{"id":130804,"date":"2021-09-29T11:12:45","date_gmt":"2021-09-29T09:12:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=130804"},"modified":"2022-02-09T10:58:30","modified_gmt":"2022-02-09T09:58:30","slug":"ibcom-student-hazem-people-with-adhd-arent-lazy-we-really-do-our-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2021\/09\/29\/ibcom-student-hazem-people-with-adhd-arent-lazy-we-really-do-our-best\/","title":{"rendered":"IBCoM student Hazem: \u2018People with ADHD aren\u2019t lazy; we really do our best\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is studying with a functional impairment like? Often there are additional challenges, and many prejudices to overcome. Being like ‘everyone else’ is not always an option. This academic year, five students share their stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n\"\"\n

Hazem Omran radiates relief when he talks about his ADHD diagnosis. It\u2019s only been official since last April. \u201cBefore that, I was constantly wondering: what\u2019s wrong with me?\u201d Do you know someone with ADHD? If so, he has a warning: be careful what you say.<\/p>\n

Hazem (21) was two years old when he moved from the Netherlands to Egypt, but he used to come on holiday to the Netherlands every year. When he was sixteen, he returned to to finish his school here. After secondary school, he went to Breda University of Applied Sciences but didn\u2019t enjoy it. He was soon drawn to the International Bachelor Communication and Media (IBCoM) in Rotterdam. He now lives with fifteen other students on Avenue Concordia in Kralingen. It\u2019s an ideal location, says Hazem. \u201cYou\u2019re really near the campus, but also close to the Kralingse Plas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daydreaming <\/h2>\n

It\u2019s only been a few months since Hazem found out officially that he has ADHD. Looking back, however, it explains why things didn\u2019t go so well at secondary school. Why aren\u2019t I getting good grades, Hazem wondered after enrolling in an English-speaking secondary school in the Netherlands. \u201cIn Egypt, I got good grades\u201d, he says. \u201cI thought it might be due to the language, but my English wasn\u2019t bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘I thought that everyone was like me’<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Increasingly, he began to doubt himself. He felt anxious and confused. \u201cI worked harder than the others, spent more time on everything, put 200 percent energy into school, but the result was perhaps 60 percent. While others who put in less effort got better results. I didn\u2019t know why. I thought that everyone was like me. Daydreaming in class, problems meeting deadlines.\u201d Now Hazem knows that his ADHD and the Dutch education system (which often relies on memorising and independent learning) don\u2019t go well together.<\/p>\n

Not lazy<\/h2>\n

When Hazem arrives late somewhere, he gets told off by colleagues or managers for being \u2018lazy\u2019 or for his \u2018unprofessional attitude\u2019. If he forgets someone\u2019s birthday, people think he\u2019s not interested and unreliable. \u201cAnd that really hurts\u201d, says Hazem. \u201cRemember that I\u2019m much harder on myself than you are. It really gets to me. I get so angry with myself after something like that. People with ADHD aren\u2019t lazy; we really do our best. We can\u2019t help the fact that certain parts of our brain work differently from other people\u2019s brains. So be careful what you say.\u201d<\/p>\n

The areas of the brain that regulate planning, attention, motivation and impulse control are slightly smaller and less active in people with ADHD. The brain also has a natural filter which helps regulate external stimuli. That filter doesn\u2019t work very well in people with ADHD. One incoming stimulus may not be received, while another results in sensory overload. \u201cExpecting the same of people with ADHD as everyone else is like expecting a fish to be able to climb a tree.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘Expecting the same of people with ADHD as everyone else is like expecting a fish to be able to climb a tree’<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Medication<\/h2>\n

Medication has helped Hazem to \u2018finally feel like a student\u2019. \u201cI can now focus during a lecture, remember things better. And that gives me more self-confidence. This year, I\u2019m doing a board year at Erasmus Music Collective and I\u2019m an ambassador at IBCoM.\u201d<\/p>\n

The medication helps, but Hazem still needs to stay alert. \u201cI always explain it like this\u201d, he says. \u201cYou can easily hold fifty marbles. But I can\u2019t, they just fall out of my hands, however hard I try. The medication is a plastic bag holding the marbles. It\u2019s very helpful, but there\u2019s a tiny hole at the bottom. If I\u2019m not careful, a marble can still fall out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t think that this medication solves everything, says Hazem. It took ages before he found the right medication. For a long time, the medication made him sick. Even though he\u2019s now found a dose that works, it isn\u2019t ideal. \u201cOne side effect is that I don\u2019t feel hungry. I need to remind myself to eat. I\u2019ve asked my housemates to tell me when they\u2019re going to cook or eat. Then I know that it\u2019s time to have a meal.\u201d Such side effects aren\u2019t often mentioned, says Hazem. Overall, though, he\u2019s happy with it.<\/p>\n

Want to know more about ADHD? Hazem recommends this thread on Twitter:<\/p>\n

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