3 ms·

I most likely would be diagnosed with ADHD if I sought a formal diagnosis (my ex, who I was with for over a decade is a clinical psychologist and said I most li

I most likely would be diagnosed with ADHD if I sought a formal diagnosis (my ex, who I was with for over a decade is a clinical psychologist and said I most likely have ADHD; my brother is diagnosed with it and my mom's ADHD traits make the both of us look tame). The thing is, I just don't buy into the rampant pathologizing that's so prevalent these days. It's really a societal problem, and is being treated as a human failing. I contend that it's society that's expecting humans to behave in a way we haven't needed for most of our evolution. These include: having exacting time standards disconnected from seasons and day/night cycles, having to juggle many more cognitively intense tasks that we need to quickly switch amongst, being exposed to media and technology specifically designed to capture your attention for as long as possible, etc.

danaris 2y ago
It's not "a societal problem" if I forget, for a week, that I've left out a yogurt on the counter, and it spreads mold. It's not "a societal problem" if I fail to notice my body getting hungry for 6 hours as I try to work out a particularly enticing programming problem, and end up irritable and headachy. It's not "a societal problem" if I blow up at a friend (or partner, or coworker, etc) because I have trouble regulating emotions, and trouble recognizing what's happening inside until it's too late. There are certainly some symptoms of ADHD, and some ways that they manifest, that are, indeed, only a problem (or vastly exacerbated) by current societal expectations. But many of the symptoms just make life harder no matter what society is like. ADHD is a disability, and should be treated as such. Unfortunately, it's the kind of disability whose most common manifestations mostly make even very well-meaning people think that those who suffer from it are lazy, immature, or lacking in willpower.

danaris 2y ago

It's not "a societal problem" if I forget, for a week, that I've left out a yogurt on the counter, and it spreads mold. It's not "a societal problem" if I fail to notice my body getting hungry for 6 hours as I try to work out a particularly enticing programming problem, and end up irritable and headachy. It's not "a societal problem" if I blow up at a friend (or partner, or coworker, etc) because I have trouble regulating emotions, and trouble recognizing what's happening inside until it's too late. There are certainly some symptoms of ADHD, and some ways that they manifest, that are, indeed, only a problem (or vastly exacerbated) by current societal expectations. But many of the symptoms just make life harder no matter what society is like. ADHD is a disability, and should be treated as such. Unfortunately, it's the kind of disability whose most common manifestations mostly make even very well-meaning people think that those who suffer from it are lazy, immature, or lacking in willpower.