ADHD Isn’t a Disorder. It’s an Ancient Brain.
ADHD is in the DSM because insurance companies need a diagnostic code. It's a billing label. It's for how money is made for people who are not you.
Look, a diagnosis is helpful because it provides access to services. But ADHD shouldn’t even fall under a “diagnosis.” ADHD is not something you "have." It isn't an add-on. It’s the wiring you were born with, which means it’s not separate from you. ADHD is who you are.
Ancient Brain, Not a Modern Glitch
Your brain is not a mistake. And no, it wasn’t created by TikTok, Yellow #5, or too many Saturday morning cartoons. Anthropologists argue that ADHD traits gave humans an edge. That’s right, your ADHD wears a cool leather motorcycle jacket.
A 2024 study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B found that people with ADHD-like traits collected more food in a foraging task when resources were scattered. Genetic research shows these traits are more common in nomadic groups than in settled ones.
Translation: ADHD brains were built for motion, novelty, and survival. Thousands of years ago, the kid who couldn’t sit still was the one who spotted danger first or dragged dinner back to camp. (Sadly, my kids cannot do that.) The point is: ADHD isn’t a design flaw. It’s a badass evolutionary strategy. Otherwise, why would it still be here? Oh, that’s right, because of all the juice boxes and PlayStation.
The Real Problem
The DSM checklist doesn’t give a crap about nuance or even basic sense, for that matter. It cannot see the overtaxed, underslept parent who sat up all night writing this blog post, but still has to force a smile at school drop-off at an ungodly hour. It cannot see the creative with twenty brilliant ideas pushing to break out, but frozen because they have to do boring work to pay bills. The DSM doesn’t even know the name of the genius high-achiever who looks competent and agreeable on Zoom but goes from rage to tears when they forget they were making eggs because (was that a bird sound or my neighbor whistling?) and, ah, shit, now they have to eat burned eggs scraped from the pan.
And yet the response we ADHDers keep hearing is the same: just try harder. Why can’t you just accept life like everyone does? Buy another planner. Wake up at 5 a.m. for a cold shower. Gratitude journal for 47 hours under the light of the blood moon. As if the problem were a lack of ((barf)) hustle.
The problem isn't your brain. It's a system that's too small for you.
The Question We Should Be Asking
Every time we pathologize ADHD, we waste human capacity. We clip the wings of kids who could have been inventors, artists, or rebels. We burn out the parents who are already holding too much. We bury the voices of the creatives and entrepreneurs who were built to shape culture but get lost under to-do lists that don’t fit them.
So, the question isn’t how to get ADHDers to be more like everyone else. The question is: what happens to human genius when we force it to shrink? What do we lose when we try to make every brain the same?
My work is not about managing a disorder. It is about building a life on your own terms. That's why ADHD doesn't belong in a manual of disorders. It belongs in our understanding of human ingenuity, diversity, and survival.
Check out my coaching page to learn how I can help. If coaching is not right for you right now, join my email list to find out about low-cost ADHD workshops coming soon.