Avoiding extreme thinking about ADHD
My first professional career was as an environmental scientist. It was extremely short-lived once I realised it would still mainly involve being in an office, but while I was doing my degree and for years afterwards, one thing drove me crazy. The whole climate change denying.
I remember so clearly the time that my then mother-in-law told me that she did not believe climate change was real because she ‘saw this documentary on tv,’ not counting the years of study I had just had or the countless original research papers I had read. No, the tv documentary was more important to her. It showed me three things: One, that media is responsible for a lot of opinions that people hold and that they have to be held accountable for how they represent issues. Too many times they go for what they feel is controversial or what they feel will get the most viewers. The second thing it taught me is the importance of critical thinking and that this should be taught to everyone. When I was in my second professional career (as teacher) I made sure to teach this.
The third is that in the end it doesn’t matter whether climate change is caused by fossil fuel or not. The real issue is that the climate is warming up, and we need to deal with it. That is what is important for the whole world population, much more so that the two sides being discussed.
Why am I talking about this now? Because the whole debate between ADHD being real or not and medication being necessary or not, has popped up yet again. And it feels like a re-run of the same debate but with different concepts.
On one extreme side we have the medical establishment with its DSM-V stating that ADHD is a disorder and needs to be medicated. Because we are talking the medical establishment, people believe them.
On the other extreme side we have the people claiming that ADHD is a myth. Some of these people are also scientists and because they have that label, a lot of people will believe them. And because it is in the news, people believe it.
Between that, and Gabor Mate stating that ADHD is trauma based, I am not surprised that people are confused. I am also not surprised (especially as I am ADHD myself) that opinions are getting heated about this. What is forgotten is the most important part.
Neurodivergent people, whether ADHD, autistic, dyslexic, dyspraxic, or any other form (including acquired neurodiversity), are a reality. And they do struggle. I have always loved Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy about neurodiversity. Before I explain it, let me make it clear that this is what I remember from my training in anthroposophy when I studied to become a class teacher, and later during study sessions. I will not be able to give direct quotes or tell you where it states it. His philosophy talks about the direction of spiritual evolution, where until just over 2000 years ago evolution went further towards materialism, but with the birth of the Christ child it started to move back towards the spiritual. As a bit of background, according to anthroposophy, there are two streams of evolution, that of the body and that of the spirit. The spirit incarnates into the body at birth. His view of neurodivergence is that, because of the increasing spiritual evolution, some people now do not incarnate fully into their body and are nearer to pure spirit. These are the neurodivergent people. Their sensitivities are heightened and they struggle with the materialistic world they live in.
The reason I love this way of seeing neurodiversity is that it states neurodiversity not as something terrible but as something that simply is. In that way it is similar to the neurodiversity paradigm. And I strongly feel that is where the importance lies. Neurodiversity is. It exists. We need to deal with it.
It is also useful to realise that it wasn’t that long ago that diversity was more accepted. I think it was only during the industrial revolution that the need for conformity exploded and everyone needed to have the same education. Mainly to ensure there were enough workers for the factories. Before that children focused on whatever they either chose to focus on, or followed into their parents’ footsteps (and genetics being what it is, that would have given them a good chance at their work being suited to them). The truth is that everyone is not equal. (Remind me to talk to you about the threefold social order at some point)
ADHD children can be seen as having a greater need to move, to climb, to be out in nature. They have a need to experience risk in order to learn about risk. That is how they get to know their bodies and by moving, they learn to engage their brains. In today’s society the opposite is expected. They are supposed to sit still, focus on their brains, and not move their body. This means we have two choices:
Change the education system. Believe me, as an ex-teacher, that is totally my preferred option. At least here in the UK home education is accepted and I think that most parents of ADHD children might choose this if it was possible for them.
Medicate some children when it is the only way to help them learn in the way that society demands. I am not saying that this is right. I am saying that this is the only way that some children can function in today’s society with its rigid expectations.
The same goes for adults. The most important concept I work on with my clients is to accept their brain as it is. To accept their body the way it is. To accept their identity as the way it is. That means both recognising their strengths (and you would not believe how often they don’t realise they have any) and their struggles, and to accept that their struggles are not personal failings. They are the result of the brain and body they have.
Some are medicated, either because that is the only way for them to do the work they do, or because without medication they struggle so much that life does not hold much worth. That works for them and therefore is right.
Some are not medicated, either because they have contra-indications (eg heart issues) or because they choose not to be medicated. That works for them and therefore is right.
As a coach I do not hold an opinion whether they should be medicated or not. What I do is help them come to their own conclusion by holding the space for them to discuss, think it through, and make that decision.
As a society, this is what I want for all ADHDers. I want them to have the space to discuss, think it through, and make their own decision. I do not want them bombarded with extreme opinions that cause fear and anxiety. I don’t want them to feel inadequate because they use medication, or to feel they have to explain why they choose not to be medicated. I want them to be able to make the choice themselves, for their situation, in the environment where they live, the culture they live in, and according what feels important for them.
Please, let’s give them that space!
Warm wishes,
