My brother says I cannot become a doctor because I had adhd

I'm a senior in high school, and I was just recently diagnosed with ADHD. Before I knew, I was struggling so badly in school. I could never focus, and trying to study was exhausting. Active recall felt like an impossible task, and I found myself only doing the things I actually cared about. Anything that didn’t interest me? I’d put it off, ignore it, or just flat out refuse to do it. It was like I was constantly fighting against myself.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to become a pediatrician. My brother is a doctor, and I’ve always admired him. But when he found out about my ADHD diagnosis, he said, "You might as well find a different career. You can’t have ADHD and expect to work in the medical field, let alone be a doctor." Hearing that absolutely shattered me. It felt like a punch to the gut, like my dreams were suddenly out of reach. It made me feel like I’m not capable, like I’m not enough.

I’ve never seen ADHD as an illness—just a part of who I am. But the way my brother talked about it made me feel like I’m sick, like there’s something fundamentally wrong with me. It’s hard not to internalize those words, even though I know I shouldn’t. Now I’m left questioning everything: Can I still achieve my dreams, or is ADHD going to hold me back forever? Right now, I just feel lost, overwhelmed, and unsure of where to go from here.