Navigating Nursing Informatics with ADHD and Depression: A Personal Journey

Written by Nedlyne Monestime

Nursing informatics specialists are specialized workers in a highly challenging area of employment that seeks to improve organizational processes by applying technology to healthcare industries. The position entails working with timelines, switching between diverse tasks, and making accurate decisions – all of which are a nightmare when dealing with ADHD and depression. With these challenges, it is utterly possible to succeed in this type of field, as I have discovered throughout my process. The best strategies and proper attitude prove that even major drawbacks can be overcome, as resilience and adaptability are universal keys to success.

Understanding the Impact of ADHD and Depression on Nursing Informatics

By nature, nursing informatics is driven by such factors as speed of decision, teamwork, and technicality. As it is, a person with ADHD will always find that a lot of juggling, deadlines, and multistep work processes become a source of distress. ADHD may present as challenges regarding time, organizing tasks and focus, and decision-making, leading to a lack of confidence and Imposter Syndrome. This is made worse by depression, which comes with fatigue, demotivation, and perceived incompetence in the workplace that acts as hitches for growth.

As the study shows, the rate of depression in adults' reactions to ADHD continues to remain high, and both conditions interact, with each worsening the other (Kessler et al., 2006). Specifically, as a social actor in an organization as a nurse informaticist, I often thought that I could not do a certain job or was not as good as I used to be and considered this as my weakness or inability without seeking professional help due to undiagnosed ADHD and depressive disorder. The pressure of dealing with these conditions within such a challenging position just aggravated my difficulties, and a medical emergency compelled me to address these challenges.

A Life-Changing Diagnosis

I distinctly remember first realizing something might be seriously wrong, and because I had five classes to finish my master’s in business administration and I just didn’t have the drive to complete the classes. Anyone that knows me know that I’m a professional student because I enjoy school. March of 2024 after going to the urgent care for strep throat, the APRN did her assessment and noticed that the left side of face was a sizable difference than the right side. She ordered a CT scan. I remember getting in my car and I cried, I said a prayer and then called my younger sister, for encouragement. I held on to the CT script until I finished my antibiotics, I was adamant it was an infection. I went and finally got the scan done 2 week later, the APRN called me as soon as she got the results and stated, “it’s a solid mass” in addition she ordered a STAT MRI and referred me to get a biopsy. The whole time I was going for the MRI and the biopsy I was in a daze, just going through the motions. I didn’t speak to anyone; I just want to hear that it was benign then I would be able to tell my mom and so on. I called the clinic I called, and they tell me that they didn’t collect enough tissue. I was upset, and it woke me up out of my daze. I called Moffitt Cancer Center and self-referred. I was in there within two weeks I had saw Dr.Padhya he had scheduled me a biopsy, even checked my thyroid. Within eight weeks I had the mass removed. It was benign. But it left me with survivors’ remorse. 

                 The health scare I observed compelled me to focus on my mental health, and thus, I got diagnosed with both depression and ADHD. Although it was quite devastating initially, this revelation gave me a better perspective of the problems I have been encountering for quite some time now. This way, it was easier for me to focus on what I wanted to achieve and discover that the tools were available to reach important aims, but only if specific conditions were met.

For instance, I found out that the inability to start a task and work intensively for a long time are signs of ADHD rather than my immoral character. Knowing the difference between these two made it easier to implement strategies that best suited me to focus more on compassion rather than criticizing myself. Secondly, I was finally able to treat my depression by undergoing therapy and taking medication, and this offered me the emotional state that I required to get started.

Thriving in Nursing Informatics with ADHD and Depression

ADHD and depression are manageable if one is willing to take advantage of resources that would enable him or her to perform his or her daily tasks as a nurse informatics while going through the challenges. Here are some of the practices that have helped me thrive:

1. Technology as a Part of the Social Model 

   The same things that make patients' lives better have become useful in helping me deal with the heavy workload. Calendar applications, personal organizers, and notification systems ensure that I do not have to recall the tasks again. Science proves that digital skills are helpful in controlling ADHD, and there are increases in functionality /organization (Hallowell & Ratey, 2021).

2. Procedures that Make up the Basic Framework of the Building and its Daily Schedule 

   ADHD can be unpredictable, and establishing a clear workflow minimizes this problem. The stress associated with a given responsibility is reduced if the tasks are divided into parts and planned chronologically.

3. Promoting Therapy Therapeutic and Peer Support Line

   Counseling has helped treat depression and ADHD because it is effective in eradicating negative thinking patterns. I have learned from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) how to view difficulties as positive gains. This has also been complemented by linking up with others who go through similar experiences as the patient; this has been quite reassuring.

4. Employer Reasonable: Requesting and/or demanding accommodations in the workplace  

   Communication with supervisors has been greatly considered in establishing a supportive climate at the workplace. These easy measures include offering longer due dates and breaks between lengthy tasks, reducing stress, and boosting my productivity.

5. Celebrating Small Wins

   Simply applauding the lowest achievement encourages people and makes them feel they have achieved something. Being task-oriented in identifying accomplishments instead of the items that still need your attention has helped you achieve staggering goals.

Making It Work: A Testament to Resilience

However, I have noticed that it is quite feasible to thrive as a nursing informant with ADHD and depression. The key here is understanding these conditions as something that need not restrict you but must be managed. With awareness of myself, help from professionals, and appropriate methods, I have changed for the position and improved myself in this respected place. 

Further, the experiences shared here present strengths of mine that complement my current academic knowledge. I come to work with respect for the persons I work with and the patients struggling to navigate their own issues, showing that mental health is important and should be respected. That is a truth that seems self-evident, especially because, as healthcare professionals, we sometimes tend to take care of the body and soul of others to the extent that we sometimes forget all about ourselves (Shanafelt et al., 2016). Reading my story executive human mind that prioritizing for mental health is important and empowering.

Conclusion

For someone with ADHD and/or depression, it may indeed be arduous to work in nursing informatics, but is it? With tools, help, and growth, I have learned how to make a career in this challenging profession. The case also highlights themes of perseverance and flexibility, affirming my now-favorite saying, 'If you want to make it happen, you can.'

References

Hallowell, E. M., & Ratey, J. J. (2021). ADHD 2.0. Ballantine Books.

Shanafelt, T. D., Dyrbye, L. N., Sinsky, C., Hasan, O., Satele, D., Sloan, J., & West, C. P. (2016). Relationship Between Clerical Burden and Characteristics of the Electronic Environment With Physician Burnout and Professional Satisfaction. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 91(7), 836–848. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.05.007

Kessler, R. C., Adler, L., Barkley, R., Biederman, J., Conners, C. K., Demler, O., Faraone, S. V., Greenhill, L. L., Howes, M. J., Secnik, K., Spencer, T., Ustun, T. B., Walters, E. E., & Zaslavsky, A. M. (2006). The prevalence and correlates of adult ADHD in the United States: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 163(4), 716–723. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.2006.163.4.716