Chloe
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
‘We desperately need to see changes from the bottom up to make sure no-one else slips through those cracks like I did.’
Chloe was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in her early 40s. She told the Royal Commission that up to that point she spent her life ‘feeling confused and alone and being criticised and judged’.
Chloe shared her story with the Royal Commission because she wants teachers and doctors better trained to recognise ADHD.
‘I am an ADHD success story, but my success is only due to my own commitment to continue searching for help through a flawed system that disregarded my repeated attempts to find out why I struggled in many areas of my life, and why I felt and acted differently to others since childhood.’
After her diagnosis in adulthood, Chloe read through her old school reports and remembered the comments of her teachers.
‘“Try harder!” [they said.] Stop twirling my hair. Stop kicking the leg of the table. Stop doodling when the teacher is talking. All these things allowed me to concentrate better, but no-one believed me. “Just sit still,” [they said] because I was distracting the other students … “Stop asking so many questions.”’
Chloe’s school days were ‘filled with angst, low self-esteem and having to work much harder to learn’. She felt ‘ashamed and embarrassed’.
At 15, Chloe’s parents thought she would never be able to go to university and suggested she leave school. She asked her teacher for a reference to help her get a job.
‘He scoffed and said the most humiliating, hurtful and harmful words ever spoken to me in front of my classmates; “Don’t waste my time or yours. You won’t get it
… You’re not good enough.”’
Chloe left school and eventually ran her own business. At 40, she went to university to study psychology, and it was during her study that she was told she had ADHD. The diagnosis explained a lot.
‘I had an exercise addiction that wreaked havoc on my body physically and mentally and put pressure on my family relationships. I have suffered burnout and mental health issues … [I would later learn] that women with ADHD are four times more likely to suffer with an eating disorder, and my exercise addiction, struggles with executive dysfunction, inability to start or complete some of the simplest tasks, my struggles with maths and other subjects are all due to ADHD.’
Chloe’s two children have since been diagnosed with ADHD. Because Chloe and her son were both diagnosed after turning 19, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme does not cover the cost of their medication.
‘Yet we have all had this condition since birth. How is that fair?’ Chloe said there is still little recognition of ADHD in adults.
‘Even after being diagnosed by a psychiatrist I had local GPs question the diagnosis, scold me for taking stimulant medication and question and treat me differently to what I had been treated before. Instead of understanding I was met with harsh judgement and criticism.’
Chloe’s hope for the future is ‘a society that doesn't stigmatise neurodiversity, but accepts its unique differences’.
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.