Understanding the Distracted and the Disinhibited: Experiences of Adolescents Diagnosed with ADHD Within the South African Context

This chapter explores how adolescents diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) make sense of their condition, how they feel about their difficulties and how they perceive themselves and their reality within the South African context. This chapter is presented against the backdrop of more than thirty years of well-established research that has largely focused on assessment, diagnosis, management and treatment of the condition. The intention of this chapter is to examine how adolescents perceive ADHD as it relate to their lives. The accounts contained in the research provide insights into the lives and minds of young people who have been diagnosed as having ADHD. Qualitative approach was employed and data was collected via semi-structured interviews. The sample comprised five adolescents, all outpatients of Chris Hani Baragwanath’s Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Unit. Through a process of thematic content analysis the data was analyzed and major themes were identified and interpreted.