Dispelling 5 ADHD Myths
You know what’s fun about running a channel dedicated to ADHD?
No. Not that. Guess again.
Not that either. Guess again. Come on, guess.
You’re never gonna get it, never mind. It’s the endless bullshit that people just drop in my comments that just plain isn’t true. I’m not quite sure what the end goal is, and frankly I don’t care. I just think it’s funny that people put this shit out there instead of…I dunno…shaving their cat or washing their ass.
So here I am to talk about these things and to share some things that show that these myths are just that.
Of course, you can watch me talk about this instead by clicking above.
Myth Number 5: ADHD is a kids’ disease
Why the hell is this still floating around in the Year of Our Lord, 2025? The internet exists, such as it is. Do people just not talk to others? Are we not bothering to learn about the experiences of other people still? You have no excuse for still saying this. None.
As of October of last year, the CDC reported that about 1 in 16 adults, around 15.5 million adults in the US ALONE, have an active ADHD diagnosis. That’s adults. Grown people. Not little kids. And this is only those who bothered to get diagnosed; who knows how many are out there, assuming that they’re just lazy or stupid because some gomer with too much time on their hands is out there spreading misinformation.
Now, ADHD can start in childhood, to varying degrees. I mentioned in another video, though, that it can also stay pretty manageable until adulthood, especially in those who are cycling estrogen and progesterone on a regular basis. If you haven’t seen that one, you might want to. It’s a good watch and it took me forever to put together. After you finish this, though.
Myth Number 4: People with ADHD are hyperactive and can’t pay attention to anything
There’s a widely-held belief amongst a bunch of us that ADHD is not well-named. This myth is exactly why we feel this way.
People hear “Attention Deficit” and, of course, they’re thinking that means we can’t pay attention. Because that’s what “attention deficit” means to anyone with comprehension skills. But it’s not accurate, because we can pay attention. In fact, we can pay attention for so long that we forget to eat, drink, pee, and talk to other people. It’s called hyperfocus, and it happens when we’re actually interested in something. Sure, neurotypical people can get into things, too, but they can also focus on things that they don’t like. For someone with ADHD, that’s like asking us to fly by flapping our arms really hard – we ain’t getting nowhere.
And then that hyperactivity part? That shit is why women are pretty widely underdiagnosed in childhood. “Hyperactivity” isn’t necessary at all to have ADHD. I, for example, can sit my body in one place for a very long period of time; my brain, though, can’t sit still for nothin’. It’s why I can miss details, forget conversations, and misplace things very easily. If you looked at me on the outside, though, you’d probably think I was two steps from comatose.
Whoever’s in charge of the naming, could you work on this for us, please? Thanks.
Myth Number 3: People Just Use ADHD as an excuse; it’s not as bad as all that
So I’m about to inject some nuance in here, but I do think that some people lean on their ADHD an eensy-squeensy bit too much. Like, it’s valid to ask for help; it’s not valid to get mad when that help doesn’t solve every single one of your problems in one fell swoop. I’ve had video comments before where people have taken me to task for not covering a small point important to them, for not talking into the mic the way they like, and for making a 15 minute video instead of a five minute one. And I do think that people do have to remember that they’re responsible for some aspects of their day. EVERYTHING can’t be fixed by yelling “I have ADHD!” into the void.
That said: If a person has ADHD and they’re telling you that they legit can’t do something because they have ADHD, it’s not an excuse. It’s the truth. If they’re doing all they can to make it work, it’s not an excuse. It’s a head’s up. And just because you don’t like how imperfect things are for you in the moment, it doesn’t mean that someone is trying to excuse themselves from their expectations. If you break your leg and someone asks you to help them move, you responding with “I can’t; I broke my leg” isn’t an excuse, right?
I didn’t think so. Things can get in the way without you seeing them.
Don’t be an asshole.
Myth Number 2: Shitty Parenting Causes ADHD
Don’t get me wrong: abusive home environments and neglect can worsen ADHD symptoms, and cause ADHD-like symptoms in kids without it. A kid who lives in a home where their parents fight all day is going to be distracted and unable to remember important facts. A kid whose parents give them Fanta and Cheetos for breakfast may see an increase in hyperactivity and inattention.
BUT. You can be the best parent in the world. Mother of the Year (which is a real award, turns out. I sat next to the winner in 2018). And your kid may still wind up ADHD. This isn’t a behavioral thing; I mean, it is, but it isn’t if you catch my drift. The whole thing starts with biology, with the top suspected reasons for ADHD being genes and brain anatomy. So as much as you’d probably like to blame the really tired couple at the table next to you, pointing out that their kid has ADHD because they’re using an iPad, chances are the ADHD was always there. So unless you know those people personally,maybe don’t judge, and don’t be an asshole.
Myth Number 1: ADHD is made up, and the guy who made it up even renounced it on his deathbed
I do so love this one. It doesn’t annoy me at all. It’s my favorite thing in the world, being told that the very thing many people, including myself, go through every day “doesn’t exist” because “everyone goes through it.” Never mind the fact that, if “everyone” suddenly realized that the thing they were holding wasn’t in their hands anymore and had no idea where it went, it wouldn’t be seen as “irresponsible” by those exact same people. No no, it’s all a hoax.
Fuck you.
First off, ADHD isn’t even a new concept. It’s been studied and mentioned in medical communities for 200 years at this point.
Second off, the guy everyone is always mentioning is Dr. Leon Eisenberg. He didn’t “come up with” ADHD; he was just a very well-known researcher who made a lot of contributions to the study of it. And, that quote that everyone throws around about him calling ADHD a “fictitious disease” is often misconstrued and taken out of context.
No one ever does that. Looking at those of you who quote Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech but not the “riot being the language of the unheard” part.
Anyway.
What Eisenberg was actually saying, when you read the words in German, with nothing lost in translation, is that he personally found the idea that ADHD was mostly due to biology to be overstated, and that social factors played into it, too, making it less of a “disease” and more of a result of a variety of factors. So not “fictitious disease” so much as “not just a disease.”
Also, this goes to show that ADHD research has come a long way, because Eisenberg kinda underestimated the importance of those things in the formation of ADHD in the brain anyhow, just as I mentioned in myth number 2.
So there you are, ADHD myths that irritate the shit out of me. Telling the internet what irritates me is clearly the smartest thing I could ever do, and this can’t go wrong in any shape, way or form. But I said what I said, and hopefully it’s enough to stop some people from being dicks.
And if not, at least I tried.
