Is ADHD becoming a metaphor for being different?
As we continue to struggle with the stigma surrounding most psychiatric conditions, I have noticed a very interesting trend when it comes to ADD. Different personality traits such as proneness to boredom, procrastination, shyness, creativity, novelty-seeking, dislike of one’s job, etc. are now collectively labeled as ADD! The cultural reference has crept into our jokes, comedy clubs and movies. People don’t even identify ADD as a clinical condition but nonchalantly use it as an adjective to describe many of these styles. The problem comes when the overapplication of a label eventually leads to diffusion of meaning and eventual rejection of a valid clinical condition. The pseudo-scientific aura surrounding a label such as Adult ADHD should never replace clearer and more descriptive words that describe our human condition, our similarities, and our differences.