Do you think ADHD is a joke?
Every time we say something funny about ADHD, we're actually hiding our sadness and desperation
I love sharing testimonials and personal impressions about ADHD, but having an open channel to receive people's feedback also has its drawbacks. While 97% or 98% of them are lovely, interesting, insightful, and even challenging, there are those 2% or 3% that, like many things in life, bring feelings ranging from anger to sadness, with a bit of disgust in between. Let’s take a look at one we received here last week:
"Seriously, you guys are making ADHD seem like no big deal. I bet 90% of you don’t even have a diagnosis. Just because you see funny videos online calling certain things 'ADHD symptoms' doesn’t mean you really have it. Some people are just clumsy. ADHD is much more serious than that. If you keep saying you have ADHD but don’t have a diagnosis, get yourself checked out by a professional. Enough with the fake ADHD claims, it’s getting ridiculous!"
Well, it’s not about being funny. It’s about trying to handle things more lightly. What we are supposed to do? Cry every time we forget, break, or fail to do something?
However, I understand what he meant. I also have ADHD, diagnosed after several tests, but many times I joke about it because it’s better than blaming myself for something I can’t control. And of course, the most important thing is to recognize it and seek treatment.
It’s true that some people still think having ADHD is just about being a little distracted or creating funny moments because of forgetfulness. But to think that way, they don’t know the burden of having ADHD. They don’t realize these features are just the tip of the iceberg that others see. The real struggle is emotional dysregulation, a noisy mind overflowing with thoughts causing distractions, mood swings, executive dysfunction, sensory hypersensitivity, procrastination, and so so so much more.
The lack of information is so huge that even diagnosed people sometimes don’t realize other parts of their life are dysfunctional because of ADHD, as their psychologist or psychiatrist didn’t even explain the full range of symptoms. And then there are people who don’t even have ADHD but claim they do, without a diagnosis, just because they self-diagnosed from TikTok videos listing four symptoms.
We are here to provide information and shed light on the subject to prevent misunderstandings. We are also very happy to have thousands of people supporting us and offering the most beautiful compliments!
Unfortunately there are people who think that those who take it seriously, like us at ADHD International Alliance, are misinforming others. "Us" is just a figure of speech because, in reality, it's just me, Josh, sharing my experiences after living over 30 years with ADHD without even knowing it until two years ago. I'm simply trying to bring together people from all walks of life who share the same challenges.
To those who come every day to criticize this project, saying awful things and filling my frustration bucket to the brim, I just feel sorry for them. It’s easier for them to stay in their bubble, using ADHD—something they may not even have—as an excuse for everything.
Some people should be more mindful before speaking because messing with someone's emotions is not okay. Personally, I think I'm strong enough to handle the worst, but you never know—human cruelty seems to have no limits. We’ve seen countless examples of people making drastic choices because of the unforgiving nature of the internet.
There are unfortunately those who act like God, judging everything and everyone. Only “good people” who have never made a single mistake exist online.
But I’ll not give up, of course. We will never give up.
Actually, they’re even teaching me to find strength and rise above the negativity. In the end, this isn’t just my personal struggle, it’s the struggle of everyone with ADHD. We know all too well what it means to live a life constantly facing misconceptions, misunderstandings, and all kinds of frustrations.
