Neurodivergence: The phrases ADHD people are tired of hearing

‘ADHD? SURE, THAT’S all made up!’ Just one of the many things those of us with ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, hate to hear.

It’s a common misconception, that one. As the wider understanding of ADHD grows, fuelled in no small part by social media, it’s no wonder many are happy to dismiss it as a passing fad.

But it’s no fad. ADHD is a real state of being that’s been established by decades of scientific process and practice. ADHD, by definition, is a neurodevelopmental condition rooted in differences in brain structure and function.

According to Stanford Medicine, it is believed to be genetic. The typical ADHD brain may face challenges with inattention, hyperactivity (though girls tend to present with less hyperactivity than boys), be prone to dopamine deficiency and find impulse control difficult. 

You can look at the history of ADHD, including in our book, for examples of how a neurological difference comes to wider attention and awareness – and how those definitions are gradually refined and revised, as bodies of knowledge and data are gathered and improved upon.

A formal diagnosis of ADHD requires a fixed number of criteria to be met in examination and assessment, and oftentimes public treatment in Ireland will require a set amount of ‘concrete’ evidence of material issues arising in one’s daily quality of life as a result.

Much of the discussion around ADHD in recent years has been driven by adults, like myself, who’ve been diagnosed in later life. You’ll often find them saying that once they received a diagnosis, their entire existence began to make sense. As with all neurodivergents, it is exhausting having to fit into a world that is designed to accommodate neurotypical brains.

So, in the interest of broadening the understanding and softening the discourse around ADHD, here are some more phrases that we ADHDers won’t thank you for:

‘That’s just fancy talk for being a bit hyper, like’

While many mass-media portrayals of ADHD have focused on hyperactivity, ADHD is far more than a simple ‘inability’ to concentrate or otherwise regulate attention.

ADHDers often experience very real practical difficulties with tasks or activities that aren’t rewarding to them or their brains specifically, which can manifest in a range of ways, from the ‘hyper’ behaviours and demeanours to social withdrawal and overwhelm in unrewarding situations.

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‘There wasn’t any of this kind of thing back in my day!’

Aspects of ADHD and wider neurodivergence are often found in a range of human behaviours and presentations.

As scientific and sociological knowledge advances, and professionals and advocates develop the language and conversation around any diagnosis or neurological difference, it’s natural for some people to become a little bit reactive when confronted with new or changed understandings that differ from what they might have taken for granted.

The idea that ADHD is somehow novel or new, however, is easily debunked by medical evidence.

‘Sure, they can cure that, now’

ADHD is a genuine neurodevelopmental condition that cannot be cured but can often be effectively managed. It is a difference in neurological development and function that affects a wide range of human responses, from attention and concentration to emotional regulation and impulse control.

It can be diagnosed (or self-identified), with aspects of ADHD being recognised in daily life, and managed in a wide variety of ways, from establishing new routines, supports and workflows that work with your brain, to beginning, stabilising and continuing a course of prescription medication with help from your healthcare professionals.

Oftentimes, ‘problematic’ behaviours that arise from ADHD are a matter of specific needs not being identified and addressed, which, according to the widely adopted ‘social model’ of disability, points to systemic issues with knowledge, articulation, awareness and acceptance. They are what you might call a ‘symptom’, but certainly not a ‘disease’ itself.

There are medications available to help treat ADHD, but the idea of a ‘cure’ for ADHD does not exist.

‘Yerrah, that’s something you grow out of, eventually’

The ‘signs’ of ADHD might change over the course of a person’s life, from childhood to adulthood, but that doesn’t mean that ADHD ‘goes away’, to use a broad term.

Everything from neurological development and resultant behaviours to external support and material circumstances is a factor in the ways that ADHD and related difficulties present in an individual.

For some, certain aspects of ADHD change from more ‘obvious’ external behaviours in younger people, to internal discomfort in adolescence – sometimes obscured by ‘masking’, a term used to describe a range of learned behaviours focused on developing conformity, often internalised by neurodivergent people for the purposes of survival or ‘fitting into’ a world that’s simply not made for everyone.

For others, whose ADHD may not have presented academic or interpersonal problems in childhood, the shift in expectations, responsibility and circumstance that adolescence brings can result in latent problems being exacerbated, seemingly ‘coming to the surface’, going hand-in-hand with the hormonal and developmental challenges of puberty and the social transition to adulthood, etc.

And then for others still, who might be lucky enough to either receive a diagnosis and support early or fall into interests and a lifestyle that meets their needs, various aspects of ADHD might not present a massive challenge per se, but continue regardless to make themselves apparent, and equally likely, certain aspects of ADHD can provide recurring, changing challenges as they proceed through life.

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ADHD isn’t a one-size-fits-all thing that can be conveniently identified, ‘cured’ and/or ‘moved past’. Remember, if you’ve met one ADHD person, you’ve met one ADHD person. That is to say, many experiences can be common among ADHDers, but none are absolutely universal.

‘Women can’t have ADHD!’

Historically, far more young boys than young girls have received childhood diagnoses of ADHD and other neurodevelopmental differences. This tends to happen because ADHD can have different presentations between boys and girls.

For example, a teacher or supervisor might readily recognise the ‘hyperactive’ kid in a classroom, but would they so easily spot a child frequently ‘spacing out’ at their desk, or the ‘quiet’ person that suddenly has a massive episode as they deal with big feelings?

Of course, this disparity has, over the years, created an inequality in how ADHD has been diagnosed, with aspects of the neurological difference often going unidentified, or worse, misdiagnosed and receiving unsuitable treatment – a story that, unfortunately, is quite common among women of the current generation of people finding themselves diagnosed later in life. ADHD isn’t just something boys or men experience.

‘They’re only after the medication’

Stimulant medication is a means of treatment for many ADHDers. People who are in treatment for ADHD and managing it are at a lower risk of substance misuse than those who are untreated. Stimulant medications are controlled drugs, and their dispensing is carefully regulated.

A recent study shows that treatment with ADHD medication was associated with a reduction in rates of suicidal behaviours, car accidents, substance use and criminality.

‘Why should people with ADHD be getting all these accommodations and things?’

Education, academia and work have always historically been geared, it has been argued, toward producing workers and graduates that fit a very limited number of social and working moulds, necessary for the maintenance of the then-existing socioeconomic order.

Indeed, many ADHDers thrive in their work and are productive employees. But neurodivergence often presents differences in behaviour and thought patterns that might create challenges in many respects of daily life, and much as with other forms of disability, it shouldn’t restrict or hold anyone back from fulfilling their potential, ideas and aspirations.

Simply put, ‘reasonable accommodations’, be they changes in workflow, working from home, or an agreed change in workload, are a means of levelling the playing field, and these accommodations are your entitlement as a student or employee – it’s no different from expecting institutions or employees to provide accommodations for other disabilities.

‘Why would you want to give yourself a label, anyway?’

If you could identify the things that were happening within you, presenting problems in your social, personal and work/academic lives, then work with healthcare professionals and loved ones to put a structure in place to help with said problems and their impacts on your mental and physical health… why wouldn’t you?

Mike McGrath-Bryan is a journalist from Cork City, Ireland, and the co-author of ‘Have I Got Your Attention?: A Guide to Adult ADHD in Ireland’, available now in all good bookshops, and via the Merrion Press’ website.

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