ADHD is an uncomfortable topic to bring up; since the subject is often considered taboo. I think as a society, we treat so-called disability, like ADHD, as a contagious disease. But in reality, it’s something that should be discussed more widely as something to be appreciated rather than frowned upon. At least that is how I see it: it is a superpower. All of these ideas are a fountain of thoughts with a vast outflow, and the positive abilities of ADHD outweigh any of the negative qualities.
A Childhood of “Zombification”
As someone diagnosed with ADHD, I once saw it as a limitation. I was a typical ADHD child who would have probably learned more by being outside than by being in a classroom for 40 hours a week. Like so many youth with the unique combination of extra energy and hyperfocus, I had a very hard time digesting most of the information the school wanted me to learn. Not to mention, how unappreciated I felt because I had a serious inability to conform to the school’s conventional norms. I felt like I was Einstein’s fish, and I was being judged on how well I could climb a tree.
At the time, my family and the school had no choice but to medicate me for several years on Ritalin. What an absolutely terrible drug Ritalin is. It made me totally ineffective as a person. I remember staring at a poster on the wall in my room after school while hours passed by. I even disassociated once in the hallway, while on Ritalin, in the elementary school in a very embarrassing episode. Overall, it was a very horrible experience to be drugged for so many years; I will always feel that it would have been better to funnel the excessive energy and direct it instead of drugging me into a zombie. Furthermore, I will never agree with behavior modification medication. But that is just my two cents on the topic.
Biblical Restoration: From Broken Pottery to Conqueror
Biblically, there is a reason for the abnormalities in the human condition. We are each fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) in a fallen world (Genesis 3:6). But in Christ, who is the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45), when we operate in Him, we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). And we can do all things through Him – Christ Jesus; who is the one who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). With this reasoning, any disability in this life can be a roadmap to personal greatness, and choosing Christ is the only means to bring a set of perceived limitations into alignment as unique abilities, for it is only He who can turn a deficit into an opportunity. He says that He makes all things work together for the good (Romans 8:28), and His promises are always true! So, it takes time and understanding to see something typically described as a limitation as a gift. But importantly it takes Jesus as the gateway to do something good, and only if we cast all our cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7), He can then make something useful out of it. Without Him, we are merely broken poetry, as King David once lamented (Psalm 31:12).
But wait, there is more. God gives other goodies when we cast all our cares on Him, including our disabilities, He restores. That is right, He actively gives back the “years that locusts have eaten” (Joel 2:25). Or, in other words, anything that did not work out for us, He will redeem and return it to us better than they were. This includes any sad memory of any shortcoming: it will be dusted off, restored, brought back to us, and made as good as new!
The Strength and Positive Psychology
I spent a lot of time upset with myself and seeing myself as a victim, but research indicates there are positive qualities in ADHD that I was overlooking. Beyond being made in the image of God, these qualities include divergent thinking—the ability to come up with seemingly unlimited ideas—as well as excessive energy and hyperfocus (Sedgwick, 7, & Asherson, 2019).
The framing of these symptoms as a “disorder” sets them in a negative light and impacts your identity if it is not deeply rooted in Christ. Curiously enough, secular treatments have come to similar conclusions as Christian treatment using positive psychology. This proactive approach leads to a decrease in depression and anxiety and reduces symptoms in patients (Schippers, et al., 2022). Norman Vincent Peale advocated for this years ago, and his treatment plan was simple and exclusively called for the memorization of scripture. Peale believed in the importance of repeating a verse over and over again like, “I can do all things in Christ Jesus” until you stand up straighter and feel better about yourself. There is no other supplemental medication needed, no Ritalin or other treatment; just your Bible and repeating a good verse over and over. Positive psychology works every time, praise Jesus, and scripture can heal because God’s word never comes back void (Isaiah 55:11).
Conclusion: The Spies and the Giants
Wendy Backlund, author of Victorious Emotions, says that “in order to break the cycle of negative thoughts, we must, first understand the difference between facts and conclusions. In Numbers 13, the fact was that giants were in habiting the Promised Land. All twelve spies agreed on this fact and yet came up with two completely different conclusions about the giants. Ten spies said the giants were really big, and it would be impossible to defeat them. The other two spies, Joshua and Caleb, agreed the giants were big but said they could easily defeat the giants because the giants were in their bread. One conclusion based on the unrenewed human perspective. The other conclusion was based on the promises of God and His ability to supernaturally perform what was promised.” (Backlund, 2017, p. 30). In her book, Backlund emphasizes that when we truly grasp how profoundly God loves us, we can rely on His promises to override the negative opinions of others – like in this example.
For anyone with ADHD, the “giants” are the scarred memories of our lives: the struggles with conformity, the memories of “zombification” on medication, and the social stigma of being labeled with a disorder. Since we live in a secular world, these memories of the hardships we once faced can have some lasting impact on our lives unless we allow God to intervene on our behalf. Others may see a “broken vessel” that needs to be suppressed or hidden but YWHY sees a complete and competent person – no matter the label slapped on you!
Only with Christ can we realize that the “giants” in our life are actually “our bread.” Hardships in life can be the very thing that nourishes our growth and showcases God’s power. My “divergent thinking” is not a symptom to be medicated, but the “fountain of thoughts” that allows me to see the world with so much variation in imagination. By rooting myself in both Scripture and the personal revelations God provides, I can conclude that even a brain wired to find rejection, can be “unwired” through the renewing of the mind (Romans 12:2).
References:
Backlund, W. (2017). Victorious emotions. Igniting Hope Ministries.
Schippers, L. M., Horstman, L. I., Velde, H. V. D., Pereira, R. R., Zinkstok, J., Mostert, J. C., … & Hoogman, M. (2022). A qualitative and quantitative study of self-reported positive characteristics of individuals with ADHD. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 922788.
Sedgwick, J. A., Merwood, A., & Asherson, P. (2019). The positive aspects of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A qualitative investigation of successful adults with ADHD. ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders, 11(3), 241–253. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-018-0277-6