For many, the daily confrontation with the consequences of ADHD is even heavier than the ADHD traits themselves. Simple tasks like arriving on time, knowing what to bring or making a schedule can be a huge challenge for people with ADHD. It is precisely these tasks that society judges you for if you fail to manage them structurally. As a result, people with ADHD often experience feelings of shame and find it difficult to accept themselves.
The role of the environment
Anouk Scheres, associate professor, psychologist and researcher at the Behavioural Science Institute at Radboud University, dedicates herself to helping people with ADHD accept themselves as they are. ''Saying you have ADHD is comparable to someone with ADHD saying you are above average in height,'' Scheres argues. ''If you are tall and have to walk through doors that are too low, you always have a chance of bumping your head. Would that person also experience that problem if all the doors were a bit higher?'' It is also the environment that causes you to experience discomfort.
'People with (characteristics of) ADHD have long indicated that the label of 'disorder' stigmatises them,'' says Scheres. She therefore stresses the importance of the term 'neurodiversity', recognising individual behavioural differences as a normal aspect of diversity within humanity. Scheres explains: ''Our current society forces people who deviate from the norm to adapt in order to 'fit in'. However, for people with ADHD, this is not a satisfactory solution. Instead, it makes them feel excluded, and thus experience the feeling of not being good enough.''
From self-regulation to self-acceptance
The story of Jonathan Mooney, an American neurodiversity activist who grew up with dyslexia and ADHD, aptly illustrates this point, according to Scheres. Mooney became deeply depressed as a child and even became suicidal when he saw himself as someone with ADHD, as emphasis was placed on his shortcomings. Jonathan flourished when his mother decided to accept him as
he was and helped him focus on his strengths. His story highlights that people with ADHD suffer, especially when they cannot meet societal norms.
Scheres stresses that the years of research on ADHD, which has mainly focused on biological aspects such as brain activity, have been influential in taking ADHD seriously and understanding it. ''However, current research from this focuses on self-regulation and self-control, which is not always what people with ADHD need. Therefore, we must start actively involving people with ADHD in the research and development of interventions and care. That way, the solutions can really match the needs and experiences of people with ADHD.''
From self-acceptance to being taken for granted
''The main aim of this different perspective on ADHD is to provide space for people with ADHD to feel good about themselves,'' says Scheres. This self-acceptance allows people with ADHD to discuss it more easily, for example, at work. She points out: ''Someone I coached raised her ADHD with her supervisor. Together, they started looking for solutions through coaching conversations. During these discussions, they looked at her strengths, such as creativity, effective communication with colleagues and seeing possibilities and connections. In the same team, another colleague turned out to have an affinity for structured tasks, such as planning and organising. Those tasks were then largely taken over by that other colleague. This more open approach enabled new initiatives to be taken.''
Modernising the concept of ADHD
To illustrate this different perspective on ADHD, Scheres developed a short video together with the Radboud Fund in response to the '9th World Congress on ADHD'. In it, people with ADHD describe what it is like to go through life with ADHD. The film contributes to involving people with ADHD in developments within research and care.
In short, it is time to see ADHD as an aspect of human diversity, not as a 'disorder'. With understanding, acceptance and tailored adjustments in society, we can help people with ADHD to fully flourish and contribute to a more inclusive world.
Image: Etienne Scheeper