Two years ago I was a overstimulated stress jelly. One mental health care plan, multiple psychologist appointments, six months of denial, and two psychiatrist appointments later, and I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD. and given the gift of Ritalin. Suddenly I’m neurodiverse. And suddenly I’m a writer. Here’s what happened:
I couldn’t concentrate because my mind was spinning out of control,
So I’m diagnosed with ADHD,
And I’m given Ritalin; a stimulant.
And the Ritalin slows down my mind and makes me a little sleepy,
And now the thoughts are slower and I can catch them,
And some of the thoughts are interesting,
And some of the thoughts are ideas for stories,
And I write them all down, and there is a lot of them,
And the ideas keep coming, and I keep writing them down,
And my mind is still slower,
And I am less overwhelmed,
And I have more energy,
And I have more capacity,
And I start writing one of the stories,
And it becomes a novel,
And three months later I have a first draft,
And it is romantic fiction,
Which is a surprise.
And the ideas keep coming.
There is a man who became an artist after a traumatic brain injury. The ideas kept coming. His house was full of his art, and he covered every available surface with colour and paint – he wouldn’t stop. He couldn’t stop. The creativity burst out of him. He isn’t the only one – there are many people who have experienced surges of creativity after brain injuries. When the nature of mind changes unexpected things happen.
I changed my brain chemistry with medication. Unexpected things have happened.
