[EnderViaAnsible]

ADHD is objectively a bundle of true deficits, not just a set of traits society frowns on. Certainly these deficits weren't as much of a disadvantage in early human evolution, but if you can create metrics and show that people with ADHD perform worse at some generic tasks vs. average human beings-- and you can, we have-- this is not just a world that has been created that is inhospitable to them.

The ugly thing I've found, which accords with what you have said here, is that the best treatment for me is as many hours of sunshine as possible and several hours of vigorous exercise a day. (Thanks for teaching that, Marine Corps.)

But of course there are very few jobs with security, brain exercise, and mobility that give me this, and essentially no jobs that are compatible with it (that it is, where I could take this time off per day and still retain a job).

So of course I use medication and stick with jobs that drive me nuts, jobs that are terrible for me but pay well. I feel for the ADHD people who weren't gifted as decent a brain as mine, as if it weren't for that I doubt my employers would have been as indulgent of my other flaws from ADHD.

[colechristensen]

Read The Selfish Gene and https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2008/06/12/...

There is doubt that a set of behaviors which is so prevalent in the population is just an accident and a disease. Evolutionary pressures exist to optimize gene expression ratios in a population. Put differently, when a certain gene becomes rare in a population individuals with that gene have a significant advantage in life and reproduce more – when the same gene becomes over prevalent individuals with that gene have a significant disadvantage and reproduce less. There are traits which have pressure to be a certain proportion of a population.

ADHD or whatever else you may call it could very well be that. Ancient societies which had a small proportion of a certain kind of person thrived because their different behavior made them successful. It doesn't have to be a disease to not fit in to a certain society.

[internet_user]

Nonsense. We have all kinds of highly prevalent maladaptive traits.

Evolution is blind.

[ddxxdd]

Genetic mutations are blind. Natural selection is its walking stick.

[falcolas]

We don’t live in ancient society. We live in our society.

Not to mention, not all traits that survive evolution are positive.

[colechristensen]

I guess you can either think the individual is deficient or society is deficient.

[falcolas]

I can think society is deficient all I want (I do, but not for any lack of consideration for my ADD). It doesn’t change the fact that I need to work, and that to work, I need the ability to control my concentration. To do that, I take meds.

I can’t be anything but thrilled that society has given me a tool that gives me some control of my concentration.

[DoreenMichele]

These sorts of arguments tend to fail to result in a meeting of the minds.

Some people manage to make lifestyle changes and/or dietary changes and/or ditch people who were part of the problem and see substantial improvements in how they function and in quality of life. They try to spread the good news and people feel like they are being told they don't have a real problem or something and both sides get mad.

I used to see this a lot on parenting lists. People would suggest homeschooling because it had made their lives so much better. People who didn't want to consider homeschooling would feel judged rather than feeling like they were being given options and hope.

Cue everyone getting hot under the collar.

[colechristensen]

I do the same, but I'm not thrilled about it.

There is the person I am and the person I have to pretend to be.

[firecall]

I'm with you on that.

I cannot stand to be in corporate offices - it's a hell for me - but what choices do I have to earn a decent salary and feed my family? Not many :-(

I've just quit my 3rd job in five years because it got too much.