Rose Callaghan is frank about being a woman with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
She had suspected for a decade that she had the disorder but it wasn’t until she saw Hannah Gadsby do stand-up about five years ago in Melbourne, where she spoke about being diagnosed with the condition late in life, that it all began to make sense.
‘‘To quote her highness Oprah, this was a massive ‘light bulb moment’ for me,’’ Callaghan recalled.
‘‘After listening to Hannah, I made the appointment. (OK, a year later). I went. I forgot the test I was supposed to bring. I was anointed an official ADHD-er.’’
Like Gadsby she did her own comedy show about ADHD.
‘‘It was called Attention Deficit ... Ooh a Pony! By the time I took it to the next festival I got bored of the name and changed it. The irony is not lost on me,’’ Callaghan said.
She describes the effects of ADHD as being very, very bad at "adulting".
“The cliche of ADHD has always been young hyperactive boys who are noisy and won't sit still,” she said. “In fact it affects both sexes and is criminally under-diagnosed in girls and women. I didn't get diagnosed until I was 32.”
Callaghan said ADHD traits make what would be a simple task for most people a struggle for sufferers.
“Being incapable of focusing on boring tasks, always being late, forgetting to pay bills, never finishing things, not ‘seeing’ mess, not doing tax returns for seven years, still being on your learner's permit after 17 years (my learner's permit is old enough to have it's own learner's permit).”
Callaghan, who was described as ‘‘jaw-dropping and absolutely hilarious’’ by the Herald Sun, will discuss ADHD and other life challenges in a double-headline show at the Oatley Hotel on November 14.
She will share the stage with another Aussie comedian, David Williams.
Williams has featured on Rove Live, Hey Hey it’s Saturday and The Footy Show, and was flown to the US for the finals of The Last Comic Standing.
The show starts at 8.30pm.
- oatleyhotel.com.au
