At Rappler’s Social Good Summit 2025, the psychological well being advocate and podcaster talks about being identified with ADHD as an grownup and the way having a neighborhood has helped her
MANILA, Philippines— Wake Up with Jim and Saab podcaster Saab Magalona-Bacarro was a 32-year-old mom of two younger sons when she was first identified with Consideration-deficit/hyperactivity dysfunction (ADHD).
“It’s like having loads of tabs open in your internet browser, and also you simply can’t decide one. It’s like, ‘oh, wait, wait, which one, which one?’ After which the entire duties that you’ve are completely the identical significance,” the psychological well being advocate defined on the Rappler Social Good Summit 2025 on Sunday, November 16.
Previous to studying she had ADHD, she discovered herself annoyed with loads of her behaviors, like not having the ability to end duties, forgetting issues, and chopping folks off mid-sentence.
“I used to be actually imply to myself, pre-diagnosis. I might assume, ‘oh, you’re simply so annoying’,” she shared.
In December 2020, she obtained a proper prognosis that lastly gave her the readability she wanted. Her laziness or persona wasn’t an issue, the best way she initially thought — it was simply how her mind functioned.
Taking step one
On the time, she was drowning in overwhelm and self-doubt, however was in the end motivated to search out assist for her youngsters’s sake. They wanted her, and so she sought help for her ADHD.
She tried group teaching based mostly in the US, which gave her a brand new sense of self-understanding by way of listening to the tales of different folks with ADHD. Accepting her prognosis grew simpler.
Discovering that neighborhood reassured her that she wasn’t “going loopy” and that she wasn’t alone in her struggles. “You begin considering, ‘oh, okay, then that’s how your mind works,’ and we transfer ahead,” she stated.
Now, she strongly advocates for the ADHD neighborhood. She additionally based the Chaos Management Membership, providing Filipinos the identical companies that helped her navigate her psychological situation, together with group-coaching calls, personal podcast feeds, and neighborhood hubs.
“The perfect half is the neighborhood the place we simply speak about what we’re going by way of,” she stated.
Questions result in solutions
Aside from ADHD, Magalona-Bacarro additionally advocates for cerebral palsy due to her son Pancho. She shared that though prior to now, folks would disguise their disabled youngsters at residence out of disgrace or safety, she personally loves to point out off all of the issues her baby is able to.
Even when different youngsters see her son in public and ask questions on his bodily look, she doesn’t take it negatively.
“I prefer it that there are alternatives to coach, particularly for well-meaning youngsters and people who find themselves truly curious to be taught extra,” she stated.
Somewhat than treating psychological and bodily disabilities as one thing that shouldn’t be talked about, she encourages folks to proceed researching and studying about them.
She had seen a rising openness about psychological well being, particularly because the pandemic, however she additionally acknowledges that there nonetheless stays a stigma for ADHD and psychological disabilities. Many nonetheless imagine that folks with these circumstances are merely being overly dramatic.
With this, she calls the general public to be extra open-minded and fewer judgmental in the direction of these people.
Aside from the stigma, she additionally acknowledges that there’s nonetheless much more to be achieved when it comes to entry to help and healthcare.
“I really feel prefer it has been stated that ADHD is simply one thing that solely the privileged have. Like, the poor don’t have ADHD. As a result of [they] can’t afford a prognosis or therapy,” she stated.
She emphasised that the federal government ought to present higher accessibility to remedy and psychiatrists, in order that extra folks can get an expert prognosis and search therapy. For her, it’s by no means too late to get assist.
Finally, with the right help and neighborhood, Magalona-Bacarro believes folks with ADHD or different psychological or bodily disabilities can discover a option to transfer ahead regardless of their situation. –Alyana Fabella/Rappler.com
Alyana Fabella is a Rappler intern finding out Bachelor of Arts in Communication on the Ateneo de Manila College.
