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ADHD and Identity Formation: Adolescents' Experiences From the Healthcare System and Peer Relationships

The article highlights how adolescents with ADHD navigate their sense of self within social and medical contexts that often frame neurodivergence as a deficit. While the diagnosis itself could serve as an important narrative for understanding their experiences, it was the visible symptoms of ADHD that tended to attract stigma. Medication also played a complicated role in identity, with some adolescents feeling pressured to use stimulants in order to meet social and academic norms, even at the cost of feeling “not themselves.” A recurring pattern was that adolescents downplayed their individual identity in order to preserve relationships and meet expectations, underscoring how ableist frameworks continue to shape what is considered acceptable behavior and belonging.

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Updated 2025-08-21

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Disability Studies

Educational Psychology

Social Science

Empirical Science

Science

Psychology

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