There's kind of a split of opinions on the topic. Some people think it's a serious condition that needs special care and attention and some others think it's imaginary or a way to excuse medication that makes your kids shut the hell up and sit down. Most of the people of the former opinion are doctors and scientists so I, for one, am inclined to agree with them for the most part. However, there is one other school of thought on the subject: it's both. I came across that article while trying to look up studies and symptoms of ADHD for an online conversation I was having on the subject. It struck a chord with me because it kind of touched on a few undeveloped, abstract thoughts I've had on mental "disorders." Let me make it clear that I'm not talking about severe mental illnesses or psychosis here. I'm talking mainly about ADD/ADHD, and to a lesser extent, things like dysthymia, Aspergers, and high-function autism.
First off, I've never been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD but it has been suggested by a professional that I get checked out for adult ADHD. (I never bothered, I kept forgetting. What's that tell you?) I have, however, met several people with it and with similar problems. Conditions that don't stop them from living, communicating and interacting with other people like any normal person, but every once in a while you see a little bit of the anguish they're in bubble up when they're trying to concentrate, or when they have a seeming inability to empathize with people, or even doing something simple, like packing a box of stuff when they are moving to another apartment. There are some things they just can't do. That's fine, right? Nobody can do everything. Well, what if these are things necessary to living properly in modern life? Well, I'm beginning to think that a huge reason, if not the only reason, that these people are in so much pain is because we haven't made any room for them.
There's one thing I've noticed about people with ADHD: they're often way more interesting than other people. Sorry if I seem to be trivialising it, but it's almost more of a charming personality quirk than a damaging mental illness to me. Dampening the penchant for energy and jumping from subject to subject is almost tragic to me. Of course, there are extreme cases where the person can't function. I obviously understand the necessity of curbing and strengthening the attention span; but what about a bit of change in our world as well? Wouldn't it make more sense to meet half-way and figure out what it is these kids are good at, rather than label their personalities as handicaps and fill them with ritalin (which has fantastic uses, I know) and call it a day? I can say with both anecdotal and scientific-ish evidence that kids with ADHD are good at and enjoy sports and games and that they can even help treat the condition, even if they suffer academically.
Unfortunately, in most schools you have to do well academically to stay on the sports team or in the chess club. You fail history, you're off the football team. Well, what if football is your life's dream and you think history is bullshit? You shouldn't be required to give a damn about every single subject just so you can do what you love. In the first article I mentioned, in a hunter-gatherer society, ADHD would be an actual advantage, which is why it would have been preserved in evolution. Yet, now that things have changed, it's a burden on your shoulders and there's no place for you unless you play by our rules.
What I'm ultimately trying to say is, in the words of Bruce Banner when he had to deliberately turn into the Hulk to save the day, "We can't control it, but maybe we can sort of aim it."
Stop calling it a problem and start working with it. Even the greats had their issues to tangle with, but it's what made them great. I knew one artist who had ADD and instead of taking medication, he used his art as therapy and eventually became an incredible cartoonist and one of my biggest influences. Because of his short attention span, he'd draw fast, flowing but twisted and anarchic sketches. In fact, he inspired me to deal with my own lack of an attention span in a similar way. You see? We can even learn how to deal with our own, non-diagnosed problems in the same way.
I acknowledge that sometimes medication is necessary or at least preferable, but the ruling thought behind it is not always admirable. I'd love for people to stop trying to help these people fit into a world where there's no room for them by changing or fixing their problems. Rather, it would bring me great joy to see people turn their "problems" into something that changes and fixes the world.
That's what life's all about, after all; taking what you've been given and carving something out for yourself.
I acknowledge that sometimes medication is necessary or at least preferable, but the ruling thought behind it is not always admirable. I'd love for people to stop trying to help these people fit into a world where there's no room for them by changing or fixing their problems. Rather, it would bring me great joy to see people turn their "problems" into something that changes and fixes the world.
That's what life's all about, after all; taking what you've been given and carving something out for yourself.
(Copy/Pasta-ed from the original Facebook thread)
ReplyDeleteFirst, it's almost definitely a real thing, whether you want to call it an illness or a disability or whatever. That it is frequently over diagnosed (and there is significant evidence that in particular young boys tend to be medicated for it without a lot of serious examination) is problematic, but doesn't make it less of a thing when someone actually has it.
It's also not a condition (ah! A word I can use repeatedly for it!) that is universally consistent, and while some people may even thrive because of it, lots of other people suffer because of it. I don't necessarily mean that they are more likely to be 'in pain' or traumatized emotionally because of it, but I've known some who have the condition and suffer materially (for lack of a better description) because of it...not just because it tends to make it harder to do well academically, but it limits job prospects and career success, it impacts their relationships both romantic and with friends...what I'm getting at is that it's a condition which affects other aspects of people's lives and it does so differently according to individual circumstance. There are plenty of people who have probably done very well because their condition suits their context, but that's not always the case.
(Sidebar: There is an interesting theory that it is not an evolutionary adaptation, so much as a fluke that has managed to survive. In a primitive society it is more likely to be a liability - sometimes alienating one from potential mates, or making it harder to focus on singular, urgent tasks. Now that we as a society are generally quite secure it's able to thrive because it no longer hinders people as much as it would have in the past, similar to how being left handed or colour blind is largely a disadvantage from an evolutionary standpoint, but now that we have more or less stopped human evolution in it's tracks it can theoretically thrive, or at least persist)
For my part, I find it's also a condition that provokes a lot of different reactions from people/families who have it to wildly different ends. I must confess it's a tad bemusing (and here's where my occasional asshole commentary shines through) to see people who insist that it's something that makes people different and therefore should be left alone because diversity is more interesting, but also insist that their experiences are universal (that is, it's not a big deal for ANYONE because it helped ME to do ____, or EVERYONE needs drugs because I experienced _____).
What I mean is, it's a condition where people have usually decided that either it's something that needs to be mass treated medically, or it needs to be left alone completely...in both cases because their own experience informs them either that it's a life-destroying condition or it's really not that big of a deal or even a benefit.
Would you agree that it's something to be treated but approached as something inseparable from the individual?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteEDITED BECAUSE I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO SPELL.
ReplyDeleteI'm not entirely sure how you mean. As in, something which 'should' be treated and dealt with, but also considered an individual trait?
Yeah, that's a bit more accurate. Like I said in the entry: most of the people affected are more interesting, and sometimes very invigorating to be around, but I don't ignore the fact that in many cases it has brought them a lot of pain.
ReplyDeleteI see! Well, I think ultimately we have to regard this as it affects people in individual circumstances and what is actually being affected. Someone with a mild form of a disorder, or with effective coping mechanisms that allow them to participate more-or-less on equal footing with their peers doesn't need help they don't want...forcing medication is a waste, counter productive (or at least minimally effective), and frankly a little disturbing - especially if medication changes one's personality significantly.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, the crux of the matter is that we're really talking almost exclusively about children when it comes to this subject. It is in childhood that most people are diagnosed, and begin dealing with their options, and one thing we have to remember when we're dealing with children is that often they don't know what's best for themselves. Sometimes (Token-Asshole moment here), their parents don't know what's best for their children either. This means that we as a society have to consider that, while such a disorder might be fine for someone's artistic endeavors, or at least not a hindrance in many things, it often wreaks havoc on the academic pursuits that secure careers in many other fields, some of which that child might actually want to participate in.
So then we have to ask ourselves: Is it morally preferable to treat a child (be it through therapy, medication, or whatever) even if we are concerned that we might be 'changing them', or to force them to rely on the hope of being a successful artist/something else when they grow up that isn't negatively affected by the condition?
I realize I'm taking a very material approach here: Effects on academics, careers etc. I'm obviously aware that there is much, much more to consider, but I have a few reasons for this focus:
1. It is consistently quantifiable. That is, all people can be measured according to things like income or educational level on the same scale. If we rely only on subjective or personal scales of measurement (ie how happy people are, how well adjusted) we can't properly extrapolate any meaningful or accurate comparisons because all answers are subjective to a subjectively-interpreted question.
2. Many of these measurements are still good overall indicators of well being. High income doesn't mean happier, certainly, but it does mean more access to needed and desired goods and services - which frequently DO play a role in our happiness. More importantly, it (along with other demographic variables like education level, marital status etc) gives us an indicator of prosperity, social integration, and personal management...all of which are themselves indirectly tied to the subjective elements above (ie we know suicide rates trend downwards the higher up each of these scales you go).
I want to finish using an I-don't-want-to-insult-people-but-I-will-by-accident-because-I-can't-think-of-a-better-example metaphor (again, token asshole): Abusing alcohol.
Specifically, High-Functioning Alcoholism is most definitely a form of substance abuse, but most HFAs still maintain relationships and jobs even while frequently engaged in self-destructive behavior. In fact, in some cases their alcoholism is part of what makes them more interesting or intriguing people. So if someone is diagnosed with it, what line do you draw? Should all HFAs go to rehab because they're sick? Or do we let them keep drinking, because-at least currently-it's not directly harming themselves (according to certain measurements) nor apparently others.
HOLY UNEXPECTEDLY GARGANTUAN REPLY
ReplyDeletecoming from a family with all kinds of crazy labels (and labels in potentia) i gotta say i'm in the middle here... great post by the way. I think that there is little we can do about the fact that we live in the world. we are stuck in society, whatever it may be. there are a *lot* of people who, by trick of evolution, chemical imbalance or whatever,are ill equipped to function well in the current framework. Rather than admire our society as fond of diversity I would be inclined to disapprove of it's one-size-fits-all, public school rah-de-rah financial success yay-you-have-a-ton-of-friends regimented style. kids spend most of their time (even their out of school time) in classrooms that demand they behave in a distinctly un-kiddish way. this is especially true for boys (who are the ones most commonly diagnosed). Anyway, i just wanted to agree with your change the world view of mental disorders of this kind.... and add that it takes a certain amount of humility from those who suffer under these disorders- they can only change the world if they can learn to cope.
ReplyDelete(ps. hurrah for unschooling.)
this post has not been edited for continuity or coherence. it also has no caps because i have a kid in my other hand.
I'm a little torn on unschooling. On the one hand, it allows for children that learn in different ways to learn at their own pace. Also, I hear the general philosophy is to let kids be kids and have a childhood. Awesome. Perfect.
ReplyDeleteMy only issue is that I worry about skill sets. At what point do you drop the "un" in un-schooling, if you know what I mean. The idea is that you never do, I understand, that the point is to foster a love for learning. However, I worry about developing skills and academic progress in early teens and upward.
On the other hand, the idea that there's a large body of knowledge that everybody needs to possess, and that it's the same knowledge for each person is a load of hooey, and I'm glad somebody recognized that.
ThANK You Isaac.
ReplyDeleteYou just addressed a whole lotta issues that I often worry about having to explain to people whenever they find out I was diagnosed with ADD in grade 6.
Most of my friends hardly realize that I do have it, and I only even dare to medicate to work my day job at an effective pace.
I want to write and talk so much more about this with you, however, one of my actual "symptoms" of ADD is that I'm horribly slow at getting my thoughts down on paper/in writing, even though I can spew them outta my mouth at incoherent speeds like a chipmunk.
so uh, yeah, let's talk more in person, and THANK YOU for starting this discussion on people's stereotypes do peeps with ADD/ADHD.
I feel we're often horribly stereotyped and most people don't seem to realize how many of us there are that can still function quite well and normally in society. In fact, I don't think I know anyone with this "label" that Can't live as normally as the next person. ('Cause let's be realistic, NO ONE fits into the "one-size-fits-all" box that society has constructed for us.)