Reply #158: I am so very, very sorry for your situation

[bethfully]

and, while I don't have any good advise dealing w/ student loans in your current circumstance, I just want to share my similar story of being diagnosed w/ AD/HD at age 40, having had paperwork and timelines end up creating such hurdles for me that I've suffered enormous financial and shameful consequences from. And it is indeed a disability.

One suggestion I have is that wherever you are that you find the local CHADD support group in your area (Children and Adults w/ AD/HD) and go to a meeting to find out what other resources might be available to you. I've used CHADD many times (and actually became a Parent to Parent teacher b/c my oldest son has AD/HD and I wanted to help other parents with that difficult journey). Google CHADD and click on the Find Support tab at the top. Good luck to you. This isn't about you being bad but I am very aware of the deep shame, overwhelm, despair, and genuine heartbreak that this disorder brings. In many ways, every other physical ailment I've had, while difficult and painful (and in some cases involving chronic pain), nothing has rivaled the massive impact that AD/HD has had on my life and it is made worse by the fact that many around me either don't believe it's real or don't understand, in any meaningful way, how the attendant impairments functionally impact an adult's life.