Risk youth and homelessness

The lecture on tuesday was very interesting. Chris Webster was very different than the average guest speaker for a collegiate class. I could relate to him pretty easily however. I have ADD that is similar to ADHD and I can understand why he acts the way he does and why this caused him problems in school. I was diagnosed in second grade and elementry school was already very difficult for me with bullies and things but the problems with the academics was very tough as well. My main difficulty was with remembering things and staying focused for any length of time. I was on teh medication through to middle school but in seventh grade I stopped taking it because I did not like the way they made me feel which I am sure Chris experienced as well. The medications are stimulants for everybody else but for people with ADD or ADHD, stimulants such as Aderal or Ridilin have the opposite effect similar to a depresent. These can cause many different side effects and the main ones I personally experienced were sever appetite suppresion and deep depression. By not taking the medication, I had to learn ways on my own to keep myself focused and to figure out different ways to try and remember information and assignments. I still have difficulties with it but I would much rather have my current situation than the feeling of the side effects of the medication.