Millions of children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and adult onset of this mental health condition has become even more prevalent today, especially due to the travesties of Covid. I was diagnosed as an adult after I experienced some workplace trauma and know others similar to me as well. Whether you have it or your child does, this article should help you.
Although identified in 1902 by British pediatrician Sir George Still, ADHD still carries a tremendous stigma. In their book ADHD 2.0, Drs. Hallowell and Ratey state, "Most people, even now, don’t understand the power, magnitude, and complexity of this condition. They know only caricatures and sound bites of incorrect or incomplete information."
The name itself is inaccurate as not everyone with ADHD exhibits hyperactive symptoms and we don't have an attention deficit at all. Instead we have trouble focusing and regulating our attention to just one thing at a time. Drs. Hallowell and Ratey say, "Boredom is our kryptonite. The second we experience boredom— which you might think of as a lack of stimulation— we reflexively, instantaneously, automatically and without conscious thought, seek stimulation. We don’t care what it is, we just have to address the mental emergency the brain pain— that boredom sets off."
ADHD can be “superpower” of boundless energy, creativity and optimism. We can comes to life in disordered environments or situations that many neurotypical people anxious. We are passionate, zealous, idealistic and can give everything for a cause or friend.
But it can also destroy promising careers. We can become rigid in the service of a cause, fanatical or even irrational. ADHD can be “a scourge, an unremitting, lifelong ordeal” that can lead to suicide and addictions and that “having ADHD costs a person nearly thirteen years of life, on average," ADHD 2.0.
Drs. Hallowell and Ratey suggest a more appropropriate name for ADHD. Variable Attention Stimulus Trait (VAST) to help with the stigma. Regardless of the name, ADHD is not a dysfunction, but simply a different way of processing the world. Once you can understand the strategies for harnessing the superpowers of it, being careful and mindful, life becomes a whole lot more balanced for you and those around you. I'm still working on it myself, so know that it's a journey and give yourself time and grace to make mistakes!
Check out the book here!