[Symptom Free] - ADHD Is Still Greatly Misunderstood

I'm actually having a really tough time starting this article today. Not because I don't know what to say... But rather because I am almost "speechless" about today's topic.

ADHD is still greatly misunderstood by so many people...

The public...
The professionals...
The media...
Our friends...
Our family...

Despite all the recent advancements in research, and our greater understanding of the brain, there are still people who doubt the existence of ADHD. There really are people who believe it does not exist. This was actually the topic of Tuesday afternoon's Blog Talk Radio show with Tara McGillicuddy, director of ADDclasses.com.

Tara wanted to know, "...of all the questions coming in, what stands out for you...?" And while there have been some really profound questions, it still amazes me to see the volume of people who question ADHD as a legitimate condition.

There's a part of me that gets it... But I still can't agree or get behind this idea that it doesn't exist. I've just seen too many people... too many families whose lives have been affected (for good and bad).

What I find even more interesting is the perspective shared from a conversation I had this weekend. I have long been interested in speaking with a medical doctor who is actively involved in the "gifted community." It's a widely held belief that ADHD is greatly misdiagnosied and overdiagnosed. There's the idea that this diagnosis is merely "the flavor of the week..."

Even I'm Not Immune...

Now, I have to admit to some degree that even I find myself somewhat confused by all the names, labels, and diagnoses. Even as a professionl in the ADD / ADHD community, I sometimes wonder about the true existence or root of this condition.

BUT - I do not discount nor would I suggest that it just isn't real...

ADHD is a condition that affects a lot of people. And it's a condition that affects people differently. Perhaps that is what is so controversial about this condition. We just can't see it... We can't objectively identify what is going on within the complexity of the brain.

And why should we think that we can understand the brain?

I posed the following question on the radio show Tueday:

"Do we honestly think that with 6 billion + people on the plant,
that some of us will have different brains?"

Is it that hard to believe? Or fathom as a possibility?

Bottom Line?

I have never once sat in a room with someone and thought - "Wow, they totally have ADHD!" And I certainly don't see someone who is broken. It's never happened... It doesn't happen... That's just not how I work. Instead, I see differences! And that's what we are talking about.

The brain of someone with ADHD is different. Just like the brain of someone who is gifted... It's different.

Don't let differences get in the way of what you can accomplish, or in what you can inspire a child to accomplish.