- #1
sydneyfranke
- 73
- 0
Okay, so I was diagnosed at a young age with ADD and ADHD and took medicine from elementary until I graduated H.S. I usually don't take the medicine unless I really need to concentrate on something for long periods of time. I started back in college after a 5 year break and found that it was just as hard for me to concentrate as it was back in secondary school. I went to a doctor, who diagnosed me with adult ADHD and, with medicine, I'm doing great in school.
My concern, especially with the possibility of health care reform and how our medical records will be available to anyone, is that this diagnosis will effect me getting a particular job in the future. I know the military asks about this sort of thing, but what about private companies? I'm not really interested in the military, so that's not a real concern (and I will be too old to join as an officer anyways by the time I get my degree), but what about government agencies/jobs? (I am an engineering major btw, so that is what field I will be looking to get into.) Obviously, if it is a "don't ask, don't tell" situation I know to keep my mouth shut, but I have heard of some people losing their promotions/ availability for promotions if the company finds out they are ADD/ADHD. And also, what about drug tests? If I don't disclose this information and the medicine shows up on a drug screen, what could I even do? Can work performance override this stigma? Any help would be great. Thanks.
My concern, especially with the possibility of health care reform and how our medical records will be available to anyone, is that this diagnosis will effect me getting a particular job in the future. I know the military asks about this sort of thing, but what about private companies? I'm not really interested in the military, so that's not a real concern (and I will be too old to join as an officer anyways by the time I get my degree), but what about government agencies/jobs? (I am an engineering major btw, so that is what field I will be looking to get into.) Obviously, if it is a "don't ask, don't tell" situation I know to keep my mouth shut, but I have heard of some people losing their promotions/ availability for promotions if the company finds out they are ADD/ADHD. And also, what about drug tests? If I don't disclose this information and the medicine shows up on a drug screen, what could I even do? Can work performance override this stigma? Any help would be great. Thanks.