The Misconception of ADHD - There is No Such Thing as ADHD?
13February

The Misconception of ADHD - There is No Such Thing as ADHD?

Written by Craig Rogers, Posted on , in Section Personal Growth
Original post found on Psych Central by Kelly Babcock on February 13th, 2016

Not what it’s perceived to be

You know they’re out there. People with the determined misconception that there is no such thing as ADHD.

These are people from many walks of life, career criminals, lawyers, sidewalk constructors and sidewalk sweepers, grocery sellers, farmers, ice makers, machinists and mechanics, clerks and clerics and clergy. Even among the ranks of nurses and doctors and counselors, there are those who say that ADHD is not real.ADHD is Real

And why is it that these people can’t find it within themselves to believe that ADHD exists?

I don’t know!

But I have a few thoughts on the matter. (Have you ever known me to be without an opinion or two?)

Paranoia and the conspiracy theory jumps to mind. The absolute determination to believe that “the man” is out to get us all is such a prevalent delusion, it reminds me of the dream of flying. Not everyone has had it, but enough have had it that it is familiar to many.

Why it is easier for someone to believe in a conspiracy in the wake of a heated rant than to believe that there is a possibility that ADHD exists I cannot say. But then, I’ve never had a dream about flying either. I’ve had dreams about falling mind you.

But what about those ranters?

Oh, right. Those people. Well, the truth about them as far as I can tell is that I’ve never met or heard of one that didn’t have a book, a column, or a cure to sell, I’ve heard of one or two that had a book, a column AND a cure to sell, but never one that had none of those things.

What about the zealots?

And then there are the ones who have to have an opinion.

  • “Back in the 70’s they called it daydreaming. Now they call it ADHD and shove medication down your throat.”
  • “There’s no way that someone who can pay attention to the television, computer, or game console for that many hours straight could have attention deficit.”
  • “If they’d bring back corporal punishment, we’d soon see that ADHD doesn’t really exist.”

Guess what, daydreaming isn’t ADHD. And ADHD doesn’t mean never being able to pay attention. And it sure as hell isn’t something that can be beaten out of anyone. Trust me, I’ve tried. Self-flagellation is one of the all-time top-ranked ADHD pastimes.

And a more accurate picture of ADHD is …

ADHD symptoms aren’t consistently there, they are consistent in recurring. ADHD means that we can’t control what we pay attention to well enough, not that we can never pay attention to things.

And ADHD isn’t behaving poorly on purpose, it’s being unable to make decisions regarding appropriate words and actions. And don’t think that means we try to decide whether something is appropriate or not and fail, we are often, plain and simply, unable to start that decision-making process in time to thwart some unacceptable thing.

What’s the last word?

I’m telling you now, there will never be a last word. As long as there are people who insist that ADHD isn’t real, is a scam, is a farce. As long as anyone is saying that, I’ll keep telling them that ADHD is as real as they are.

And forgive me for this, but I have to add … methinks they doth protest too much.