‘Am I just an asshole?’ Time blindness can explain chronic lateness - some of the time

‘We all sort of have this internal clock that we use to estimate how much time has passed, but people with ADHD tend to not have as good of [one],’ said Dr Melissa Shepard. Composite: Getty Images, Guardian Design

Dr Melissa Shepard has a problem with managing her time. She had always been a high achiever, making it through medical school to become a psychiatrist and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. But no matter how hard she worked, she struggled with one of life’s simplest expectations: being on time.

“I really felt like I could just not crack the code,” Shepard said. “I worried: am I just an asshole? Is that why I’m always late? No matter how hard I wanted to be on time, it was a struggle.”