When people say "I don't believe in ADHD", they're not saying that the symptoms don't exist, they're just rejecting the premise that a large percentage of the population is disabled by it.
As someone diagnosed with ADHD and who occasionally takes Adderall for it, I certainly empathize with this viewpoint. I love the way my brain works both on and off medication. I feel like my ADHD gives me a creative swiftness that evades most people. However, there are indeed times when I need to buckle down and focus one aspect of something for an extended amount of time and that's where the Adderall comes in.
Like introversion or any other number of tendencies, I think of ADHD as a dimension of personality rather than a disability. Do I consider myself disabled by it? No. But I can certainly appreciate that our academic system disadvantages those with the condition to the point that it appears to be a disability.
And yes, I am aware that some people have ADHD to such an extent that they are functionally disabled by it. I just don't think it's everyone that is diagnosed.
As someone diagnosed with ADHD and who occasionally takes Adderall for it, I certainly empathize with this viewpoint. I love the way my brain works both on and off medication. I feel like my ADHD gives me a creative swiftness that evades most people. However, there are indeed times when I need to buckle down and focus one aspect of something for an extended amount of time and that's where the Adderall comes in.
Like introversion or any other number of tendencies, I think of ADHD as a dimension of personality rather than a disability. Do I consider myself disabled by it? No. But I can certainly appreciate that our academic system disadvantages those with the condition to the point that it appears to be a disability.
And yes, I am aware that some people have ADHD to such an extent that they are functionally disabled by it. I just don't think it's everyone that is diagnosed.