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[quote=Anonymous]I'm an adult professor at a research university who runs a research lab and I have ADHD.

I have the ability to hyperfocus on stuff that is interesting to me (sometimes that's a scientific problem, writing a paper or a grant, reading every paper ever written on a topic etc.).  I also have the ability to do some tasks that require juggling and switching attention quickly as a dopamine hit (for example putting out fires over email or with students).  What is hard is switching between those modes at will.  I have to sometimes go through a big procrastination cycle of internet rabbit holes or whatever before I get into a deep hyperfocused state which I feel guilty about.  But when I can channel it, it is can be great.  ADHD is more about a difficulty with regulating attention than an inability to focus.

My downside is that I can be inattentive to stuff like typos and careless errors and often I need to procrastinate as part of my process of biting off big projects.  I have to really double triple check myself for careless errors in my work.  As far as school goes, I was never the best student or best standardized test taker due to always compensating for my undiagnosed ADHD until college.  I was a B+ student who managed to get a lot of opportunities because people could see I was smart and creative when evaluating me holistically.  For example, I went into a highly regarded SLAC for undergrad partially due to essays and a certain "spark" that came through despite having not the most perfect academic record and it was a school my college counselor thought was a huge reach.  I got into a top tier grad school because of my record and passion for research and that led to a top tier postdoc.  My PhD and onwards was more focused on what I was doing rather than taking tests and that is more suited to my strengths.  School was something to get through.  I'm not sure I would do as well in a career that required constant tests and credentialing like medicine or law.

I find the meds make me less creative, so I don't take them now.  Overall I think my job is high energy, requires wearing a lot of different hats and non-linear thinking that can stave off boredom, can reward hyperfocus, and has a high level of autonomy (for example, I pick research projects I want to work on and I am the one that structures how I spend my day).  I also think I'm a better teacher than some faculty because school didn't always come easily to me.

As an adult, as long as I am out of a super structured "fit in this box" kind of work environment, I seem to thrive.  Anecdotally, it seems like a lot of other scientists have ADHD.[/quote]

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