I really hope this new awareness will eventually lead to a society that acknowledges that people aren't machines and just function all in the same way and makes space for everyone to play to their individual strengths without needing to put us into pathological boxes.
Some people certainly benefit from medication and/or have strong impediments dealing with daily life, so that probably won't be solved just by creating more suitable living conditions.
Yet, many of us who don't fit the mold, but can be functional burn out by constantly forcing it, get other chronic health conditions and/or are deeply unhappy with what is considered a “normal” life. We will benefit greatly from a more suitable, more human way of looking at humans. That would also encompass taking care of everyone's needs regardless of how they contribute to society and how many hours a day they're able to spend on certain tasks - everyone contributes in some way.
The whole way working life, waking and sleeping, essentially everything is organised today goes back to the Industrial Revolution and the times when a mechanical view of human bodies was firmly established (around the same time). So, it's by no means “normal” or “natural” in any way and certainly nothing self-evident that has to be just accepted without questioning.
It's about time to give everyone a chance to live up to their greatest potential - with medication or without, tailored to individual needs and capabilities.
It is not ok to shame neurodivergent people. I don't believe that was your intention but that is how it comes across to someone with ADHD. It's something we deal with every day but it still hurts.
I was diagnosed at 52 during the COVID lockdown, as were many others. One of the main reasons ADHD diagnoses have surged in recent years is that the loss of structure many of us had before COVID left us to fend for ourselves. I believe your intentions were good when you purposely used the word pandemic, but I'm not sure you realize the implications behind it.
>> There’s a darker side to all this, and it makes me uncomfortable: the quiet suggestion that once we label and medicate someone, they’re now easier to manage. A student who can sit still. An employee who meets deadlines. A woman who stops questioning the chaos of her life and just gets things done.
This is by no means dark, nefarious, or a way to control anyone. Medication doesn't make us easier to manage. It makes it slightly easier for us to learn to manage our lives. Giving it a name is crucial. Only then can we begin to seek treatment and begin to heal.
May I ask what the downside is to being an employee who meets deadlines? I spent 26 years in corporate America, frequently missing or nearly missing deadlines, and six years in university and graduate school, experiencing the same challenges. I wouldn't wish that stress, anxiety, feelings of worthlessness, depression, and more on anyone.
I don't know one woman with ADHD who pops a pill and magically "stops questioning the chaos of her life and just gets things done." That's not how it works. Not at all. People with ADHD rarely, if ever, just get things done.
However well-intentioned, at best, this post is tone deaf and, at worst, just another log on the fire of criticism when we're doing the best we can in a world that's not meant for us.
I really hope this new awareness will eventually lead to a society that acknowledges that people aren't machines and just function all in the same way and makes space for everyone to play to their individual strengths without needing to put us into pathological boxes.
Some people certainly benefit from medication and/or have strong impediments dealing with daily life, so that probably won't be solved just by creating more suitable living conditions.
Yet, many of us who don't fit the mold, but can be functional burn out by constantly forcing it, get other chronic health conditions and/or are deeply unhappy with what is considered a “normal” life. We will benefit greatly from a more suitable, more human way of looking at humans. That would also encompass taking care of everyone's needs regardless of how they contribute to society and how many hours a day they're able to spend on certain tasks - everyone contributes in some way.
The whole way working life, waking and sleeping, essentially everything is organised today goes back to the Industrial Revolution and the times when a mechanical view of human bodies was firmly established (around the same time). So, it's by no means “normal” or “natural” in any way and certainly nothing self-evident that has to be just accepted without questioning.
It's about time to give everyone a chance to live up to their greatest potential - with medication or without, tailored to individual needs and capabilities.
It is not ok to shame neurodivergent people. I don't believe that was your intention but that is how it comes across to someone with ADHD. It's something we deal with every day but it still hurts.
I was diagnosed at 52 during the COVID lockdown, as were many others. One of the main reasons ADHD diagnoses have surged in recent years is that the loss of structure many of us had before COVID left us to fend for ourselves. I believe your intentions were good when you purposely used the word pandemic, but I'm not sure you realize the implications behind it.
>> There’s a darker side to all this, and it makes me uncomfortable: the quiet suggestion that once we label and medicate someone, they’re now easier to manage. A student who can sit still. An employee who meets deadlines. A woman who stops questioning the chaos of her life and just gets things done.
This is by no means dark, nefarious, or a way to control anyone. Medication doesn't make us easier to manage. It makes it slightly easier for us to learn to manage our lives. Giving it a name is crucial. Only then can we begin to seek treatment and begin to heal.
May I ask what the downside is to being an employee who meets deadlines? I spent 26 years in corporate America, frequently missing or nearly missing deadlines, and six years in university and graduate school, experiencing the same challenges. I wouldn't wish that stress, anxiety, feelings of worthlessness, depression, and more on anyone.
I don't know one woman with ADHD who pops a pill and magically "stops questioning the chaos of her life and just gets things done." That's not how it works. Not at all. People with ADHD rarely, if ever, just get things done.
However well-intentioned, at best, this post is tone deaf and, at worst, just another log on the fire of criticism when we're doing the best we can in a world that's not meant for us.