My ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) leaves me in two completely opposite worlds. I travel between these two worlds on a daily basis due to my—very strong—medication. This is my travel journey.
I am ashamed to share my pencils, all of them are bitten. It’s the only way for me to focus.
Without my meds, my mind struggles to focus on a single idea.
Reading long texts is hard. I am lost in waves of letters.
I am lost, therefore I am.
Thinking about everything except what I should be thinking about.
Especially the ice cream that I will give myself as a reward after my exam.
I take my meds. I lose my appetite. I lose weight.
I am me and not me, a transformed being.
I am annoyed by people and avoid them.
Hybrid mode on.
Blood circulation is only in my brain.
No blood reaches my feet.
An organization craze strikes all of a sudden.
I get angry and irritated by the slightest thing.
The medication starts to wear off, and I gradually go back to my other world.
Dana Al Assir
Dana Al Assir is a third-year graphic design student at AUB and one of the designers Rusted Radishes’ ninth issue, “Health and Illness.” At the age of thirteen, she was diagnosed with ADHD, with which she has struggled since childhood. She owes everything to her mom, who has supported her since the beginning. The treatment she began at thirteen marked a new beginning and transformed her life tremendously.
