A Tiger and Her Stripes

Before I delve into the world of burnout I want to first start off with this fact; I LOVE MY JOB!  It's been so long since I've written anything I can't recall whether or not you all know what it is that I do for a living, well, I'm a "Youth Worker" which is a watered-down way of saying that I am a juvenile corrections worker. The thing about this job is that I did and didn't choose this profession. Many years ago I wanted to be a counselor to teens because when I was a teen I didn't like any of my counselors. I felt that they were all out of touch with the teens they were working with, not to mention they didn't look like me (African American). I wasn't able to finish school for mental health so I gave up on that dream. I actually trained to try and become a cop, you know be a part of the solution. That failed miserably because I couldn't lift half my body weight. I didn't even get to try the other portions of the fitness test. Time wo

  I am a member of an ADHD group for black women. I've been in the group for so long I'm not certain how long I've actually been there. The group has been so reassuring over the years and has constantly reminded me that I am not alone.  I was diagnosed back in the mid-nineties with ADHD and was promptly medicated after the discovery. Being the child that  I was I refused to take my medication and I've been unmedicated ever since. Having run across an article posted in the group called " It took me until I was 25 to get diagnosed with ADHD. I assumed my symptoms were personality quirks ", It was a great read that highlighted some pretty good things. However, I found myself with this thought "It's great she's got her diagnosis but what about those of us diagnosed you who have to get rediagnosed to get help?" I ended up asking myself was I any better when I was actually being treated for it, was the medication actually helping? after all this ti