Dispelling myths about ADHD

One of the unexpected benefits of the enforced COVID lockdown was having the time and space to understand more about how I experience emotions, something that may resonate with some readers.

Being forced to stand still as opposed to dragging myself from place A to place B and allowing myself to be on reflective mode allowed me to better understand how my brain operates, and what triggers anxious responses.

One of the watershed moments of this experience was coming to the realisation that, for as long as I can remember, I have lived with ADHD.

The frustration of not being able to focus for too long at a time, struggling to prioritise tasks, and brain going to full shutdown mode when triggered led to my actively researching what the reasons behind these actions could be.

What is ADHD?

From the NHS website: “Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects people’s behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse.  Symptoms of ADHD tend to be noticed at an early age and may become more noticeable when a child’s circumstances change, such as when they start school. People with ADHD may also have additional problems, such as sleep and anxiety disorders.”

It is also important to know that ADHD is considered a learning difficulty characterised by hyperactivity, distractibility, and processing difficulties. ADHD falls under the umbrella of neurodiversity, and is protected as a Disability under the Equality Act 2010.

Myth busting

Understanding what it means to live with ADHD has given me context to moments of crisis or frustration, and empowered me to look for tools that can help me in difficult times.

Being part of the neurodivergent community can be extremely rewarding, as there is so much research out by the community that have truly made a difference in my experience and given me the opportunity to challenge myths and misunderstandings of ADHD.

Unfortunately, these are still pervasive, and the proliferation of these myths continue to have a negative impact on the mental health end self-esteem of people who have ADHD, perpetuating stigma and preventing a more nuanced and positive understanding off the condition.

Here I have selected only some of those myths, and some arguments to help us bust them.

– Everyone who has ADHD is hyperactive

While ‘hyperactivity’ is in the name, this is a generalisation that is not true as there are three types of ADHD:

• Inattentive ADHD – characterised with difficulties staying focused and attending to daily routine tasks. Individuals may be easily distracted by sights and sounds in their environment, change between one activity to another quickly, become easily distracted and bored, make careless mistakes and/or have a short attention span.
• Hyperactive and Impulsive ADHD – characterised with impulsivity and hyperactivity. Individuals may have difficulty trying to sit still, fidget, concentrate on tasks or may show lack of patience, talk excessively, act impulsively and/or without thinking.
• Combined ADHD – a combination of the above.

As per definitions, not everyone who has ADHD is necessarily bouncing off the walls as some people may believe.

For many of us, that hyperactivity happens internally. For example, for me it can be the inability to switch off my brain at times in which I very conscious know I just need to rest. It is also wrong to assume that all ADHD people have an extroverted preference when communicating. Some of us may just prefer our own company, as being surrounded by lots of people can also lead to sensorial overload.

– People in positions of leadership do not have ADHD

The first argument to debunk this is that many people with ADHD are not diagnosed, and therefore many do not even know that they have it.

Secondly, because there is so much misunderstanding around ADHD, a myth is that someone with ADHD (or any neurodivergence) cannot develop the skills to be a successful leader.

One of the characteristics of many ADHD people is their extreme capacity for empathy, which many will have developed over their years of navigating a society that was not designed for neurodivergent people. Empathy and the ability to connect with people is one of the key skill sets of effective leadership. ADHD people have the capacity to connect with others end tend to have very strong people skill sets, a quality that successful and inspiring leaders will demonstrate.

– People with ADHD can never focus

It is true that ADHD can have an impact on a person’s ability to concentrate on a given task for a long period of time. This can be linked to people with ADHD having lower levels of dopamine in their brains, which can affect a person’s mood, attention, motivation, and movement.

However, one of the unspoken benefits of ADHD is the ability to hyperfocus on tasks they find exciting or rewarding. This refers to an intense fixation on an interest or activity for an extended period of time. People who experience hyperfocus often become so engrossed they may block out the world around them, but this also means that they can become very good at something and become an expert on areas that they are interested in.

This is definitely very useful in a work context when someone may need to acquire a specialised skill, when learning new tasks, or even when teaching other colleagues in the workplace.

If you’re managing someone who has ADHD, have a conversation with them to understand what motivates them and how you can both make even the most mundane tasks psychologically rewarding. Many people with ADHD in all sectors and professions have achieved their success thanks to their ability to focus on something for hours on end.

– ADHD only affects children

As I was trying to understand more about ADHD, I quickly realised that much of the information and many of the resources out there focus on supporting children with ADHD, which may give one the impression that ADHD is something that someone grows out of and that does not impact people in their adulthood.

I found this extremely frustrating, because understandably, an adult’s coping mechanisms will be very different to those of a child. This lack of information also helps perpetuate the stigma that ADHD is something adults should be embarrassed of. According to Understood.org, “most kids don’t totally outgrow ADHD, although some symptoms can lessen or disappear as they get older. Symptoms may also change as kids get older and learn ways to manage them. But that’s not the same as outgrowing them. Most people with ADHD continue to have symptoms into adulthood.”

According to the NHS website, ADHD affects about 3-5% of children and 2% of adults – so there are definitely many of us out there. The stigma prevents people from looking for help, or not even considering ADHD diagnosis as an option to help them. The more we talk about it, the more it will encourage people look for support, whichever age they are.

– ADHD only affects boys and men

When we talk about ADHD in children, many may have that typical image of a young boy who is very hyperactive, will not standstill, and is constantly being told off for not paying attention or not doing “as they are told”. I confess that for many years, that was the impression I myself had of ADHD – so not only an ageist one, but also a sexist one.

So to debunk this myth that only boys (and therefore men) are affected ADHD, let’s start by addressing how to recognise some of the key ADHD symptoms in girls and young women.

According to the ADDitude website, these include: daydreaming quietly in class; feeling anxious or sad; exhibiting silliness; acting shy or inattentive; trouble maintaining friendships; picking at cuticles or skin, and being a perfectionist. These are considered internalising behaviours, as opposed to the externalising behaviours most associated with ADHD in boys (such as hyperactive behaviour, talking excessively, interrupting others).

As a result, girls with ADHD tend not to get diagnosed as often and their symptoms sometimes get confused with anxiety or depression. Women with ADHD face the same feelings of being overwhelmed and exhausted as men with ADHD commonly feel. As a result of this gender bias, many women may go undiagnosed for the rest of their life. The good news is that there is an increasing awareness about ADHD symptoms in women, with more visibility and access to resources.

Unfortunately, there is not enough research that is specific to ADHD amongst the genderqueer population, or the LGBTQ+ community. However, the neurodivergent LGBTQ+ community is very active online, and this article from ADDitude provides heartfelt testimonials from the Neuroqueer (a junction of the words neurodivergent and queer) community.

– People with ADHD just need to try harder

And one last myth… is that ADHD people just need to “try harder”. As if ADHD were a failure of the will as opposed to a being a neurological condition.

The reality is that most people living with ADHD are trying very hard – not only hard to concentrate, but also trying hard to communicate in a linear fashion that suits the preferred way of most neurotypical (as in ‘not neurodivergent’) folks, trying to be mindful of structures and timelines, or trying to be careful not to underestimate time (for many ADHD folks, time is a blur!).

There are tools, techniques and structures in place that a person with ADHD can put in place to help them with all the above. Most of them come with time, and some will be triggered as a survival mechanism, as a way of ‘fitting in’ into societal expectations, or as ways of helping yourself be successful even when you feel like the some of the odds are against you.

What on the surface may seem like “not trying hard enough”, under the surface could actually be “this person is trying the hardest they can, and actually going through lots of emotional stress while doing it”. If you are a person living with ADHD, the more aware you become of trigger points, or areas you struggle with, hopefully the easier you will find to look for tools and solutions that work for you.

Final thoughts

As try to dismantle myths and preconceptions about ADHD, let’s also take stock to remember all the positives that ADHD can bring to a person’s life and to the workplace.

People with ADHD tend to be very creative, as they can very quickly make connections to different things or ideas. They can also be very empathetic, a quality that is key in the workplace, and essential in leadership roles. We also mentioned the element of hyperfocus – so give someone with ADHD a task they are passionate about and they will truly learn as much as possible about it.

It is essential that we keep having these conversations, as they help not only neurodivergent people but also everyone. Have you considered what you are doing in your workplace to help dispel some of these myths and educate others? If you need support, get in touch with your account manager if you are a member, or with our sales team if you are not.

If you are an Inclusive Employers member, you can access our factsheet ‘Understanding ADHD’, alongside other resources for supporting neurodivergent colleagues.

If you’re not yet a member, get in touch to find out more about how we can support you.

You can also find out more about ADHD Awareness Month and how you can celebrate it in your organisation here.