A friend recently called my adhd a disease and it got me extremely angry and hurt. They didn’t have bad intentions, I don’t think they think that I need to be “cured” but it probably came from a more ignorant perspective.
But how do you feel about it? How would you handle that situation?
To me calling it a disease implies that my neurodivergence is wrong, that I should seek some sort of cure, which I find stupid and mostly laughable, but I guess hearing it from them hit some nerve and it felt like a personal attack. As if they were saying that as long as I have adhd I am not okay and that my struggles are my fault for not seeking a cure.
Just somehow it instantly made me so hurt and angry and I couldn’t help but feel insulted and small.
Like many others, honestly, I’m more frustrated with conversations that downplay the impact of ADHD on my life. It has upsides, and in a different world it may not be a deficit, but in this world, it adds barriers and difficulties. It sets me on the back foot compared to my peers. As long as the language were using if lets me talk about the struggles and downsides, without forcing me to pretend that it’s a net neutral or net positive in my life, I’m ok with it.