Interesting read · All Things Private Practice

Interesting read

I found a long-form clinical opinion commentary on ADHD and reseach. I'm including a summary provided by AI and a link to the website if you want to take (30 minutes read) a look yourself. I have ADHD, so this was informative. I'm hoping you all find this informative or helpful. If you read it, what do you think?

Summary:

For 40+ years, ADHD research focused almost entirely on what people with ADHD do wrong, not what they do well. Tests were built for neurotypical brains, ADHD brains predictably struggled, and those struggles were labeled “defects.”

In 2025, researchers finally studied ADHD strengths in a controlled way—and found real ones (like hyperfocus, creativity, humor, and spontaneity). Across everyone, people who recognized and used their strengths had better mental health and quality of life.

Key reframes:

ADHD isn’t broken attention — it’s interest-based attention

Hyperfocus is a feature that works in the right environment

Meds help by increasing motivation/arousal, not “fixing” attention

Social media oversimplified ADHD into either a flaw or a “superpower” — both are wrong

Reality check:

The world won’t fully adapt to ADHD brains.

People with ADHD still need self-knowledge, tools, support, and accountability.

Others owe understanding, reasonable accommodations, and patience.

Bottom line:

ADHD isn’t a defect or a superpower. It’s a different operating system. Outcomes improve when we stop treating people as broken and start working with both their strengths and challenges.

Link: https://thediagnosis.substack.com/p/a-generation-got-told-their-brains

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