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Developmental disorders and capitalism

I had to say this as it deserves a discussion, separate from the main discussion it branched off of. Many people feel the need to dismiss the illnesses altogether because of their relation to unrealistic demands in a workplace or school. Part of the capitalist spin on ADHD is that it is ONLY ABOUT WORK AND SCHOOL PRODUCTIVITY. It is not. It is about forgetting your priorities, resetting your life goals every night, not being able to focus and have a coherent strain of thought even about non-work things, hypersensitivities and troubled relationships, bad decisions done even in a good environment. So please, do not diminish that aspect, because that is exactly what capitalist systems want you to do – attribute those “soft failings” to individual responsibility and not treat them because they are not profitable to treat, just good for people's quality of life. Many aspects that make ADHD…


I had to say this as it deserves a discussion, separate from the main discussion it branched off of.

Many people feel the need to dismiss the illnesses altogether because of their relation to unrealistic demands in a workplace or school.

Part of the capitalist spin on ADHD is that it is ONLY ABOUT WORK AND SCHOOL PRODUCTIVITY.

It is not. It is about forgetting your priorities, resetting your life goals every night, not being able to focus and have a coherent strain of thought even about non-work things, hypersensitivities and troubled relationships, bad decisions done even in a good environment.

So please, do not diminish that aspect, because that is exactly what capitalist systems want you to do – attribute those “soft failings” to individual responsibility and not treat them because they are not profitable to treat, just good for people's quality of life.

Many aspects that make ADHD people more vulnerable are direct profit – the impulsive purchases, dissatisfaction and proneness to depressive and anxious tendencies, never being on time.

Not to mention the teenage pregnancies and risk taking behavior. What is happening in the US right now, as a side note, is happening in no small percentage to youth of vulnerable backgrounds. Women with ADHD are even more likely to be abused, and girls even more likely to end up with an unwanted pregnancy before adulthood.

Every extra accommodation you need is something added to the bill, and your desperation and lack of attention-regulation is used against you.

It is not a coincidence that only a certain subset of society can reliably afford the medication. Do not forget that.

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