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…
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.
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!
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.
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…
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.
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!
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.
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.