ADHD: Not a Real Disease?

As a mental health professional myself, my first reaction was instinctual and guttural, almost a reflex away from the thought that “ADHD doesn’t exist.” The first parallel that came to mind was to the recently topical subject of vaccine-caused autism. ADHD is in the DSM-V, the handbook and ”Bible” of mental health disorders. As such, it exists, from a professional and medical standpoint. Even if it can’t be shown to exist via a series of tests or through medical means, the act of causing distress or disfunction makes things like ADHD very real to those who are forced to manage them. These are things that I’ve learned over my six year education, but I think my M.Ed. has made that understanding much more nuanced.

After I sat with that reaction I saw things that I’m sure I picked up over my last two years of education. First that it can be dangerous to pathologize, and that there are natural remedies and behavioural solutions to what can be very real issues for people, but it can be equally dangerous to avoid that label completely. Some people take solace in having a label and knowing there are others like them, or that there are solutions tailored to them. The second is that people and problems exist on normal curves. When it comes to something like ADD and ADHD, there are people who benefit from different levels and different kinds of help. Sure, maybe yoga can be helpful for someone with ADHD, but maybe it’s not for everyone. There are people out there who can and do benefit from attention deficit medication. 

To sum, I think that what I’ve learned through my master’s is that a critical eye is necessary, both of new views and of your own standing viewpoints. People exist as individuals, and writing off someone’s ADHD as “not real,” or “not needing medication,” is a rash decision. Perhaps meds are being overprescribed, but if we take a strict no medication approach we risk closing a useful door.