Depression and ADHD

The Effort That Others May Not See

What happens when years of struggling to do what matters begin to change what you believe about yourself?

With ADHD, you can care deeply about something and still struggle to get started. You know what needs doing. You understand the consequences. Yet that understanding does not always translate into action. When depression develops too, the interests and routines that once helped you get going may no longer offer the same pull.

Other people see the unanswered message, the cancelled plan, the unfinished task. They may not see the effort behind each attempt—or the years of disappointment that can turn “I find this difficult” into “There is something wrong with me.”

How does struggling to begin differ from no longer looking forward to anything? What happens when the two overlap? And why is a moment of laughter so easily taken as evidence that someone must be fine?

Through everyday images of light, houses and a car that will not start, this illustrated essay explores the experience of ADHD alongside depression, and the quieter burden of having your effort repeatedly misunderstood.

When someone says, “I cannot do this anymore,” are we hearing only how they feel today—or something about how long they have been trying?

Read the full illustrated essay below.