Redefining ADHD: The Innovator Brain

Constantly shifting between multiple name changes and symptom definitions, the psychiatric field has never handled ADD/ADHD adequately or fairly. The fifth edition of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) of the American Psychiatric Association defines ADHD as follows: "A neurodevelopmental disorder defined by impairing levels of inattention, disorganization, and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity." Let's take a close look at this. Inattention and disorganization refer to the ability to stay on task. Disorganization can also take the form of not listening and losing or misplacing materials at levels that are inconsistent with age or developmental level. Hyperactivity/impulsivity entails overactivity, fidgeting, not able to stay seated, intruding into other people's activities and inability to wait excessive for developmental age. That is why hyperactive children tend to get identified early on and those children who do not have the H in ADHD fly under the radar a bit longer. These children and adults tend to daydream and seem off in their own world (Griffin, 2014).

We will be talking more about symptoms and identifying features of ADHD as we go along. But first I want to make the case for why the profession of psychiatry has been guilty of unfairly pathologizing an entire segment of the population and would do well to reflect on the outcome of their assumptions and practices.

Disorder and Disability

But what really is ADHD? For decades people ranging from neurologists to psychologists to psychiatrists have not been able to agree. Is it really a disability and a disorder? When people believe they have a disorder, they often develop tendency to give less effort to achieve and better themselves, and they may have tried hard if they had only felt more capable. When people are told they have a disability, they are more likely to accept that they cannot overcome being disabled, and accepting this fate can become a self-fulfilling prophecy for them. Adults may fall into thinking and behaving patterns that fall short of their own expectations, patterns like giving up on trying to excel at work or on trying to communicate better with their wives or husbands. Children tend to suffer in silence and to avoid the possibility of appearing stupid and clueless in front of teachers and classmates, so they hold back from interacting. What if having this brain type meant seeing and doing things differently? What if having a rapid-firing brain wasn't all about disadvantages without advantages? Suppose people with ADHD were not forced to settle for a lifetime of disorganization, lack of planning, and poor communication? These are the questions we will be discussing as we continue to explore the truth about this brain type.

Typical approaches to the treatment and understanding of ADHD concentrate on disability and disorder. The people identified or diagnosed are seen as being permanently less capable and competent than they would have been without their disabilities. Therefore, they must adapt to lives of struggling to do the best they can in spite of serious shortcomings. Above all, they must not get their hopes up that it will be possible for them to overcome their challenges. Since the ADHD brain is neurologically "impaired" (versus wired differently as I have come to understand), medication has been used to help people achieve better focus. Traditionally the only help individuals could get for the lack of life-management skills fell into the following categories: diagnosis, medication, and therapy. However, none of these approaches addresses people's needs to build confidence in themselves through understanding how their brains operate. Medication may help people slow down and focus better, and therapy may help them cope with depression or anxiety disorders. But where is the help — and hope — that a person with this brain type can successfully fit into society and live up to expectations of others? Traditional approaches assume these people need to be fixed. Typical recommendations require people take pills and learn to accept and live with their disabilities through therapy. They are advised to lower their expectations regarding the success and productivity they can achieve. To me this has always sounded like they must resign themselves to their fates. The die is cast. I believe this cannot be further from the truth. Next I will explain how my approach and assumptions are completely different from current treatment methods and assumptions.

I have worked for almost forty years with hundreds of clients of differing ages, and I have had a dramatically different experience. I have seen people with this brain type display considerable strengths and talents when given the tools and the confidence. In my experience the people diagnosed as ADHD (when exposed to the protocol I have developed) come across more as gifted innovators than mentally and behaviorally challenged misfits. From my well-honed perspective, categorizing and labeling people with ADHD or attention deficit disorder is responsible for reinforcing weaknesses and promoting negative attitudes and perspectives both on the part of the person being identified and those with whom he or she interacts. This diagnosis becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that in turn justifies the label ADHD. Yet I have witnessed people over and over again break free of the ADHD stereotype after they see themselves from a gifted and talented perspective. They were able to gain a new vision for their lives, realize their true abilities, and embrace the confidence to succeed.

From ADHD Disorder to the Innovator Brain

In moving away from ADHD label, I will explain how I came up with the new label of innovator to describe this brain type. I will explain how ADHD really does mean innovation by using historical and contemporary examples of people, their accomplishments, and their struggles. It is critical to understand why we are wrong about the label ADD or ADHD to describe this brain type. It is important to remember that if we continue to define people by using a label that makes them feel less capable than others, they will struggle to believe in their abilities to overcome...