Stigma in ADHD
ByThe Toronto Star published an article about a 10 year-old boy with ADHD not wanting people to know about his ADHD because he doesn’t want people to consider him a joke.
In this article, his mother is quoted as saying:
“There is such a huge stigma,” says his mother, whom we’ll call Sarah. “And it’s his choice, his decision that it’s none of their business. He hears kids say, if someone is acting up or getting wild, ‘Oh, he must be ADHD.’ I even hear parents say that. And my son hears it on TV when people make jokes about ADHD
“He doesn’t want to be a joke.”
Stigma is such a huge issue with ADD/ADHD. And one of the worst consequences of the diagnosis is when shame and guilt develop, and one’s self esteem starts to drop. That’s why I like to take a more optimistic and strength based approach to ADD/ADHD – i.e. let’s get the symptoms treated and find out how you can function well with your ADD/ADHD traits. It’s my experience that this approach helps to reduce the shame and guilt that can develop over time.
On the other hand – people can use humor to handle stress, and even their own stress about ADD/ADHD. So, people can often say: ‘I’m having an ADD moment’ when they’re being forgetful. And this is done with a laugh and a wink.
Yet what is the damage of those jokes?
For ‘Michael’ in this Toronto Star article, those jokes hurt. They give the message that anyone with ADD/ADHD is part of a stereotype – forgetful, absent minded, hyper or something worse.
And in my experience, most of the people who joke about having an ADD moment, are people who don’t have ADD/ADHD. So they are using the term in a way which is derogatory.
When it comes to the Toronto Star article, I’m glad that Michael agreed to have his mother do this interview (on condition of anonymity) so that we can get some insight into how a bright young man tries to handle living with his ADHD – by making sure that no one knows about it (apart from parents, teachers and doctor) so that he won’t be treated differently or ‘as a joke’.
It certainly gives me pause to think about how we can support young people with ADD/ADHD even more so that the stigma won’t impact their sense of who they are…
Please share any thoughts or experiences about this issue in the comments below.
Best,
Dr. Kenny
I’ve written a few posts about the stigma of ADHD over at my blog (web site address I provided above). When I was first diagnosed – at the age of 28 – I only told my family and a few very close friends. I wanted to see what changed, see what differences the other people in my life noticed as I began medication and started to focus more on ADHD-related issues in my counseling appointments (I was in counseling for self-esteem related problems).
At this point, I don’t bother keeping it a secret, but I don’t go out of my way to tell people about my diagnosis, either. I’m not on medication anymore (and haven’t been for nearly two years). I would like to get back on Dexedrine, but am waiting for a psychiatrist referral to go through from my doctor (reminds me, I should check with her that it actually got sent).
I’m hoping to go back to school soon, and that will require accommodations. To that end, I’m pursuing a full psycho-educational assessment through the Learning Disabilities Association here. My initial assessment papers are in storage (and probably in an unmarked box), and the assessment was specifically for ADHD, nothing else. I think a full assessment will be more helpful/useful for me when it comes to getting the accommodations I actually need (rather than the ones that are typically offered to students with ADHD).