ADHD Stigma

I know people that will talk in front of hundreds of people at non mental health conventions and mention that they have depression, an anxiety disorder, alcoholism, past drug addict. But they don’t mention they have ADHD. I know they do because they told me to my face.

I know people who have ADHD who work in the mental health fields who have ADHD and went public and got harassed and discriminated by psychiatrists, psychologists and doctors at work. Then they went back to hide in the ADHD closet.

People who are LGBT shouldn’t have to stay hidden in the LGBT closet and many of them now have come out of it. Why shouldn’t ADDers do the same?

Understand the myths and stigma around ADHD and find ways to effectively counter them to make it easier for you and others to come out of the ADHD closet, advocate for resources for ADHD and get the ADHD help you need and deserve.

ADHD and Stigma Articles

Does ADHD Really Exist? How to answer this question for those who’ve bought into the stigma

Would you tell someone who’s a diabetic that he shouldn’t take insulin, it’s not good for them, diabetes is a phoney condition thought up by the drug companies and all they have to do is stay away from the chocolate bars and have happy thoughts?

Why is it that people who would not assume they’re knowledgeable enough to make pronouncements of the validity of physical medical conditions assume that they are knowledgeable enough to make sweeping pronouncements of the validity of mental medical conditions? Here are polite and more direct ways to explain ADHD to non adders (or adders in denial and projecting internal shame on to the condition) and clinical evidence of ADHD as a real condition

Some Myths of ADHD

Myth # 1: ADHD is Not a Real Disorder
Myth # 2: ADHD is a Disorder of Childhood
Myth # 3: ADHD is Over-Diagnosed
Myth # 4: Children with ADHD are Over-medicated
Myth # 5: Poor Parenting Causes ADHD
Myth # 6: Minority Children are Over-Diagnosed with ADHD and are Over-Medicated
Myth # 7: Girls Have Lower Rates and Less Severe ADHD than Boys

12 Ways to Fight Mental Health Stigma With Social Media

Social media can be used to stigmatize and spread ignorance and hate. But it can also be used to counter stigma, spread facts as antidotes to hate and lies. My posts lists many ways to do this from simple and easy to more complex.

ADHD Facts – Dispelling the Myths

Download (PDF, 66KB)

Vancouver Sun Celebrates ADHD Awareness Week by Stigmatizing ADHD on Front Page and Syndicating It Nationwide

Pencil, pens and meds. LA Times editorial stigmatizing ADHD get’s fisked by Gina Pera

Helping your child overcome the stigma of ADHD

Breaking the silence of ADHD Stigma

ADHD behaviors still get attributed to poor parenting. “The general thinking is often that the parent is not strict enough and the child is in control of the situation,” Matlen said. But a child with ADHD isn’t disobedient on purpose; they have a biologically based disorder that disrupts self-regulation. And simply applying more discipline — without treating the ADHD — doesn’t work.

Adults with ADHD are misperceived as “drug-seeking,” seeking the diagnosis in order to supposedly get their hands on stimulants. As Matlen corrected, many adults with ADHD actually forget to take their medication.

Explain Adult ADHD To Non ADDers. My Crowd Sourced Anti ADHD Stigma Campaign

My crowdsourced campaign to reduce the ignorance, misinformation, and stigma against adults with ADHD I’m doing on my first blog Adult ADD Strengths.

People explain what is the most important thing that you want non-ADHD adults to know about what life is really like living with Adult ADHD.

You can do it anonymously, or with your full name.

Overcoming the ADHD Stigma

An expert psychologist shares his secrets for fighting  ADHD stereotyping in children and adults.

Stigma and The ADHD Catch 22.

My article for Transitions Magazine the quarterly for The Disability Alliance of BC  ( used to be called BC Coalition of People with Disabilities (BCCPD) in their issue focusing on stigma.  Covers ADHD myths and how to deal with people who stigmatize ADDers.

The ADHD Catch 22 What would it take for you to go public with ADHD?

Answers to my survey questions blogged relating to the ADHD Catch 22. People with ADHD often face a lack of resources in diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, especially for adults with ADHD, and often face stigma about the condition or how they treat the condition.

One of the MANY reasons for this is that many people in the media/govt/health system/public don’t think ADHD exists, or that it is a real problem/ significant problem with major impacts / think it’s overdiagnosed/ conspiracy theory, etc.

Plus, people who have ADHD very rarely go public with having ADHD, or do things to educate the media/govt/health system/public about the problems and stigma that people living with ADHD have.

So no/few perceived problems because few complaints/advocacy, especially when people with other mental health conditions do more complaining/advocacy = few $$ and resources for ADHD and more stigma. ADHD Catch 22.

Silencing Skeptics: The Truth About ADHD and LD

What is ADHD? Does medication really help? Can adults have ADD? Learn to clear up common misperceptions about ADHD with authority.

Stigma in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Great comprehensive article on stigma and ADHD

Mueller AK, Fuermaier AB, Koerts J, Tucha L. Department of Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.

The contribution of stigma associated with ADHD can be conceptualized as an underestimated risk factor, affecting treatment adherence, treatment efficacy, symptom aggravation, life satisfaction, and mentally well-being of individuals affected by ADHD. Public as well as health professionals’ concepts about ADHD are highly diverse, setting individuals with an ADHD diagnosis at greater risk to get stigmatized.