You may have been in a meeting where, at the start, you have to introduce yourself to the other participants. “My name is Peter Smith, and I’m the Sales Manager for London.” That type of thing.
A few years ago, in such a meeting, we were met with this: “Morning, I’m Vanessa, and I’m ADHD.”
There were a few sympathetic noises around the room while I sat quietly, using every bit of self control to stop myself standing up and shouting “No, you’re not fucking ‘ADHD’, you’re a person like all the rest of us, with insecurities, challenges and, you never know, maybe even some positive traits.”
ADD (Attention deficit disorder) was added to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1980, and replaced with ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) in 1987. It’s far too commonly diagnosed by doctors (not mental health specialists) using a tick box questionnaire including such questions as ‘Do you find it difficult to sit still and often fidget or squirm’, ‘Do you have poor time management’ and ‘Do you have difficult paying attention’. Imagine applying that last one to a child. Lack of attention is one of the gifts of childhood, like being rude is to old age. Incidentally, the questionnaire used by doctors is based on one devised by a Pfizer funded developer; the pharmaceutical giant being one of the main providers of ADHD medication. But that’s another story.
Read the ‘Early life and education’ section of Gillian Lynne’s Wikipedia page. If ADHD had been in existence at the time of her schooling she would more than likely been diagnosed ADHD, prescribed medication, and we would have lost one of the world’s greatest choreographers. How many Gillian Lynnes are we stifling today with ADHD diagnoses? ADHD has become a convenient label for a wide range of human actions that reflect modern stress, poor discipline and environmental overload. It’s a prime example of the over-medicalisation of normal behaviour.
Back to Vanessa. You’re not ‘ADHD’. In fact, neither is Peter a ‘Sales Manager’. You are individuals. You love, you hate, you feel. You’re flawed. Maybe you’re ambitious. Family orientated. You are growing, developing. You are human.
A label on a baked beans tin tells me what I can expect inside. A label on you tells me you’re hiding.
inner agora 