5 ms·

i am so surprised that, for a community of people that see themselves so rational, there are so many who effectively deny the existence of adhd. i cant help bu

i am so surprised that, for a community of people that see themselves so rational, there are so many who effectively deny the existence of adhd. i cant help but observe that this might be because it flys in the face of the common western ideal of “anyone can do anything if you just work hard enough” and that many of our identities are tied to that shared belief.

hackflip 6y ago
I don't deny the existence of it, but I'm uncomfortable with the idea of drugging children because they won't sit still while being lectured to for 5+ hours a day.
nlitened 6y ago
I think prevalent ADHD self-diagnosis (and doctor-assisted over-diagnosis) kind of devalues the sheer amount of hard work most people put in to achieve good things in life. When I hear "it's so easy for you but I cannot concentrate on boring things because I have ADHD", it's REALLY hard to not get viscerally defensive, although I rationally understand that there could really be very rare medical conditions in play.
- invisible 6y ago
  Maybe you're hung up on what "boring" means? That could be really life fulfilling things like connecting with friends, trying hard at work, financial planning, relaxing, etc.
- mLuby 6y ago
  I've found that visceral defensiveness is a reliable signal to introspect more deeply, since the surface trigger is rarely the same as the reaction's root cause. I don't think people using motorized wheelchairs devalues the hard work I do walking around, and I think it's only fair to ensure there are ramps and elevators where necessary, even if I take the stairs. And sure, I've seen some able-bodied teens goofing off with motorized wheelchairs before. But notice that we don't see everyone using motorized wheelchairs, only those who really need them. Don't be the person judging the motorized wheelchair user to "just use their limbs like the rest of us." How monstrous would it be to take the motorized wheelchair away and make them crawl through life? Regarding child development: Tiny Tim isn't walking like the other kids his age, so a doctor gives him a motorized wheelchair. Maybe his disability is permanent and he needs the wheelchair. Maybe he literally grows out of it. Maybe using the wheelchair so early in life atrophies his legs to the point where he now needs the wheelchair? I'm not convinced that happens without both bad parenting and bad doctoring. In any case, we should be supporting Tiny Tim, not wagging our collective finger at him as we take away his wheelchair and tell him to walk.

hackflip 6y ago

I don't deny the existence of it, but I'm uncomfortable with the idea of drugging children because they won't sit still while being lectured to for 5+ hours a day.

nlitened 6y ago

I think prevalent ADHD self-diagnosis (and doctor-assisted over-diagnosis) kind of devalues the sheer amount of hard work most people put in to achieve good things in life. When I hear "it's so easy for you but I cannot concentrate on boring things because I have ADHD", it's REALLY hard to not get viscerally defensive, although I rationally understand that there could really be very rare medical conditions in play.

invisible 6y ago
Maybe you're hung up on what "boring" means? That could be really life fulfilling things like connecting with friends, trying hard at work, financial planning, relaxing, etc.
mLuby 6y ago
I've found that visceral defensiveness is a reliable signal to introspect more deeply, since the surface trigger is rarely the same as the reaction's root cause. I don't think people using motorized wheelchairs devalues the hard work I do walking around, and I think it's only fair to ensure there are ramps and elevators where necessary, even if I take the stairs. And sure, I've seen some able-bodied teens goofing off with motorized wheelchairs before. But notice that we don't see everyone using motorized wheelchairs, only those who really need them. Don't be the person judging the motorized wheelchair user to "just use their limbs like the rest of us." How monstrous would it be to take the motorized wheelchair away and make them crawl through life? Regarding child development: Tiny Tim isn't walking like the other kids his age, so a doctor gives him a motorized wheelchair. Maybe his disability is permanent and he needs the wheelchair. Maybe he literally grows out of it. Maybe using the wheelchair so early in life atrophies his legs to the point where he now needs the wheelchair? I'm not convinced that happens without both bad parenting and bad doctoring. In any case, we should be supporting Tiny Tim, not wagging our collective finger at him as we take away his wheelchair and tell him to walk.