ADHD is one of the most stigmatized mental illnesses there is. There are many myths about it that people generally accept as facts. As a sufferer myself, I'm here to debunk those myths. Here is a list of five things that ADHD is not:
1. Stupidity
I once came across a Twitter post that read, “Have you ever considered that your kid diagnosed with ADHD might just be stupid?”
This was extremely hurtful to me. In reality, hyperactivity and difficulty paying attention are in no way symptoms of so-called "stupidity." The truth is, most people with ADHD are struggling every day function in the way that their peers do.
The automatic assumption that people with ADHD are just “stupid” has had horrible effects on my self-esteem.
Many people have assumed that because I usually can’t give things my 100 percent undivided attention, I’m just lazy and unmotivated. But actually, quite the opposite is true. Despite my diagnosis, I’ve maintained all A’s and B’s in school and have aspirations of being an actor, producer and playwright. I’ve also published a novel, and I'm currently devising a collaborative theatre project centered around erasing the stigmatization of mental illnesses.
In fact, a lot of my fellow friends with ADHD are some of the most creative and passionate people I’ve ever met.
2. Being blissfully unaware of everything that’s going on around you.
We’ve all seen the shirts, memes and Facebook posts that say things along the lines of “People think I have ADHD, but... look a squirrel!”
While being easily distracted is a trademark of ADHD, it’s nothing like living in la-la land.
Having ADHD is like living with a constant headache. You’re trying to focus, but your brain is like a computer with fifty different YouTube videos playing at once. It’s irritating, to say the least.
3. Something that can be fixed with increased willpower.
Telling someone with ADHD to “Just pay attention” or “Just sit still” is like telling someone in a wheelchair to just stand up and walk.
If I’m sitting and class and not paying attention to what the teacher is saying, it’s not because I don’t care about what’s going on. It’s because I have a million thoughts buzzing around in my brain at all times, and a lot of the time it’s really difficult for me to sort them out.
I do have methods for trying to calm my thoughts and pay attention to to tasks at hand, but it requires things like meditating beforehand and carefully planning my work schedule to accompany the spontaneity of my brain. Trying to force myself to pay attention when I’m struggling always backfires horribly.
4. The cause of bad behavior.
I once watched an episode of "Toddlers and Tiaras" in which an eight-year-old pageant queen hit, kicked and threatened her mother and fellow contestants. Her mess of a mother excused this behavior because the child was diagnosed with ADHD.
I can tell you that if I had ever acted in the way this child did, my parents would have slapped me upside the head.
However, many adults seem to have a skewed perception of what disrespectful behavior is. A child with ADHD who has trouble sitting still and asks a lot of irrelevant questions is a child who is struggling. Hitting, kicking and threatening is not a symptom of ADHD. It’s a symptom of poor care and possible underlying emotional issues.
5. A made-up illness
ADHD is often misdiagnosed, but it is not a fake illness fabricated in an effort to sell more drugs.
As a child, I knew there was something off about me before I knew it had a name. If I had never been formally diagnosed, I would’ve grown up believing that I was just stupid, and not that I had a real disorder that could be managed.
Thank to the help that I’ve received, my self-esteem is better than ever and I know that I can do anything a person without ADHD can. I just have to do it a little bit differently.
