A different way of thinking
hello! I don't post in this forum often despite having ADHD, but I had a thought.
I've heard many people offline talk about ADHD as just being "a different way of thinking" rather than referring to it as a disorder. I'm curious about what others here who have ADHD think about this?
I personally have a hard time thinking of it that way considering my disorganized brain and executive disfunction is such a hindrance to me in everyday life. But perhaps it's different for others. Feel free to share your thoughts :)
@cafedaydreams
I suppose some people see adhd as more of a set of traits rather than symptoms, some considered as strengths, some as weakness under certain situations/aspects. Plus adhd is on a spectrum and very individual condition to live with, it affects everyone differently so in some cases people might thrive despite it, so it might not be debilitating to a point where they would refer to it as a disorder.
@bubblegumNora
That makes sense. Thanks for answering!
Sometimes it's hard for me to identify with other people who have ADHD, so that's where this thought came from.
@cafedaydreams Hey Cafe! Thank you for posting your thoughts!
What you might be describing is the term "neurodiversity"
There is a great article on it here: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what-is-neurodiversity-202111232645
Essentially, it is accepting that there is a natural variation in how we think :) This applies to ASD and ADHD.
@AmintaBlack
Thanks for sharing the article. It was very informative. :)
I'm still a little conflicted though, because I still consider my ADHD as a disorder because of how negatively it affects my life. Do you think that's wrong of me?
Hi 👋🏼 Hope you don’t mind me jumping in, but I wanted to share my thoughts.
No, I don’t think it’s wrong to view ADHD as a disability or as a disorder — because that’s what it is. It makes life very difficult for those of us who have it, and it can be isolating, especially since it is not well understood by those who don’t have it. It is a disorder, and a lot of the time, it sucks.
However, I do think that it comes with some common traits that can be positive, depending on context and viewpoint. For example, people with ADHD tend to be very creative and to think outside the box. While this may cause problems in some settings, it can be a real benefit in others. A person with ADHD may struggle in a typical office setting, but would thrive in a more free work environment, such as a musician, artist, or entrepreneur. In addition, we also tend to thrive on chaos and adrenaline, so we can be very suited to careers such as firefighters, police officers, or other high pressure, adrenaline-fueled jobs. We also tend to have high empathy and a unique ability to make connections that other people may not see, which can also work for us in the fields of medicine, psychology, or counselling. People with ADHD in those work settings still have issues, because they still have a disorder, but they can use aspects or traits that come with the disorder to make a success of their work. This can also apply to other areas of life beyond work; I was just using work as an example.
I hope this is helpful; I’m no expert, but these are just my thoughts on ADHD personally, as someone who has it. It is a disorder and it causes many problems for me, but I also value the good parts — the creativity, the empathy, and the way that I think a little different than other people.
@cafedaydreams
Our nervous system is literally wired differently. Our entire person is built on this.
@pixiechick16
Thanks for the response! I admit I don't really know much about the biology of Adhd, so that's something worth looking into ^^
@cafedaydreams I have thought about this before as well and I think I fall under two separate beliefs:
- one being the idea ADHD is more a personality than a disorder (even though that is not true)
- I think I believe this because ADHD is a huge part of my personality and how I go through life, I have always had it so it seems like it is me. What I'm trying to say is sometimes I forget that a fair amount of my problems can be traced back to ADHD in some way or another, so I forget that it is a "disorder"
- The second part of me realizes that no matter how hard I try I am always going to act/think/respond differently than the "Average Joe" So that part of me realizes that this is not just a personality thing and that I really am different than the average person (for better and for worse)
