One of the oddest parts of all this (everyone has ADHD) to me is when leading pro-ADHD voices put so much effort into destigmatizing it, in books like Driven to Distraction, by highlighting all the famous historical figures who likely had ADHD. The list usually includes Mozart, Edison, Churchill, and other luminaries. The activists’ point is “hey, you’re not weird to have ADHD, lots of people had it, including amazing people like Edison,” etc etc. My reaction has always been one of utter disbelief: “Do you not realize what you’re saying? That you would have told Edison’s mom to drug him out of his mind?? We’d all still be sitting in the dark!” Even accepting their list of famous people at face value, it’s one of the world’s best arguments *against* stimulant use, not for it…
What a complete absurdity (not to mention patronizing on so many levels) to think you have any basis to "diagnose" historical figures with ADHD. I thought I had heard it all. When will we wake up and admit that every human being has a unique personality, a unique set of sttrengths and weaknesses, a unique path through life? "Flattening" everyone into a category is dehumanizing!
Thank you for referring me to this Substack, Dr. Gaty! I recently was helping my 21-year-old son with composing a cover letter for a job application. In the online application, it asked the question of whether or not the applicant had a “disability” and then provided an extensive checklist to pick from, including “neurodivergent”, which encompassed ADHD and other attention disorders. As a parent who is trying to get my son OFF of Vynanse, I told him there’s no way we’re checking that box.
They have these kinds of books for every disability. Depending on which book , Einstein was either dyslexic, ADHD or autistic. All guesses from people way after his death.
You are to be commended Roger in presenting your views with such clarity. I would agree with you on much in this article, particularly on "Medicalisation for profit" and on the need to understand human diversification. What then ae your views, please, on the realities behind diagnoses om PTSD and Autism ? Best wishes, Maurice.
Thank you for another great article. Most of our kids in school with supposed “ADHD” are “diagnosed” by social workers, whose qualifications to make this diagnosis are dubious to begin with( I am a teacher at the elementary level). Meanwhile, most kids don’t play outside anymore, are expected to sit still all day from the age of FIVE learning academics all day( used to be a time when kindergarten was mostly developmental play-based), then go home and bounce off the walls driving their parents nuts, but instead of being given the opportunity to get exercise and play, are given a phone to calm them down, and they are then trained by modern technology not to pay attention to anything for more than a few minutes at a time. And we wonder why they can’t learn or pay attention. We- the grown ups- are the problem. The vast majority of these kids don’t have ADHD.
I am a fan of the positivity of others. But only to a certain extent. It can be carried too far. I even manage to express a very positive sentiment from time to time.
But, with all due respect, I feel that your good intentions have taken this issue too far in the wrong direction.
Yes, we need to encourage each other to look at how we can overcome the negatives in our lives. But this does not change the fact that I have severe Attention Deficit Disorder which is getting much worse as I age.
I believe it is due to a variability created by the degradation of the human genome.
One of the oddest parts of all this (everyone has ADHD) to me is when leading pro-ADHD voices put so much effort into destigmatizing it, in books like Driven to Distraction, by highlighting all the famous historical figures who likely had ADHD. The list usually includes Mozart, Edison, Churchill, and other luminaries. The activists’ point is “hey, you’re not weird to have ADHD, lots of people had it, including amazing people like Edison,” etc etc. My reaction has always been one of utter disbelief: “Do you not realize what you’re saying? That you would have told Edison’s mom to drug him out of his mind?? We’d all still be sitting in the dark!” Even accepting their list of famous people at face value, it’s one of the world’s best arguments *against* stimulant use, not for it…
What a complete absurdity (not to mention patronizing on so many levels) to think you have any basis to "diagnose" historical figures with ADHD. I thought I had heard it all. When will we wake up and admit that every human being has a unique personality, a unique set of sttrengths and weaknesses, a unique path through life? "Flattening" everyone into a category is dehumanizing!
Thank you for referring me to this Substack, Dr. Gaty! I recently was helping my 21-year-old son with composing a cover letter for a job application. In the online application, it asked the question of whether or not the applicant had a “disability” and then provided an extensive checklist to pick from, including “neurodivergent”, which encompassed ADHD and other attention disorders. As a parent who is trying to get my son OFF of Vynanse, I told him there’s no way we’re checking that box.
They have these kinds of books for every disability. Depending on which book , Einstein was either dyslexic, ADHD or autistic. All guesses from people way after his death.
You are to be commended Roger in presenting your views with such clarity. I would agree with you on much in this article, particularly on "Medicalisation for profit" and on the need to understand human diversification. What then ae your views, please, on the realities behind diagnoses om PTSD and Autism ? Best wishes, Maurice.
Have you read Craig Surman's studies on ADHD. He finds a physical cause in the brain.
Thank you for another great article. Most of our kids in school with supposed “ADHD” are “diagnosed” by social workers, whose qualifications to make this diagnosis are dubious to begin with( I am a teacher at the elementary level). Meanwhile, most kids don’t play outside anymore, are expected to sit still all day from the age of FIVE learning academics all day( used to be a time when kindergarten was mostly developmental play-based), then go home and bounce off the walls driving their parents nuts, but instead of being given the opportunity to get exercise and play, are given a phone to calm them down, and they are then trained by modern technology not to pay attention to anything for more than a few minutes at a time. And we wonder why they can’t learn or pay attention. We- the grown ups- are the problem. The vast majority of these kids don’t have ADHD.
I am a fan of the positivity of others. But only to a certain extent. It can be carried too far. I even manage to express a very positive sentiment from time to time.
But, with all due respect, I feel that your good intentions have taken this issue too far in the wrong direction.
Yes, we need to encourage each other to look at how we can overcome the negatives in our lives. But this does not change the fact that I have severe Attention Deficit Disorder which is getting much worse as I age.
I believe it is due to a variability created by the degradation of the human genome.