5 ms·
Everything you’ve said is correct, but please don’t demonize a medication that I depend on to be functional. ADHD is a disability, there’s more nuance to this
by jnovek 5y ago
Everything you’ve said is correct, but please don’t demonize a medication that I depend on to be functional. ADHD is a disability, there’s more nuance to this than black-and-white.
I was blown off by doctors for years when I was seeking a diagnostics because I was a successful person, but make no mistake: I was suffering. I am a textbook case. The stigma around this disorder is pervasive and it’s extremely easy to reinforce that stigma.
Stimulant medication doesn’t give me superpowers, it improves symptoms. I still have all the problems that come with ADHD, just... less.
Google is failing me, but a study a few years ago indicated that stimulants do not have a meaningful impact on the output of those who do not have ADHD. People often think they do because of the euphoria effect, but the euphoria is actually a transient side effect.
Stimulants should be paired with therapy, to better understand the nature of the disorder and developer additional coping tool.
(I’ve been on stimulant medication to treat ADHD for about half a decade. I was diagnosed well into adulthood.)
- bloqs 5y agoADHD is not a disability. It's an evolutionary set of traits. It is covered under the Big Five.
- dotjalla 5y agoI would argue that ADHD presents as a disability in a post-industrial society. ADHD Institute suggests that the diagnosis is commonly associated with substance abuse, major depression and a wide range of other conditions, in higher frequency than baseline populations[0] [0]: https://adhd-institute.com/burden-of-adhd/comorbidities/ https://adhd-institute.com/burden-of-adhd/comorbidities/
- dri_ft 5y agoAs what, lack of conscientiousness?
- lostmyoldone 5y agoIn Sweden at least it is classified as a disability, because whether or not it's a evolutionary adaptation, people that present typical ADHD traits are functionally disabled in modern society. Society should change to accommodate these traits, but we can't expect people with those traits to live in misery until then.
- mnowicki 5y agoYeah not to sound like a "deep" 15 year old but I think being able to function in our modern society is much more unnatural than the behaviors associated with ADHD. But since is the society we're in, having it really is a disability. TL;DR: "we live in a society"
- lostmyoldone 5y agoMy story is the same, blown off by doctors for years because, I don't know, but not being "too successful" was definitely part of it. Lead to a burnout-like state that started developing while basically being a stay-at-home dad for a year or so. It got worse, and now there are several years of my daughter growing up that I don't remember almost anything from.