• DankOfAmerica@reddthat.com
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    5 days ago

    In case you aren’t aware and interested in hearing an opinion on that statement, here it goes.

    A lot of people might find it offensive and dismissive. The obvious issue with it is that it is extreme by including “everyone” and “all their failures in life” and saying that one issue is blamed for it entirely. That is just not true. I understand that it could be taken as a figure of speech and that the reader is to understand that not literally everyone and all of their failures, but I disagree with even a figurative interpretation. In my experience, few people attribute most of their lifelong issues to ADHD. Out of that small set of individuals that do attribute issues to ADHD, many of them are valid, while some are likely removing any accountability from their own choices. Yes, it is likely that some people avoid taking responsibility and therefore seek unnecessary accommodations from others for their lack of effort by placing blame on a mental health diagnosis that they might not even have. However, it is my belief that the majority of people don’t do that. ADHD is a mental health condition/neurotype that affects every single aspect of a person’s life. A person isn’t ADHD in only school or work. They are ADHD when they complete daily tasks, socialize, read a book, follow instructions, visit the doctor, place their keys down, etc. ADHD truly does affect every area of their in a world that is designed for people that are not ADHD, so they end up violating cultural norms and performing subobtimally in comparison to their peers. When someone with ADHD states that their entire lives are affected by it, they are not exaggerating. Stating that everyone blames all of their failures in life on ADHD is dismissive of their difficulties and can appear aloof, insensitive, privileged, or malicious. Statements like that can drive away understanding, compassionate, and caring people, limiting your interaction with individuals that have those traits, leaving you more exposed to the kinds of individuals that would use mental health diagnoses to avoid responsibility for their failures.

    That’s only my opinion, so do what you like with that.