Commented on August 18, 2008 2:18 am
No one is happier to see Phelps’ triumph at the Olympics. But even as I was cheering him on, I was preparing for the backlash: the spate of articles that have predictably declared, “See, all he needed for his ADHD was something to focus on. He didn’t need medication.”
And that would be the worst lesson to take home from Phelps’ achievement.
No one can say where Michael Phelps would be if he’d continued taking medication as a boy. And, will he look back on these years of single-minded hyperfocus and decide it was worth the medals and endorsements? Maybe. Maybe not.
Will his swimming achievements enhance his ability to connect with people, to have good relationships, to manage his earnings, to focus on his own internal feelings, and to feel good about himself after his ability to win medals is past? How many medals will it take for him to overcome a childhood full of teasing because he was different? Only time will tell.
The public just simply does not understand the core of ADHD. People with ADHD can be motivated, but it often takes over-the-top motivation–perhaps promises of fame, money, and rewards that scream “success” because they often don’t feel like a success on the inside.
When motivation is low due to dopamine deficiencies in the brain, things like greed and fear can be disproportionate motivators. Fear of being “less than” or “fear of being made fun of” often motivates the person to be better than everyone else. But the victories are often hallow because all on the outside. The American public especially doesn’t praise a person for being a good citizen, parent, and spouse. It lavishes praise for more narcissistic exploits–being a celebrity, making money, being the “best.”
As long as the public largely insists on not understanding what ADHD is about, people with ADHD will continue to suffer from your misjudgments. They will be bullied and teased as children, and then the adults who hyperfocus on proving the bulllies wrong will be held up as proof that people with ADHD can achieve.
We know they can achieve, but must the motivation be bullying and promise of validation as a person?
As for the rest of the people with ADHD who aren’t blessed with Michael Phelps’ remarkably “fish-like” physiology–-or dedicated parents and coaches who give them structure and focus–-we do know what happens to them when they they don’t address their symptoms: higher rates of bankruptcy, incarceration, unemployment, underemployment, divorce, traffic accidents, and more. Those are the facts.
- Gina Pera