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Self-Help Groups for Japanese with Attention Deficit Disorders (Feb 2003)

By Yuka Shirai, Managing Director of Society of Adults with ADD/ADHD, translated by the Information Center of the Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities (JSRPD).

Whenever I used a copier, crooked copies would come out of the machine. Whenever I tried to make tea, I always spilt it from my cup. Messy rooms had no space for hanging laundry. I was such a "hopeless" working woman; a "clumsy" housewife. Having failed in my career and marriage, I became a single mother suffering from depression and simply moped around all the time. It was only when I became diagnosed with "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)" that I learned how to deal with, and was saved from, this situation.

Previously incapable of tidying up things and unable to complete tasks, I was forgetful and late for appointments. Frequently losing things, prone to mood swings, and a difficulty controlling impulsive behavior were further signs of this impairment.

These symptoms are, according to expert diagnosis, attributable not only to the person's character or mood, but to a neurochemical disorder caused by an unbalanced information delivery system in the brain. In simple terms: as the brain system becomes unbalanced, so the information filter inside stays permanently open, which easily causes confusion and exhaustion in the individual.

Why had I been sloppy and careless, lazy but restless? Why had I been spreading myself too thinly to accomplish anything properly? These symptoms appear to have been caused by a malfunction of the information delivery system in my brain. After the diagnosis was given, I felt relieved and relaxed, which brought me new hope and a different perspective.

Regaining Composure & Setting Up Website

In my case once the cause was identified removing the symptoms was simple. There was no need to make aggressive efforts in vain any more, and my depressing moods went away. I decided to deal with things that I had previously struggled with from the viewpoint of ADHD. As a result, my life began to go smoothly, and through a gradual process I regained composure.

Actually this experience was not mine alone. Following the diagnosis, I set up a website to help adults who are trying to confront ADHD, and found that many had been successful in facing the problem.

However, ADHD has received little recognition in Japan. The traits are generally dismissed as faults in the individual such as "laziness", "lack of motivation" or "lack of effort". This negative attitude is due in part to the fact that there are very few specialists in Japan qualified to make a diagnosis. (There has even been a case where a person who had made an initial appointment to see a certain specialist in Tokyo had to wait 5-6 years for his/her first visit.)

Many people have extraordinary difficulty at work, home or school because of the limits caused by their innate disability, but only a handful of specialists are available in Japan.

Mission: Enable People to Rediscover Potential

Our mission, although in its formative stages, is to enlighten people, and we are seeking recognition of ADHD from the government. I have set up an NGO to seek support for, and social recognition of, ADHD that is currently focusing on running self-help groups.

I have no intention of using ADHD as an excuse to avoid social responsibility. In fact, I want to contribute to society using ADHD as a springboard to enable people to rediscover their potential as individuals and regain self-esteem.

Through self-help activities such as meetings and social occasions, we have already helped each other improve a great deal. Actually, with each passing session, the effectiveness of these activities has been further substantiated and the positive response from participants has become greater. Although our activities are currently limited in scope, we are hoping for various groups to be established throughout Japan - groups of housewives, students, or elderly people, each with a dynamic and often varied set of aims. We hope that with continual support, people can form their own groups and that these, in turn, will grow.

Self-Help + Projects=Social Contribution

Developing self-help activities into projects organized by persons with ADHD can provide them with not only a chance to fully demonstrate their ability but an opportunity for social contribution and recognition from society.

With the ambitious objective of expanding these activities, I would like to create a society, in which persons with ADHD can live their own lives independently. As society becomes willing to change its position, disabilities can be turned into strengths.