Disclaimer: I have no quarrel with the mods using the term in the creation of this community. I understand why they chose it, as even if they share my disagreement with the term when applied to ADHD, there’s not really a better inclusive term. “Mental illness” is really the only other option, and naming a community that would probably invite darker discussions that the mods might not be prepared to handle.
Another disclaimer: I think the term is perfectly valid when applied to autism, as autism is not, to the best of my knowledge, a mental illness so much as a difference in processing. Being autistic is only “bad” in the sense that our society discourages autistic traits. (Apologies if this is wrong; I’m neither autistic nor especially knowledgeable about autism.)
The term “neurodivergent” implies that there’s nothing wrong with you if you have ADHD–you’re just special and different. But my ADHD is an illness that requires treatment. A lot of people will tell you that the only reason ADHDers struggle is because society is set up wrong, but I don’t think that’s true, at least for me. Being unable to remember anything, unable to self-start, and hypersensitive to rejection would be massive problems in any world. Sure, the world today is particularly brutal for ADHDers in a way we could probably mitigate if we reorganized society to be kinder, but that doesn’t mean ADHD isn’t ultimately a disorder that some people need to treat with medication and therapy.
I think the things you compared to meds are a little different in that most of what you listed is preventative, but point taken.
I’m not even necessarily saying that nobody with ADHD should call themself neurodivergent, even. It’s your choice how you identify. It’s just that some of the ideas people take away from that really bother me. Some people seem to have concluded that because they don’t think their ADHD is a detriment, it must not be a detriment for anyone, and you’re only suffering from a disease of capitalism. I’ve heard far too many people with otherwise decent politics claim that psychiatry should be abolished because under socialism, no one will need treatment.
My ADHD meds do work, I think. I’ve been on a couple kinds and these seem to work the best. There are certain things that none of the meds have made me not struggle with, though.
Some people are gonna have bad takes, but I don’t think that undermines neurodivergence as an umbrella term/identity people may resonate with