I do not celebrate having ADHD, I suffer with it.

-ADHD-C diagnosed and medicated-

Sorry if not allowed. This isn't directed at anyone and it's not written to cause offence. It's just a general overview of how I personally see ADHD being perceived in society, mainly in the UK but I see it online too.

I know everyone is different. No offence intended. I'm all for inclusivity. Everyone be who they want to be, not a problem. But celebrating ADHD and lumping it into this whole "neurodiversity" thing is exactly why it's not being taken seriously by medical professionals.

This isn't some Divergent movie.

Yes, the way our brains work can be seen as a "superpower", the ability to function well in a crisis, the empathy, the perception, all of that. I get it. We can use those things to our advantage. But it's that exact perception that hides the daily suffering and waters it down in the eyes of society.

Again, I mean no offence. But the word "neurodiversity" keeps getting linked to Pride events and inclusion rallies, and that just makes it even more watered down. It becomes a buzzword. And we live in a country(increasing to a world) run by people who aren't exactly known for being inclusive.

You wouldn't have a rally of people with paranoid schizophrenia marching around with sunflower lanyards saying they're allowed to insult you because they have a badge.

I'm not saying don't be proud of who you are. I cannot stress that enough. If you want to celebrate yourself, brilliant, go ahead. But the way it's being celebrated by the majority is creating a ripple effect that makes it harder for those of us who actually suffer with it.

I've spent my whole life struggling with nearly every aspect of ADHD-C. I'd love to be the person my kids and partner need me to be, not just for the 10%of the day when my meds are doing enough to get me to about 50% of what a neurotypical person can manage.

I get sent constant reels and TikToks and videos from influencers with "Things you didn't know are ADHD" or "Here's how to hack this ADHD trait" and 90% of them drive me absolutely insane. I'd love to be able to list a full routine of things I've done in a day. But most of the time, I realise the one thing I did — like putting the washing away was actually meant to be me cooking dinner. And now we're behind again. Or I'm overstimulated trying to pay for petrol and melting down because I can't process what the cashier is saying.

I try to get support at work. Instead, I'm offered a sunflower lanyard, handed a wellbeing leaflet, and added to a group of people twice my age talking about how to decorate the office to be more inclusive of "us neurodivergent people".

If you've read this far, thanks for sticking with my Elvanse come-down ramble.

TLDR
Not trying to offend, but I hate the term neurodiversity. It's turned ADHD into a quirky personality trait instead of a serious condition. That shift is why people like me, who suffer daily, get ignored by professionals and handed sunflower lanyards instead of real support.