Patients responded well in times of ‘high environment demand’ because sense of urgency led to hyperfocus
A recent study has revealed that some people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) cope best during periods of high stress.
Maggie Sibley, a clinical psychologist and psychiatry professor at the University of Washington and the study’s lead author, initially set out to learn whether it is possible for adults to recover from ADHD. In an earlier study, published in 2022, she investigated a National Institute of Mental Health data set that tracked 600 patients with ADHD over 16 years, starting from childhood.
“What we found was this pattern of fluctuating ADHD, and most of the people that were getting better, they would then get back to ADHD again,” she said.
Better implies something is wrong, as well, rather than being a different baseline. If some 15-20% are diagnosed, it is obviously one of the normal baselines as well. Albeit not one which corresponds very well with many of the demands of today’s demands at work.
Yes strongly agree. I realize there are extremes that are very unpleasant, but I also tend to think that the way things are organized at the work/society level is not intrinsically the best or the most efficient or whatever. Like, it’s a compromise that selects for certain kinds of outcomes, and those things may not be necessarily good or important.
Or just to put it simply: I generally like how I am, and I don’t really see what’s so great about fitting into dominant work/office culture. The fact that I’m not a good little office drone isn’t a downside to me…