Is ADD a Mental Illness?

There is a lingering myth that ADHD is a ‘mental illness.’ That label scares many people from considering the possibility that they have this unique mindset.

For others, the idea that it’s an illness, which suggests it can be cured, confuses people who don’t realize they have ADHD, but are quite clear, “I’m not mentally ill.” So they don’t bother learning more and thus continue to suffer unnecessarily for years.

ADHD is a disorder, and if you are uncomfortable with that term, then perhaps you could consider the definition of a ‘Syndrome.’

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Hi. There are a lot of common misconceptions about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and boy are they common.

However there’s one myth that can mislead people to conclude they don’t have ADHD when in fact they do, and that is tragic.

They miss the opportunity to finally understand what’s been undermining their best efforts for their whole life, causing so much failure and frustration, and what they might do to get it managed. So they struggle unnecessarily for another year or two, or 10.

The belief is that ADHD is a mental illness. If you believe that you might naturally conclude well I’m not mentally ill so that can’t be that ADHD thing, or whatever they call it.

No you’re not ill but you are struggling, this is a mental health issue but it’s not by definition an illness.

In fact by definition the Oxford English Dictionary defines illness as “a disease or period of sickness affecting the body or mind, period of time”.

The Cambridge American Dictionary says it’s “a condition in which the body or mind is harmed because an organ or part is unable to work as it usually does .”

The Illustrated guide to gardening says “illness is the result of powdery mildew, and slugs and overwatering.” Uh since we’re fauna not flora or we can probably ignore that one.

But here’s the key phrase, a disease or period of sickness, a period of time, not every day, since as long as you can remember.

And there’s another key phrase, an organ or part is unable to work as it usually does, so if you hear that ADHD is a mental illness you’ll conclude, then I can’t have ADHD because this is how I usually am, have been forever, heck half my family’s like this.

An illness is temporary, an abnormal state, running a fever, cough, pains, mysterious lump, oh it’s my stomach.

When you’re suffering from a mental illness people are going to ask are you okay, you’re not your usual self, usual, whereas with ADHD this is your usual self.

There you are struggling with the same things over and over, in fact when things go awry as they always do, people will say yah, as usual, same old same old, not again.

And another thing, unlike an illness ADHD is not something you catch or come down with, it is the result of your wiring and your chemistry, it’s driven by genes, it’s how you come into the world.

And there’s another difference an illness, like say the flu, will run its course, a sinus infection you can cure with an antibiotic, there are medications that can cure illnesses, there are ADHD medications but they don’t cure anything, they just attenuate the symptoms, lowering the intensity, so you’re actually able to focus clearly and for longer, on what you’re doing ,the way everybody else can.

Another difference, unlike an inflamed gallbladder say, there’s no surgery to remove attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the scars from decades of undiagnosed ADHD are more than skin deep.

Now if you’re uncomfortable with having a disorder you could think of it as a syndrome.

Here’s what a syndrome is “a collection or a group of symptoms which consistently occur together or a condition characterized by a set of associated symptoms.” Aha!

Chronic fatigue syndrome comes to mind, although that is an illness and ADHD is not.

ADHD is how your mind operates, until now that is, yeah this is why people who’ve been diagnosed are so glad they found out, and are mightily po’ed that they didn’t know sooner.

As you likely know our brains consistently change, at any age, just grows harder to make those changes once your mind becomes set in its ways, or your hair turns gray.

That said it’s clear that new ideas and experiences form new pathways in the brain.

Pathways that can, with repetition and practice, become habitual. While old paths wither and fade away, and this is called as you may have heard, brain plasticity.

In fact everything you see, hear, do or learn, changes your brain to some degree, however Infinitesimal in some cases.

Just listening to this video will make changes to your brain, hopefully beneficial ones, and of course there are lots of ADHD friendly tools, and apps, and strategies, that I’ve talked about, and we’ll continue to talk about.

Accommodations that can help you create those new pathways. It’s a gradual process of course, and it demands patience, which we tend to lack, but if you can stick with it you will grow less scattered, less forgetful, more focused, clearer, all without losing who you are, in fact I would argue for the first time in your life you have a chance to become who you truly are, the you that is buried under all that constant clattering, cacophony, and mental pandemonium of ADHD, that is so overwhelming, frustrating, exhausting, because you’re in there somewhere.

All right, thanks for watching, if you have ADHD what did you believe it was before you were diagnosed, and how do you view it now?

And for everyone please do like and share, and subscribe ,comment, this all helps us reach more people, and you can also become a supporte,r so I can produce videos to help you and thousands of others to understand their ADHD and take charge of their lives, as we used to say on the Red Green show We’re All in This Together.

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