While I generally agree with a lot of what you are presenting here, it also assumes a general functionality that many with conditions like ADHD simply do not have. The unfortunate thing is that ADHD is assigned to the realm of psychology when in fact it is a neurological issue—one that people are born with, cannot be 'changed' and causes quite a bit of difficulty, challenge, and suffering. In much the same way that someone with Aspergers or high blood pressure can have their lives negatively impacted by the condition, there are also treatments that help them manage better in their lives. For example, if you watched the documentary on Greta Thunberg or read any of the articles by her parents it was clear that she was suffering greatly and her health quite compromised both prior to the start of her protest against climate change but also during. I have a good friend who has suffered from crushing depression his entire life and often struggles with managing everyday life and suicidal ideation despite treatment—but he is also a brilliant and generous person who is beloved by many. Of course, all humans suffer their own challenges navigating the world for a host of reasons so in that regard none of us is really 'all that special.' While it can be negative for people to be defined stereotypically or in a judgmental manner by any label, it also is not helpful to disregard or misunderstand who they are, including what could be perceived as a label. I suggest that it is society's prejudice and reaction to those 'labels' that is the problem. We would all do much better to not only embrace that life is change and that we are free to explore, transition, and transcend all aspects of ourselves—but to be more open, kind, and accepting that there are many ways to be vs. rigid constructs and expectations about what is acceptable.
Hi Sue! First I will say that I feared/expected/could have predicted at least one comment. like this. This post was certainly more sloppy than things I typically publish. You are absolutely right to point out how ADHD is markedly different from some of the other conditions mentioned above. I'll be the first to admit I wasn't so explicitly aware of that key distinction, which is MAJOR.
I suspect this is one place where it's easy to be a product of my generation. I imagine there are a lot of people who have been around longer than I have who grew up with undiagosed ADHD - and who could have been helped tremendously if they had been. What's a bit odd for Gen Y and Gen Z folks is how talking about some of these things has seemed so commonplace for as long as we can remember, to the point that things like 'ADD' and 'OCD' get thrown around like slang, often incorrectly. We've been consuming commercials for prescription drugs that treat depression before we even knew what depression was. So, I suppose I'm coming from a place that has always been a little sensitive to people using these labels incorrectly, and sensitive to people who aren't licensed therapists talking as though they are.
Because of this, something appealed to me about the idea that we should be able to take a mental health break without having to put a label on it. I also have curiosity around conditions like alcoholism, which in SO many ways, is very different from something like ADHD. But, I'm fascinated by the things we are learning, especially coming out of the Nordic countries, where people who once had a dependency on alcohol are not only able to quit drinking, but in fact, able to develop a healthy relationship with alcohol. Meanwhile, for years AA - which treats people has though they have no self-control - has become the standard 'treatment' for alcohol dependency in the U.S.
In an ideal world, we'd all feel comfortable talking about our mental health, we would know that so many of the conditions that impact our emotional well-being fall on a spectrum and that suffering from any condition, temporary or chronic, doesn't take away from someone's ability to also be brilliant and loving, we'd all have access to medical help when we want or need it, and we'd be able to simply take a 'time out' for mental health from time to time, whether we've received a medical diagnosis or not, without having to worry about there being a stigma about it. Sending love <3
It makes sense to me that tribalism comes from the need to survive and is a "natural" thing to do. I think you're on to something with regard to tribes getting more and more specific and thus further and further apart. I wonder if it's in part b/c we've outlived the usefulness of more traditional "big" groups, like national, geographic, gender, language. That's not a bad thing at all, as it allows human diversity to flourish and define itself, but perhaps some of these smaller groups imprison us in their specificity. Maybe the digital society is so stressful ppl feel a greater need to stand out or digital culture drives a kind of terminal unique...tough say. But to your point, we are constantly evolving, and since change doesn't ever stop, we will forcibly be different than we are today. Figuring out how to do that gracefully and positively is hard.
Hi Tim! As it came time to publish this one, I'll be the first to admit, I don't think I got it to a fully-formed place, and probably was trying to weave two things together that would have taken a lot more writing to effectively do so. But yes -- one thing I was trying to get at is that this added layer of specificity, and of feeling so attached to self-identified labels, does, like you say, impact our ability to form 'tribes'. I also agree with you that it's not always bad to lean into individualism, diversity - big traditional groups don't play the role that they used to in our society.
I guess another topic would be how we seem to do a lot of preaching about celebrating diversity and yet, it's easy to see plenty of places where people are becoming less accepting of diversity of thought. I quite liked your last thought about the challenge of figuring out how to continually evolve gracefully and positively - spot on. Thank you :-)
While I generally agree with a lot of what you are presenting here, it also assumes a general functionality that many with conditions like ADHD simply do not have. The unfortunate thing is that ADHD is assigned to the realm of psychology when in fact it is a neurological issue—one that people are born with, cannot be 'changed' and causes quite a bit of difficulty, challenge, and suffering. In much the same way that someone with Aspergers or high blood pressure can have their lives negatively impacted by the condition, there are also treatments that help them manage better in their lives. For example, if you watched the documentary on Greta Thunberg or read any of the articles by her parents it was clear that she was suffering greatly and her health quite compromised both prior to the start of her protest against climate change but also during. I have a good friend who has suffered from crushing depression his entire life and often struggles with managing everyday life and suicidal ideation despite treatment—but he is also a brilliant and generous person who is beloved by many. Of course, all humans suffer their own challenges navigating the world for a host of reasons so in that regard none of us is really 'all that special.' While it can be negative for people to be defined stereotypically or in a judgmental manner by any label, it also is not helpful to disregard or misunderstand who they are, including what could be perceived as a label. I suggest that it is society's prejudice and reaction to those 'labels' that is the problem. We would all do much better to not only embrace that life is change and that we are free to explore, transition, and transcend all aspects of ourselves—but to be more open, kind, and accepting that there are many ways to be vs. rigid constructs and expectations about what is acceptable.
Hi Sue! First I will say that I feared/expected/could have predicted at least one comment. like this. This post was certainly more sloppy than things I typically publish. You are absolutely right to point out how ADHD is markedly different from some of the other conditions mentioned above. I'll be the first to admit I wasn't so explicitly aware of that key distinction, which is MAJOR.
I suspect this is one place where it's easy to be a product of my generation. I imagine there are a lot of people who have been around longer than I have who grew up with undiagosed ADHD - and who could have been helped tremendously if they had been. What's a bit odd for Gen Y and Gen Z folks is how talking about some of these things has seemed so commonplace for as long as we can remember, to the point that things like 'ADD' and 'OCD' get thrown around like slang, often incorrectly. We've been consuming commercials for prescription drugs that treat depression before we even knew what depression was. So, I suppose I'm coming from a place that has always been a little sensitive to people using these labels incorrectly, and sensitive to people who aren't licensed therapists talking as though they are.
Because of this, something appealed to me about the idea that we should be able to take a mental health break without having to put a label on it. I also have curiosity around conditions like alcoholism, which in SO many ways, is very different from something like ADHD. But, I'm fascinated by the things we are learning, especially coming out of the Nordic countries, where people who once had a dependency on alcohol are not only able to quit drinking, but in fact, able to develop a healthy relationship with alcohol. Meanwhile, for years AA - which treats people has though they have no self-control - has become the standard 'treatment' for alcohol dependency in the U.S.
In an ideal world, we'd all feel comfortable talking about our mental health, we would know that so many of the conditions that impact our emotional well-being fall on a spectrum and that suffering from any condition, temporary or chronic, doesn't take away from someone's ability to also be brilliant and loving, we'd all have access to medical help when we want or need it, and we'd be able to simply take a 'time out' for mental health from time to time, whether we've received a medical diagnosis or not, without having to worry about there being a stigma about it. Sending love <3
It makes sense to me that tribalism comes from the need to survive and is a "natural" thing to do. I think you're on to something with regard to tribes getting more and more specific and thus further and further apart. I wonder if it's in part b/c we've outlived the usefulness of more traditional "big" groups, like national, geographic, gender, language. That's not a bad thing at all, as it allows human diversity to flourish and define itself, but perhaps some of these smaller groups imprison us in their specificity. Maybe the digital society is so stressful ppl feel a greater need to stand out or digital culture drives a kind of terminal unique...tough say. But to your point, we are constantly evolving, and since change doesn't ever stop, we will forcibly be different than we are today. Figuring out how to do that gracefully and positively is hard.
Hi Tim! As it came time to publish this one, I'll be the first to admit, I don't think I got it to a fully-formed place, and probably was trying to weave two things together that would have taken a lot more writing to effectively do so. But yes -- one thing I was trying to get at is that this added layer of specificity, and of feeling so attached to self-identified labels, does, like you say, impact our ability to form 'tribes'. I also agree with you that it's not always bad to lean into individualism, diversity - big traditional groups don't play the role that they used to in our society.
I guess another topic would be how we seem to do a lot of preaching about celebrating diversity and yet, it's easy to see plenty of places where people are becoming less accepting of diversity of thought. I quite liked your last thought about the challenge of figuring out how to continually evolve gracefully and positively - spot on. Thank you :-)