To All Those Who Say ADHD is "Just a Myth"

So I was reading an article (found here) on how a study has found that kids with ADHD do better on tests when they're allowed to move around and fidget (which doesn't surprise me at all), and I made the mistake, as I occasionally do, of reading the comments. Trolls aside, I was surprised at how many people claim that ADHD is a myth made by pill pushers wanting to make more money for Pharmaceutical companies, and I was surprised by how many people had very strong opinions about how we shouldn't be drugging up our kids just for being kids. I was surprised not only by how many people had strong opinions on this, for or against or otherwise, but I was also surprised by the rampant ignorance that was present in many of these comments. The ones that were the most vehement seemed to be the most ignorant.


So I've decided to try and clear a few things up, as well as add my two cents.

ADHD does not just affect kids.

Why is it that, even with all the attempts to clear this up, that this is still largely misunderstood by the general population? Yes, it is most noticeable in children, especially the predominately hyperactive type, but why is it that most of our conversation about ADHD centers around children? Perhaps it is because of the whole "drugs" issue, which does have some validity, but I still would like to see more about how ADHD affects adults.

ADHD is not just about hyperactivity.

Many people don't realize, or seem to forget, that ADHD is not just a little boy who can't sit still. There's the talkative girl, the daydreamer, the one who is labeled "lazy" or "forgetful," as well as the hyperactive little boy. I get that hyperactivity is the most noticeable symptom, which is probably why there is so much focus on it, but let's not forget about the quieter symptoms as well.

ADHD medications do not make people "sluggish" or "doped up."

Sure, it might seem that way, especially if the wriggling and squirming calms down. But, in actuality, stimulants are good for people with ADHD because the cause the part of the brain that controls focus to become more active. In essence, it helps people with ADHD quiet down all the noise in their brains so that they can concentrate on what they are doing. Does America have a tendency to over-medicate their children? Certainly. Does that mean we should get rid of medications entirely? Absolutely not. Medications are not a bandage fix, nor are they a "cure." Honestly, you can't "cure" a brain that is wired differently from neurotypicals. Instead, medications are (and SHOULD BE) used as a tool to help people with ADHD perform at their best. (By the way, if a child does seem "sluggish" or "doped up," they're on the wrong medication. If that child is your child, see the doctor immediately. Nobody should go through that).

Okay, lesson's over. Now for my two cents.

To Those who think ADHD doesn't exist:

If you think ADHD "doesn't exist," you've obviously never experienced sensory overload. (No, that's not just for people with autism. Some people with ADHD get it, too). You've never gone to the grocery store, only to find that there are too many colors, too many sounds, too many things all trying to get your attention at once. You've never had to drive home in this state, with your baby in the backseat, constantly praying that you will make it home safely. You've never felt the sense of relief as, by some miracle, you make it home without incident, even though you honestly don't know how you did it, considering you had no way of focusing on the road, no matter how much you tried.

You've obviously never struggled with hyperfocusing (which is a common argument for ADHD being a myth). You've never stayed up until four in the morning rating movies on Netflix, over and over and over. You've never felt the increasing panic as you think, "I should stop. I need to go to bed. I really need to stop. Why can't I stop? What's wrong with me? I'm not even enjoying this anymore. Stop. Stop. STOP!" You've never experienced that crash back to reality as you finally manage to break free, only to find that your bladder is about to burst and you are literally shaking with hunger, simply because you had no idea, no indication of anything other than what you were hyperfocusing on.

You've never experienced the frustration of not getting around to what you actually wanted to do because you kept getting distracted by the little things. You've never sat down to watch an episode of your favorite TV show on Hulu, only to end up having no time to do it because you first had to check your email, then Facebook, then you had to check to make sure you hadn't deleted that one important email, then you had to read an article you meant to read three weeks ago but never got to, then ... wait, where did the time go?

You've never felt the frustration of being consistently late, over and over and over, no matter how many times you try.

You've never had people tell you to "just try harder," when they don't realize that you DO try harder. In fact, sometimes the harder you try, the more you mess up.

You've never felt the disappointment at the end of the day to find that, yet again, you didn't get anything productive done. Sure, you've been busy all day, but not one thing on your to-do list has been crossed off.

Don't say that ADHD is "just a myth" just because "everybody gets distracted." That's like saying something like Fibromyalgia doesn't exist because "everybody gets sore muscles." Or saying that Parkinson's doesn't exist because "everybody gets shaky now and then." Don't discredit ADHD just because you don't understand it. ADHD is real. The struggle is real. It exists, whether you think it does or not.