I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 38 years ago. This was to be the reason for my behaviour. Ten years ago, I was diagnosed with ADHD and I’m now on Ritalin, when needed. This was discovered along with sleep apnea. For over ten years, I was searching for a solution for chronic fatigue which was diagnosed last year. Diabetes was blamed for everything. How wrong they were! My ADHD is now a gift. I survived a living hell. I know I ask the correct questions and doctors admit they don’t know if there is a connection between diabetes and ADHD, but I feel so strongly about this. I have a head that doesn’t stop and a body that doesn’t start. I have severe memory failure. I love life and don’t believe in failure or giving in. I just want to live life, a better quality of life. So, why am I continuing to fail? When I find the reason, I will find the solution.

There is not a clear relationship between diabetes and ADHD. However, there many subplots that involve a person with type 1 diabetes. For instance, with diabetes there is a risk of hypoglycemia exposure. I believe there has been some investigation looking at the relationship between hypoglycemia exposure with insulin therapy and ADHD. Nothing has been found that is clearly positive. Patients enrolled in intensive insulin therapy trials have been subjected to psychological testing to evaluate for such conditions and no positive findings have been found. Then there is the possibility of the relationship between diabetes and the maturing nervous system. If you had diabetes as a young person, were the side effects more potent at that point, compared to people with diabetes who experienced hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia at an older age? These are not resolved questions and I would say they are unproven at this time.

JTL