Should I tell me employer that I have adult ADHD?

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Hello,

I work in the Interior Affairs Department, but I have been sick for 15 months. I had a breakdown 15 months ago and have been in medical treatment since then.

After I was stabilised, I went to work therapy and was there for ten and a half hours a week. For the last 8 weeks I am in a work trial with 20 hours. At the same time, I applied for vocational rehabilitation and am currently waiting for the pension insurance company's decision after my appeal. The alternative is reintegration over a certain period of time.

After my vocational rehab or reintegration, I would like to return to the department. Now my question about my situation.

I have been diagnosed with adult ADHD and, according to my doctor, I should look for a suitable job. I also have a disability certificate with a degree of 50 (I have this because of another disability). I was told in my adult ADHD support group that I should not say that I have adult ADHD. Many employers would not be able to deal with the diagnosis or would even relegate me to a department where I feel totally underchallenged.

What should I do? Should I tell the personnel office that I have adult ADHD or a sleep disorder (I also have sleep apnoea)?

Many greetings

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Response 1:

Hello, like so many things, there are of course two sides to it, perhaps indulgence and consideration on the one hand, but also not being taken seriously and too much indulgence on the other. At least the non-affected really know what it means and have quite different, often very one-sided, ideas. After all, we also have a number of very positive qualities! And above all, as an ADHD sufferer diagnosed in adulthood (of which I am one), we have been able to cope with a good part of our lives more or less successfully. That means we have developed many strategies, one of which is to be a stand-up guy, isn't it? In my opinion, many with ADHD (often undiagnosed) fail because of the symptom of stress intolerance that belongs to ADHD (oh yes, we tolerate a lot of stress, still a little ... but ... all of a sudden ... we keel over ... it's called burn out!!!). If we know the diagnosis ... we can develop strategies.... So someone with ADHD should not have stress ... maybe the employer would then think ... but that's wrong again ... Boredom is just as unacceptable!!! An ADHDer on the assembly line is almost a no-go. If I start from myself, I have never told an employer that I have ADHD. Even when my son's diagnosis made it clear to me. I don't know why - but I'm sure it also depends on the subtype and degree of ADHD/comorbidity you have. And it depends very much on the activity. If I understand you correctly, you have an employer and it's more about the type of job you get. Can't you actually - even without naming a diagnosis - describe a job that best suits your abilities, both in terms of content and environment? That is, without saying directly, for example, that because of my ADHD, I should not work in an open-plan office, etc. Because even without a disorder, we all have our strengths and weaknesses that we can contribute. Hopefully your sleep apnoea is well controlled by the device. All the best