Issues with the Concept of Neurodiversity in ADHD

In this first of many Commentaries I will be providing to my viewers, I address the concept of neurodiversity or neurodivergence in the lay media and the problems inherent in the strong or extreme form of this view that claims there is no reason to diagnose or treat ADHD as a disorder when it is just part of typical human variation. One can acknowledge that ADHD represents the extreme end of a typical distribution of a psychological trait while at the same time acknowledging that those at the extreme lower end of this trait experience harm and impairment. It is therefore reasonable to offer them a diagnosis that grants them access to treatments, services, entitlements, and protections that, absent the diagnosis, they would not receive.

[jopoole]

Hi Russell, I am an ND master's student in the UK and have been struggling to get my head around the whole 'drop the disorder' view of ND diagnoses. I know so many ND people for whom the diagnosis has been life-affirming. Recognising that there are genuine reasons why things are so hard for ND people allows us to find some self-acceptance when many of us spent decades blaming and hating ourselves. Thank you so much for this commentary, it has been illuminating. Jo (diagnosed with combined ADHD aged 52)

[sensitiveself]

Top notch explanation as usual. Appreciate your giving us your time and expertise Dr Barkley!

[Thesteadfast]

I've made this exact point many times. How can you ask for accommodations for something that's a "superpower"? I love seeing this backed by the biggest expert on the topic. I'm an ADHD Coach and I get very frustrated with people who make ADHD out to be a problem solely with the world. It's unmotivating and diminishes agency. Yes, the stigma can be harmful I've lived it but brushing over people's struggles just to protect their feelings does not help them improve their lives. It's biased but I suspect that the biggest proponents of this may be people with less severe ADHD or perhaps in the "symptomatic but not Dx" category but still got diagnosed. Superpowers aren't debilitating.

[ZannaRussell]

Thank you, Dr. Barkley, for your channel. It's not a "gift" or a "super power." I may have some unique abilities because of it, but I'd gladly give those up if I could reduce or eliminate the problems that create the harm that ADHD has done to my life.

[kateharl]

Thank-you I appreciate your work and your ongoing efforts. Here in New Zealand it is incredibly hard to get adhd acknowledged as a disability.

[nicktefft]

Fantastic video. This channel has been super exciting, I've learned more/made more progress in the last year since finding your work than in over a decade with the diagnosis. It's hard to understate the positive impact you have had on the field, and on my life personally, so thank you. Looking forward to all your future videos.

[stellaglover]

Thank you Dr. Barkley for this concise and informative video. I have both ASD and ADHD and I wouldn't call it a gift as some might perceive. However, I am proud of myself to continue to learn and find ways to work with it. I have learnt so much from you. Thanks

[inverbi]

Thank you for taking your time with us. Your information is tremendously useful. After 55-60 years I feel someone understand me and care. Also thank you social media.

[Othtsmlsgd]

Thankyou Dr. Russell! I love your no-nonsense approach and how clearly you articulate these complicated topics! Keep up the great work

[veilmontTV]

I really appreciate these videos. Im going through all of them. The more i know the better off ill be. I honestly feel like my emotional dysregulation is by far my worst symptom. I remember dates and appointments the vast majority of the time. I have been punctual all of my life. I do very often forget what i was talking about mid conversation. I used to get extreme anxiety when it happened and i got good at reacquiring the topic by just context clues. Usually those clues just refresh my memory though. I always wondered why i couldnt make my plans a reality. I joined the air force because i thought it would mature me. That was a hilarious joke. Ive felt an amount of shame that i wish upon no one with how i just always seemed to be on the edge of another crisis. I really feel good about my future for the first time at 34. I didnt realize how much i was actually suffering until it was gone. I also find it hilarious that im losing my hair right when im feeling in control for the first time. Thanks dad lol

[inverbi]

Dr. Barkley no body is as interesting in the topic as you. You gave me the lion's share of my knowledge and it's keep on. On top of that, you also have a calming effect on me. Thank you very much!

[EdRolison]

In communities I am a part of neurodiversity is used inclusively.

There's a lot of people who are subclinical, or not yet diagnosed with ADHD or ASD or other things that make them a bit "weird".

And so a term that's a bit less pejorative than "fellow weirdos" is useful.

But it's not used to exclude needs, rather just to recognise that amongst people with different cognitive function, acceptable, tolerance and accommodations are beneficial even when not strictly or medically necessary.

Which doesn't preclude people needing treatment or legal protection, not least because here in the UK diagnosis timelines are hitting the decade mark.

I have yet to find a better term of inclusiveness, but I am open to suggestions!

But I do agree the danger of "oh but everyone is a little bit..." is perhaps technically correct, but potentially reductive, dismissive and harmful too.

[emrys]

Thank you for this video. I get so mad at the “ADHD is my super power” nonsense.

[matthewbarrett]

I got diagnosed at 39 only last week. I love that your videos don’t dumb anything down. I also love a bell graph!

You mention that 30% of boys potentially developed ADHD from injury, is there any science that shows that subset display symptoms slightly differently then the 70% who are genetic? For example increased hyperactivity?

[gabriellawaldi]

Thank you very much for advocating for us Dr. Barkley!! Thank you for your videos!!

[jophillipsillustration]

I would give it up in a heartbeat for sure!

[n.c.kupfermann]

I think I get your argument. It is somewhat similar to the argument if poker is gambling or not and if it should fall under the income tax.
I poker player said once poker is not a form of gambling because in the end always the same player win.
Which was used as evidence that poker is not a form of gambling and poker players who earned their living from poker should pay income taxes on their winnings.

[CJQuinn]

Interesting critique. Would I choose to stop having ADHD at the wave of a wand? Absolutely not. It's an impairment that has caused me and my family members a lot of difficulty and pain over my life; however, it's a key part of my personality and how I relate to the world and people around me. Diagnosis as an adult massively improved my life and my understanding of myself, in particular making me kinder and more forgiving to myself. I'm extremely glad that psychiatry offered the opportunity to identify the cause and mitigate the effects with medication.

One thing that gets lost in the neurodiversity discussion is that it offers a means to come to terms with natural population variances in neuropsychology. Rather than insisting that "everything is fine", it's coming to terms with ourselves as we are and not seeing ourselves as defective or broken. That, I think, is the real power of neurodiversity; our existence is valuable and we aren't inferior to those in the middle of the bell curve.

[pavlova]

You have provided me with some important insights about these disorders, though it still doesn't totally add up for me and from my amateur perspective. Introspectively, I think I have evidence that my impulsivity and monotropic thinking is not exclusively a disorder but its own sort of cognitive style. I don't believe I would be who I am without them. I can sustain hyperfocus for hours if I'm highly interested in a task. My thinking is highly analytical and divergent. I don't sense it as being something ordinary or something I could have without my conditions. Are these traits bad? Well, many interesting people in history were born premature & the idea that they are interesting only in spite of that just doesn't seem always true.

it seems possible to me as a general rule that unique successes come out of a diversity of circumstances even if these are mutations or limitations, and even if they're generally maladaptive in the population. Just take savant syndrome for instance. The extreme of any trait is likely to be maladaptive, but as you say, it's a bell curve in the population, so I am not sure exactly why to think of it as categorically disordered at one end and categorically functional at the other. Even in your other video, you present the correlation of psychopathy and creativity as an inverted-U. I'm not sure I would expect a bell curve if it was due to genetic drift. It just doesn't add up for me. I want to know who and what I am. I want to know what will help and hinder me. I mean, c'mon, surely school is actually just boring for many children. It is coercive for most children.

[Adrian-dlnb]

I have to admit you changed my mind about this! You illustrated your points very well. It's not 100% clear to me if you're part of the ADHD community, but thank you for continuing to support us.