Are There Positives to ADHD?

Written By Cynthia Hammer, MSW

Written by Cynthia Hammer, MSW

 

For some adults with ADHD, the disorder may not be perceived as wholly negative. 

As part of a series of European and North American focus groups (sponsored by Shire, now part of Takeda), 108 adults with ADHD were asked whether or not they would agree to their ADHD being “cured” or “taken away”, with 35% not agreeing. Many individuals indicated that aspects of their ADHD are important for their personality, e.g. creativity. A systematic review found potential links between ADHD and creativity that required further investigation. For example, adults with ADHD symptoms were found to have a higher rate of creative achievements in daily life than adults without ADHD.

Some adults with ADHD may be high functioning and may not present with a typical pattern of functional impairments in their daily life. In addition, some individuals may develop adaptive or compensatory skills to mask the overt behavioral problems associated with ADHD, and may find employment that is well suited to their symptom profile.

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Cynthia Hammer, MSW

Cynthia Hammer, MSW, was diagnosed with inattentive ADHD in 1992 when she was 49 years old. The following year she created the non-profit organization, ADD Resources, with a mission to educate adults and helping professionals about ADHD in adults. She ran the organization for 15 years before retiring.

During the Covid isolation she wrote a book about her life with inattentive ADHD which should be published by the end of this year. In writing the book, she was dismayed to learn that children with inattentive ADHD continue to be under-diagnosed and adults with inattentive ADHD often are incorrectly diagnosed with depression or anxiety.

She created a new non-profit in 2021, the Inattentive ADHD Coalition (www.iadhd.org), to create more awareness about inattentive ADHD and the need for early diagnosis and treatment.

https://www.iadhd.org
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