Who knows someone who struggles with ADHD? Hollywood movies often give us characters in movies or television that struggle with mental illness. Unfortunately, they’re often shown as criminals or villains. This is almost never helpful. and does not help in reducing the stigma around it. Sometimes, characters fall under the radar and we never suspect they might struggle behind the scenes. Simply knowing a character doesn’t have everything figured out is comforting. Here are six characters with ADHD.
Charlie Barlett
Charlie is your typical high school kid, but he often has trouble fitting in with the world. This causes some struggles. When he’s diagnosed with ADHD he decides to become the resident psychiatrist at his high school What could go wrong? Anton Yelchin brings a likable and charismatic glimpse into life with ADHD. More importantly, it reveals to the viewer a character that is smart, creative, and highly capable of making a difference in the world.
Charlie Barlett is available on Amazon.
Jack Sparrow
Hear me out on this one. Jack Sparrow might be a salacious swashbuckling scoundrel who has a tendency to drink too much rum. But if you look deeper one would notice Jack has some telltale signs of ADHD. Well, the obvious might be a slight drinking problem. Some with ADHD are prone to substance abuse. Another clue that Jack may have ADHD is his creativity. He’s always finding wild and crazy ways to get out of the mess he has created. Unfortunately, Jack would not be able to get an ADHD test, due to the time period. So we will never really know if he is counted among the many adults with undiagnosed ADHD.
Daniel Hillard/ Mrs. Doubtfire
Does it surprise anyone that a character Robin Williams played might struggle with ADHD? Only he could pull off a zany character like Mr. Doubtfire. Within minutes of meeting the character, we know he is special. His over-the-top antics and wild blinding speed makes us immediately fall in love with Mrs. Doubtfire. Often people with ADHD are known to be highly creative. I would say dressing up as a Scottish nanny in order to spend more time with his children falls under the category of creative.
Mrs. Doubtfire is available on Amazon.
Juno
Juno is a great example of an everyday character who struggles with ADHD. Her impulsivity and intelligence shine through in the movie and Eliot Page does a great job of showing us a deeply nuanced character. What I love about Juno is her character’s wicked sense of humor and optimistic view of life. Even when things are not going so well for the teen dealing with overwhelming events.
Tracy Jordan
Tracy Jordan is one of the great examples of a character struggling with ADHD. If you have seen “30 Rock” then it’s hard to not notice that Tracy struggles with things. He forgets more than he remembers and he is always getting in trouble because of his impulsive ideas and actions. We love him anyway. His substance abuse at times is actually a useful example of the addiction issues those with ADHD can deal with.
Tigger
Tigger, the resident lovable tiger is always on the move. He bounces everywhere! His energy and persona scream hyperactivity. A. A. Milne seems to have attributed a distinct personality trait to each character in his stories. Piglet is almost always anxious, Eeyore is depressed, and Tigger is, well Tigger. He is a great example of one who has ADHD but is always excited for the next adventure.
Resources for anyone struggling with ADHD.
For more information, check out https://nami.org/Home.
Another great resource is https://www.nimh.nih.gov/.
