Journal Article

‘Finally making sense’: graphic medicine and ADHD diagnosis in adulthood

Tolani, Prerna, Venkatesan, Sathyaraj

2025

Overview

This article aims to examine the lived experiences of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis in adulthood, emphasising its revelatory nature and diverse emotional responses it provokes. The diagnosis serves as a pivotal moment of self-discovery, often evoking feelings of validation and identity affirmation. However, it also triggers a complex array of emotions, including grieving for the childhood self, frustration with society’s failure to recognise the legitimate challenges and evolving self-concept post diagnosis. Through a close reading of digitally published comics by Laura Balcerek, Amber Lewis and Juliette Yu-Ming Lizeray, this article studies how the graphic medium conveys these nuanced experiences. By dissecting narrative and visual elements inherent in the comics, the article studies the affordances of the comic medium to capture the lived experiences of ADHD diagnosis in adulthood. Ultimately, this article intends to deepen understanding of the diverse lived realities and underscores the expressive potential of graphic narratives of neurodivergence.

• Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Institute of Medical Ethics,BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subject: ADHD / Adult / Adults / Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - diagnosis / Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - psychology / Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder / Autism / Brain research / Childhood / Comics / Computer platforms / diagnosis / Dyslexia / Emotional responses / Emotions / Frustration / graphic medicine / Graphic Novels as Topic / Grief / Humans / Hyperactivity / Manga / Medical diagnosis / Medicine / Narration / Narratives / neurodivergence / Neurodiversity / Original research / Perceptions / Personal development / Self Concept / Self image / Social networks