As someone who also has depression and ADHD. There is nothing wrong with us. It’s OK to take medication to survive in an environment that’s actively hostile to people like us, but it’s also OK to acknowledge that if our society actually valued people we could live the way we need with the community support we need and likely wouldn’t need to be medicated any more.
It’s like covid, catching covid doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. It means our society isn’t structured in a way to prevent people from getting sick (masks, vaccines, etc) and values profits more than people’s wellbeing.
Right or wrong doesn’t factor for me. I do not make value judgements about my neurochemistry, I just care about how well I am able to exist. I do not believe I’d live a happy life if I was unmedicated, regardless of our society. You are free to believe that about yourself, but I know what my untreated depression feels like—an absolutely crushing nothingness where I starve myself because I’m too apathetic to eat. I know what my untreated ADHD feels like—a bottomless pit of unmotivation and a maddening lack of emotional mindfulness. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong or shameful with having a medical condition that requires medication to treat. People with physical conditions shouldn’t be told that they’d be fine if society just accepted them when the consequences of not treating their condition is misery or death. I have a physical condition that affects my neurochemistry to a degree that prevents me from being happy and living. Some people have depression and can deal with it by making concessions or exercising or meditating and I’m happy for them. Therapy helped me a lot with my depression, but the baseline miserable nothingness is still there. Some people have ADHD but have found coping strategies and don’t need meds, and I’m happy for them. The D in ADHD is too strong for me to deal with on my own in any conceivable circumstance, and that is fine. There’s nothing wrong or shameful about that, it is what it is, like how someone with a congenital issue might need a wheelchair. I am entitled to my own understanding of myself, the shit I’ve suffered through, and how I deal with it.
I absolutely agree that our society treats neurodiverse people like shit. I agree that we’re generally lonely and don’t support each other well. Nothing wrong at all with that premise. I categorically disagree with your statement that we “likely wouldn’t need to be medicated anymore” if things were to change. I am either not a part of your “we,” or you are attempting to invalidate the decades I’ve spent coming to grips with what I need to survive.
EDIT: I don’t like being this hostile, but as I said, I am very fucking touchy about this topic. I’ve had enough of people assuming they know how my head works.
As someone who also has depression and ADHD. There is nothing wrong with us. It’s OK to take medication to survive in an environment that’s actively hostile to people like us, but it’s also OK to acknowledge that if our society actually valued people we could live the way we need with the community support we need and likely wouldn’t need to be medicated any more.
It’s like covid, catching covid doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. It means our society isn’t structured in a way to prevent people from getting sick (masks, vaccines, etc) and values profits more than people’s wellbeing.
Right or wrong doesn’t factor for me. I do not make value judgements about my neurochemistry, I just care about how well I am able to exist. I do not believe I’d live a happy life if I was unmedicated, regardless of our society. You are free to believe that about yourself, but I know what my untreated depression feels like—an absolutely crushing nothingness where I starve myself because I’m too apathetic to eat. I know what my untreated ADHD feels like—a bottomless pit of unmotivation and a maddening lack of emotional mindfulness. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong or shameful with having a medical condition that requires medication to treat. People with physical conditions shouldn’t be told that they’d be fine if society just accepted them when the consequences of not treating their condition is misery or death. I have a physical condition that affects my neurochemistry to a degree that prevents me from being happy and living. Some people have depression and can deal with it by making concessions or exercising or meditating and I’m happy for them. Therapy helped me a lot with my depression, but the baseline miserable nothingness is still there. Some people have ADHD but have found coping strategies and don’t need meds, and I’m happy for them. The D in ADHD is too strong for me to deal with on my own in any conceivable circumstance, and that is fine. There’s nothing wrong or shameful about that, it is what it is, like how someone with a congenital issue might need a wheelchair. I am entitled to my own understanding of myself, the shit I’ve suffered through, and how I deal with it.
I absolutely agree that our society treats neurodiverse people like shit. I agree that we’re generally lonely and don’t support each other well. Nothing wrong at all with that premise. I categorically disagree with your statement that we “likely wouldn’t need to be medicated anymore” if things were to change. I am either not a part of your “we,” or you are attempting to invalidate the decades I’ve spent coming to grips with what I need to survive.
EDIT: I don’t like being this hostile, but as I said, I am very fucking touchy about this topic. I’ve had enough of people assuming they know how my head works.