I lost things, constantly. 00:01:00.299 --> 00:01:04.190 And trying to get my brain to focus on something I wasn't excited about... 00:01:04.255 --> 00:01:07.258 was like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall. 00:01:08.093 --> 00:01:10.690 But I was smart. So nobody was worried. 00:01:11.378 --> 00:01:14.545 It wasn't until middle school when I was responsible for 00:01:14.592 --> 00:01:18.186 getting myself to classes on time, and remembering to bring my own homework. 00:01:18.186 --> 00:01:22.598 That being smart wasn't enough anymore, and my grades started to suffer. 00:01:23.347 --> 00:01:27.347 My mom took me to the doctor and after a comprehensive evaluation. 00:01:27.462 --> 00:01:30.592 I was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. 00:01:30.592 --> 00:01:31.852 ADHD. 00:01:31.910 --> 00:01:35.320 If you're not familiar with ADHD it has three primary characteristics. 00:01:35.580 --> 00:01:38.646 Inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. 00:01:39.643 --> 00:01:44.363 Some people with ADHD have more of the inattentive presentation. 00:01:44.363 --> 00:01:47.293 Those are the daydreamers, the space cadets. 00:01:47.345 --> 00:01:50.313 Some have more of the hyperactive/impulsive presentation. 00:01:50.797 --> 00:01:53.386 Those are the kids that usually get diagnosed early. 00:01:55.988 --> 00:01:59.467 But, the most common presentation is a combination of both. 00:01:59.966 --> 00:02:06.359 My doctor and my parents decided that given my shiny new diagnosis. 00:02:06.359 --> 00:02:11.211 Maybe stimulant medication would succeed, where spankings and lectures had failed. 00:02:11.211 --> 00:02:14.142 So I tried it. And it worked. 00:02:14.330 --> 00:02:18.612 The first time I took my medication it was like putting on glasses. 00:02:18.931 --> 00:02:21.745 And realizing I could see, without squinting. 00:02:22.332 --> 00:02:24.272 I could focus! 00:02:26.196 --> 00:02:29.516 Without changing anything my GPA went up a full point. 00:02:31.168 --> 00:02:37.247 Honestly it was kind of miraculous. By 14 I had friends, that liked me. 00:02:37.247 --> 00:02:41.247 By 15 I had published my first poem. I got a boyfriend. 00:02:41.723 --> 00:02:44.786 By 17 I knew I wanted to be a journalist. 00:02:44.786 --> 00:02:49.516 My local college had a program that would guarantee admission to USC. 00:02:49.909 --> 00:02:52.229 They had a really great journalism program. 00:02:52.229 --> 00:02:56.229 So, I signed up at my local college and I started taking classes. 00:02:56.229 --> 00:02:58.169 I moved in with my boyfriend. 00:02:58.653 --> 00:03:02.098 Things were going great! ...until they weren't. 00:03:02.683 --> 00:03:05.605 I started having trouble making it to class on time. 00:03:05.605 --> 00:03:10.375 I aced a statistics course, but I forgot to sign up in time. 00:03:10.429 --> 00:03:12.829 So, I never got the credit. 00:03:12.829 --> 00:03:16.089 I took classes so I could help my boyfriend with his career. 00:03:16.089 --> 00:03:18.764 But I completely lost sight of mine. 00:03:20.120 --> 00:03:22.546 I never made it to USC... 00:03:23.701 --> 00:03:27.871 By 21 I dropped out of college and moved back home. 00:03:28.739 --> 00:03:34.629 Over the next ten years I started and quit, or was fired from 15 jobs. 00:03:34.629 --> 00:03:36.279 I ruined my credit. 00:03:36.854 --> 00:03:39.835 I got married! And was divorced within a year. 00:03:41.626 --> 00:03:46.746 At this point I was 32, and I had no idea what I was doing with my life. 00:03:47.610 --> 00:03:51.020 Besides reading self-help books that didn't seem to be helping. 00:03:51.798 --> 00:03:55.731 What happened to all that potential? Was I not trying? 00:03:55.731 --> 00:04:02.028 No, I worked harder than anyone I knew, I didn't even have time for friends. 00:04:02.434 --> 00:04:04.047 I was that busy. 00:04:05.116 --> 00:04:08.248 I had potential, though... 00:04:09.803 --> 00:04:12.907 So my failure was clearly my fault. 00:04:13.047 --> 00:04:16.597 I just hadn't done what I needed to do to reach it and honestly.... 00:04:16.740 --> 00:04:23.180 I was tired of trying, putting more effort into life than everyone else. 00:04:23.180 --> 00:04:25.750 And falling farther and farther behind. 00:04:26.662 --> 00:04:29.692 At this point I could have given up on myself. 00:04:30.161 --> 00:04:34.563 I could have decided that everyone who thought I had potential, was wrong. 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:40.751 But, I didn't, because I knew that it was my behavior that had gotten me here. 00:04:40.931 --> 00:04:46.081 And behavior is affected by the brain. And my brain has ADHD. 00:04:46.883 --> 00:04:48.995 Looking at my behavior I knew... 00:04:49.397 --> 00:04:52.544 Even with medication, even as an adult. 00:04:52.995 --> 00:04:55.361 My ADHD was still interfering with my life. 00:04:55.361 --> 00:04:57.611 What I needed to know was how, and why. 00:04:57.611 --> 00:05:00.251 And more importantly, what could I do about it. 00:05:00.251 --> 00:05:05.087 I started to do some research. And I found a lot of great information. 00:05:05.155 --> 00:05:08.102 I found a lot of bad information too, but that's another talk. 00:05:08.713 --> 00:05:12.555 But there's good information out there. Websites, podcasts, 00:05:12.725 --> 00:05:15.821 talks, by researchers and medical professionals. 00:05:16.299 --> 00:05:20.220 Books that would of been way more helpful than the self-help books I've been using. 00:05:20.220 --> 00:05:23.390 That were clearly written for normal... well, there is no normal. 00:05:23.390 --> 00:05:25.910 Neurotypical brains. 00:05:26.091 --> 00:05:28.962 A lot of what I found though was either really technical. 00:05:28.962 --> 00:05:34.409 Or seemed like it was written for parents, and teachers trying to deal with ADHD kids 00:05:34.903 --> 00:05:39.245 There wasn't a lot that seemed to be intended for us, the people who have ADHD. 00:05:40.061 --> 00:05:42.077 So, I started a YouTube channel. 00:05:43.693 --> 00:05:46.369 I had no idea how to start a YouTube channel. 00:05:46.369 --> 00:05:48.179 But, I started a YouTube channel 00:05:48.179 --> 00:05:52.056 I almost called it "How Not To ADHD" because that was all I knew at the time. 00:05:52.056 --> 00:05:54.626 But my boyfriend, Edward, talked me out of it. 00:05:54.626 --> 00:05:57.626 It turns out lots of people need help understanding ADHD. 00:05:57.626 --> 00:06:00.426 Including, maybe especially, those who actually have it. 00:06:00.426 --> 00:06:02.006 I was no exception. 00:06:02.006 --> 00:06:04.696 I thought having ADHD was kind of the same for everybody. 00:06:04.696 --> 00:06:07.047 I thought it was mostly about getting distracted. 00:06:07.047 --> 00:06:11.277 I thought that having ADHD was maybe the reason that I was failing at life. 00:06:12.967 --> 00:06:16.507 And I thought I was what needed to change in order to be successful. 00:06:17.124 --> 00:06:20.854 I couldn't be successful, and still be me. 00:06:21.057 --> 00:06:23.197 Spoilers. I was wrong. 00:06:23.327 --> 00:06:26.806 So, lets go back for a second. Back to what brought us here today 00:06:27.112 --> 00:06:30.607 The brain. Understanding the brain you're 00:06:30.607 --> 00:06:32.944 working with, it turns out is kind of important. 00:06:33.103 --> 00:06:36.708 And, that's true whether that brain is your employees, your students, 00:06:37.106 --> 00:06:41.434 your kids, your significant others, or your own. 00:06:42.246 --> 00:06:46.526 ADHD affects between 5 and 8% of the global population. 00:06:46.526 --> 00:06:53.322 Which means statistically speaking there's between 37 and 60 of us just in this room. 00:06:56.290 --> 00:06:59.990 You can't tell who we are just by looking but its fun to watch you try. 00:07:00.118 --> 00:07:02.578 (Laughter) 00:07:02.578 --> 00:07:05.662 So at some point you're going to meet someone with ADHD. 00:07:06.411 --> 00:07:10.848 Work with them, give birth to them, or fall in love with them. 00:07:11.594 --> 00:07:14.032 Chances are you already have. 00:07:14.264 --> 00:07:17.064 And at some point, you're going to ask yourself. 00:07:17.397 --> 00:07:19.715 What is going on in their brain? 00:07:20.962 --> 00:07:25.147 So, after two years of learning about ADHD and a lifetime of experience with it 00:07:25.714 --> 00:07:30.248 After having the honor of connecting with researchers, and doctors, and ADHD experts 00:07:30.290 --> 00:07:34.537 and tens of thousands of ADHD brains all over the world. 00:07:34.749 --> 00:07:38.751 What can I tell you, to help you understand ADHD? 00:07:39.550 --> 00:07:42.304 By the way, many of them helped with this talk. 00:07:42.990 --> 00:07:44.865 First of all its real. 00:07:45.277 --> 00:07:47.418 It's not bad parenting or lack of discipline. 00:07:47.418 --> 00:07:50.280 ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder. 00:07:50.694 --> 00:07:53.466 It's currently the most well researched mental condition. 00:07:53.794 --> 00:07:56.693 And, there are actually measurable differences in the brain. 00:07:56.730 --> 00:08:00.963 These differences are larger in children, but for most people they never go away. 00:08:01.552 --> 00:08:03.885 In other words, adults have ADHD too. 00:08:04.299 --> 00:08:07.801 While rates of the ADHD diagnosis are increasing. 00:08:07.801 --> 00:08:10.746 It's not because of an increase in sugar, or technology. 00:08:10.984 --> 00:08:15.599 Or... lack of spanking. It's not. 00:08:15.900 --> 00:08:19.742 Anymore than people drowning in swimming pools is because of Nicholas Cage 00:08:19.784 --> 00:08:22.421 Correlation does not equal causation. 00:08:23.254 --> 00:08:25.013 Those are real numbers. 00:08:25.013 --> 00:08:26.520 (Audience laughter) 00:08:26.520 --> 00:08:29.966 It's from both an increase in understanding that ADHD exists. 00:08:29.966 --> 00:08:33.346 That girls, adults, and gifted students can have it too. 00:08:33.785 --> 00:08:37.792 And ironically a lack of understanding that being hyper, misbehaving, 00:08:37.983 --> 00:08:42.877 or struggling in school does not mean that you have ADHD. 00:08:44.317 --> 00:08:47.180 ADHD is more serious than I realized. 00:08:47.461 --> 00:08:51.773 The primary characteristics of inattention impulsivity, and hyperactivity. 00:08:52.281 --> 00:08:55.337 Don't sound all that serious, and I didn't think that they were. 00:08:55.337 --> 00:08:59.514 But in real life they translate into people getting into more accidents. 00:09:00.149 --> 00:09:03.397 Being more likely to get fired, get divorced. 00:09:04.070 --> 00:09:07.242 Significantly more likely to struggle with addiction. 00:09:07.607 --> 00:09:09.931 I learned that ADHD is on a spectrum. 00:09:10.148 --> 00:09:12.471 Raise your hand if you've ever lost your keys. 00:09:12.471 --> 00:09:14.717 Or spaced out in the middle of a lecture. 00:09:15.001 --> 00:09:18.179 If you're not raising your hand I'm going to assume you spaced out 00:09:18.179 --> 00:09:19.689 in the middle of this one. 00:09:19.689 --> 00:09:20.832 (Audience laughter) 00:09:20.832 --> 00:09:24.362 The thing is while everyone experiences ADHD symptoms sometimes. 00:09:24.436 --> 00:09:28.251 An actual diagnosis is based on how many of those symptoms significantly, 00:09:28.251 --> 00:09:31.821 and chronically impair multiple aspects of your life. 00:09:32.097 --> 00:09:34.490 Just like you can get sad and not have depression. 00:09:34.490 --> 00:09:36.720 You can get distracted and not have ADHD. 00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:39.853 And just like you can have mild depression, or severe depression. 00:09:39.853 --> 00:09:42.395 ADHD can range from mild to severe. 00:09:42.395 --> 00:09:45.960 I also learned ADHD is a terrible name for ADHD. 00:09:45.960 --> 00:09:48.260 It creates a lot of confusion. 00:09:48.487 --> 00:09:51.046 We don't have a deficit of attention. 00:09:51.118 --> 00:09:54.895 What we have trouble with is regulating our attention. 00:09:55.050 --> 00:09:59.090 As ADHD coach Brett Thornhill puts it, it's like your brain keeps switching 00:09:59.090 --> 00:10:02.447 between 30 different channels, and somebody else has the remote. 00:10:02.837 --> 00:10:05.603 Sometimes we have a hard time focusing at all. 00:10:05.603 --> 00:10:09.073 And other times we get stuck on a channel, and can't pull ourselves away. 00:10:09.073 --> 00:10:12.945 In real life this might look like we just don't want to do homework because we'de 00:10:12.945 --> 00:10:15.915 rather play video games, and sure sometimes that's the case. 00:10:15.915 --> 00:10:19.915 But, the truth is, there are plenty of times we want to be able to focus, we try. 00:10:20.159 --> 00:10:22.546 And we just can't. Current understanding is 00:10:22.546 --> 00:10:25.622 that this difficulty has to do with the way our brains produce, 00:10:25.622 --> 00:10:29.622 and metabolize neurotransmitters, like dopamine, and norepinephrine. 00:10:29.772 --> 00:10:33.351 I learned ADHD is highly treatable. Stimulant medication boosts 00:10:33.394 --> 00:10:36.605 these neurotransmitters, Which is why it helps us focus. 00:10:36.659 --> 00:10:41.069 It's very effective for around 80%, of people with ADHD. 00:10:41.569 --> 00:10:43.922 And I learned that medication isn't enough. 00:10:44.056 --> 00:10:47.503 ADHD affects much more than our focus, it impairs executive functions 00:10:47.503 --> 00:10:51.492 like planning, prioritizing and the ability to sustain effort towards a goal. 00:10:51.732 --> 00:10:55.467 It affects our ability to regulate our emotions, our behavior, our sleep. 00:10:55.785 --> 00:10:58.889 It's not one program in our brain that it works differently. 00:10:58.889 --> 00:11:02.538 It's the whole operating system. It can effect every aspect of our lives. 00:11:02.538 --> 00:11:05.358 And there are a ton of strategies out there, that can help. 00:11:05.450 --> 00:11:08.510 Cognitive Behavior Therapy, coaching, even meditation, 00:11:08.510 --> 00:11:10.790 or regular exercise can make a huge difference. 00:11:10.790 --> 00:11:14.370 Understanding your brain. I knew I had trouble focusing, 00:11:14.370 --> 00:11:16.380 and I knew my medication helped with that. 00:11:16.380 --> 00:11:19.672 What I didn't know was that getting overwhelmed all the time had to do 00:11:19.672 --> 00:11:22.703 with poor working memory. And that making lists helps. 00:11:23.198 --> 00:11:26.976 Or that the reason that I ran late all the time isn't because I didn't care. 00:11:26.976 --> 00:11:29.893 ADHDer's have a skewed sense of time. 00:11:29.960 --> 00:11:33.555 And that using a timer could teach me how long thing's actually take. 00:11:33.555 --> 00:11:36.825 Mostly, I expected to learn what I actually learned. 00:11:36.825 --> 00:11:40.015 That ADHD is real. Addressing it is important. 00:11:40.094 --> 00:11:42.556 And medication is not enough. 00:11:42.679 --> 00:11:46.310 What I didn't expect to learn that I wasn't alone. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I had an ADHD tribe. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 What a difference it would make to connect with it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 There are people with ADHD in every country, every culture across the globe. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Yes, even in France. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Delayed laughter) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And this tribe is awesome. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Comparing myself to people with neurotypical brains, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I felt really bad about myself. Why couldn't I keep my house clean? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Or, finish a project in time instead of waiting until the very last second. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But seeing the positive in fellow ADHD brains. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Helped me recognize, and appreciate my own strenths. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 One's that I couldn't see when I was just staring at my weaknesses. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Which is what I had been doing for decades. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But ADHD, ADHD brains have a lot to offer the world. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We tend to be generous, funny, creative. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 ADHDer's are 300% more likely to start their own business. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We not only think outside the box. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We're often not even aware there is a box. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Audience laughter) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We may struggle when our brains aren't engaged. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But ADHD brains are great at tackling tasks that are urgent. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Working with ideas that are new. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Wrestling with problems that are challenging. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And dedicating themselves to projects that are of personal interest. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This YouTube career I'd stumbled into was all of those things. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 At 32 I was divorced, miserable and had no idea what I was doing with my life. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 At 33 I started my own business and was connecting with ADHD experts. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 By now, at 34 I have a team of volunteers helping me with the channel. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And I'm engaged to this amazing man, who helps me produce the channel. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Works right alongside with me is doing the slides right now. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And as we discovered also has ADHD. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Audience laughter) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I'm working on reaching out to schools so that kids don't have to wait 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 until they're 32 to learn about their brains. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And I'm doing my very first Ted X talk here with you today. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Audience applause) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But wait there's more. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 That did sound like the end of the speech. I'm sorry it's not. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I'm happier and more successful than I've ever been in my life. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So what happened? How did I reach my potential? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Three things. One I learned about my brain. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 My ADHD brain both on my own and by connecting with others who have it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 If you judge a fish by it's ability to climb a tree. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It will live it's whole life believing that it is stupid. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Unless it happens to chat with another fish. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And realizes fish aren't great at climbing trees. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And that's okay. There's plenty of ocean. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Two, In learning about my brain I found and stumbled into a job that engages it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 If you spend all your time trying to get a fish to be able to climb a tree, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you'll never see how far it can swim. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It turns out, I can be me and still be successful. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I just had to find my ocean. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Three, I learned strategies for the challenges I still face. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I have no fish analogy for this one. I am sorry. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I guess I learned how to swim. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Once you know what your brains challenges are. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You can find solutions to them. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Once you look past the stereotypes and assumptions about people with ADHD. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And dig deeper. You learn what ADHD actually is. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's not people who wont stop fidgeting, or getting distracted. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's brains that are chronically under aroused. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Trying to get the basic stimulation that all brains need. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's not about procrastinating or not caring. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's having executive function deficits that make it hard to get started. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And it's not people being lazy, or not trying enough. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's kids and adults struggling to succeed with a brain that doesn't 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 always want to cooperate. In a society that wasn't built for them. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Society is our user's manual. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We learn how our brains and bodies work by watching those around us. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 When yours works differently, it can feel like you're broken. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So what I'm trying to do, is reach out to these people. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Wherever they are in the world, and tell them you are not weird. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You are not stupid. You do not need to try harder. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You are not a failed version of normal. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You are different, you are beautiful, and you are not alone. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 If you don't have ADHD yourself chances are you know somebody who does. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Their your employee, your boss, your friend, they're in this room. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I hope this talk helps you understand them better. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 If you do have ADHD. Welcome to the tribe. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Audience applause)