Skepticism is common. I believe this is because the idea of ADHD as someone who can't sit still or is disruptive in group classroom settings has been popularized and accepted as the defining characteristic of the disease.
What people do not understand is what you called out in #1. ADHD is primarily an executive function disorder, and people do not understand what this means or the impacts it has on someone's life. Though this does materialize as impulse control and risk taking, it also represents an inability to plan, execute routine behavior, make decisions and have perspective to retroactively modify behavior.
If we popularized the idea of ADHD as the adult who always leaves at the time they're supposed to be somewhere, has had their utilities shut off because they forgot to pay their bill, poor credit, constantly loses items, always seems to be making last minute decisions (or is painfully indecisive), has poor dental hygiene because they consistently forget to brush their teeth or go to the dentist and so on, people might be better able to relate to what happens in the day to day life of ADHD. Low self-esteem, anxiety and depression are co-morbid with ADHD at staggering rates. Imagine being someone expending immense amounts of energy and thought just to do the "normal" expected things of individual life, and failing consistently to actually do them. Additionally, you're producing consistent disappointment in those around you ("Why can't you just show up on time just this once!?") compounding the sense of worthlessness.
I believe if people viewed ADHD through this more nuanced lens, they might focus less on the "drugging children" aspect of ADHD and far more on the human reality and toll of the disease.
Spot on. I wish ADHD had a less cute sounding name, maybe then people would take it more seriously. And it is also a misnomer: it is often about being unable to regulate attention (rather than simply having a lack of it), which leads to mysterious variations in productivity, especially with tasks that are not novel, interesting or challenging.
What people do not understand is what you called out in #1. ADHD is primarily an executive function disorder, and people do not understand what this means or the impacts it has on someone's life. Though this does materialize as impulse control and risk taking, it also represents an inability to plan, execute routine behavior, make decisions and have perspective to retroactively modify behavior.
If we popularized the idea of ADHD as the adult who always leaves at the time they're supposed to be somewhere, has had their utilities shut off because they forgot to pay their bill, poor credit, constantly loses items, always seems to be making last minute decisions (or is painfully indecisive), has poor dental hygiene because they consistently forget to brush their teeth or go to the dentist and so on, people might be better able to relate to what happens in the day to day life of ADHD. Low self-esteem, anxiety and depression are co-morbid with ADHD at staggering rates. Imagine being someone expending immense amounts of energy and thought just to do the "normal" expected things of individual life, and failing consistently to actually do them. Additionally, you're producing consistent disappointment in those around you ("Why can't you just show up on time just this once!?") compounding the sense of worthlessness.
I believe if people viewed ADHD through this more nuanced lens, they might focus less on the "drugging children" aspect of ADHD and far more on the human reality and toll of the disease.