in her column Sorry, ADHD (25/6) Fleur Rossmann downplays the impact of this type of neurological divergence by suggesting that more and more people are “happy” with an ADHD diagnosis. This is unnecessarily biased. She explains the search for a diagnosis with a general tendency to “catch up” and “stick the labels.” Finding an explanation in your diagnosis is equivalent to believing in a “horoscope”. You talk about “finding an excuse for your shortcomings” – the column heading. ADHD is a serious neurological disorder. The implications of this go far beyond the inconvenience of missing things or forgetting appointments. Loneliness and anxiety – even depression. There is something conceited in saying that the increasing emphasis on accepting the neurodiversity of the individual is “sympathetic evolution”. Somehow I feel Floor Rusman is trying to make a case for everyone who can call themselves neurodiversity. However, it is ambiguous in this regard.
If you ignore ADHD as a popular topic, you’re doing the carriers a disservice.
Amsterdam
A version of this article also appeared in the June 30, 2022 newspaper
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