Taylor’s story

Talor was 15 when her parents brought her to me for therapy. Taylor’s parents believed she was suffering from depression, and they described her as moody, irritable, withdrawing from friends, and doing poorly in school. They said they were open to having her prescribed medication if I thought that was necessary. Taylor had told them she was unhappy with herself; she felt like a failure. We had a few therapy sessions when it appeared to me that Taylor, although she was feeling depressed, might well have ADHD. It seemed many of her emotions stemmed from challenges often seen in girls with ADHD: difficulty regulating emotions, struggling with self-esteem, not knowing how to maintain friendships or understand their friends’ emotions. Following our very thorough testing process, we found that Taylor did have ADHD, and her depression was a direct result of not knowing how to manage her feelings, her relationships, and school. Once diagnosed, Taylor began to understand that she wasn’t all the negative things she had labeled herself but had a condition that had presented many challenges she simply didn’t know how to manage. As she and her family came to understand the complexities of ADHD, together we came up with a treatment plan that included the tools, guidance and support they needed.