Mental illness, attention deficit disorder, and suffering
ADHD is a common condition in adults, estimated to be around 3-5% of the population. It&#x27;s very frequently comorbid with other behavioral disorders like depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc. But even &quot;pure&quot; ADHD can be quite disadvantageous. People with ADHD are much less likely to finish school, have trouble staying employed, more likely to be divorced, have greater health care utilization among other adverse outcomes.<p>Despite these factors only 20% of ADHD individuals receive treatment which can make a big difference. Medications can be helpful but are <i>not</i> by any means a &quot;cure&quot;. Rather specific behavioral therapies are a necessary part of an effective treatment program.<p>As a physician specializing in behavioral health, I&#x27;ve treated a great number of ADHD adults. It&#x27;s impressive how much improvement patients could make over a period of months to years as a result of their determined effort. I came to appreciate patients&#x27; innate talents that many were eventually able to exploit. It was gratifying to see some become top-tier innovators in their fields including technologies.<p>Of course people will &quot;identify&quot; unique traits as part of their sense of &quot;self&quot;. ADHD individuals may come to regard aspects of their quirky cognitive styles as part of an &quot;identity&quot; but that&#x27;s not necessarily the same as having ADHD as the biggest component.<p>Last thing I&#x27;ll say is that ADHD is considered a developmental disorder. IOW there&#x27;s no sharp line between having&#x2F;not having it. The extent it&#x27;s a problem depends on the context, which is a huge discussion topic in its own right.