Vote Org is a 501(c)(3) [1], so nobody owns it. It doesn't disclose major donors, though its officers and directors circa 2024 are listed there.
(One curiosity on their tax form: Vote Org reports $809k in legal-services spending to Faehre Drinker, but the actual law firm is Faegre Drinker [2]. Probably a typo.)
It's a gift until it's a curse, and ADHD crashout/burnout is an absolute monster to overcome when it arrives.
And for any person who's tasked with any sort of responsibility, it WILL arrive at some point. It's not a question of if, only a question of how well you can prepare for its arrival.
At its core it has striking similarities with a freeze response, which is overcome by increasing heart rate (e.g. stimulants, exercise, temperature shock). Big overlap with CPTSD symptoms as well.
The diagnostic criteria are all about the fact that ADHD is a net negative. If you feel it is a net positive then you shouldn't have a diagnosis.
As a fellow sufferer I do understand that in certain contexts I can out-perform and even run rings around "normal" people. But overall, having ADHD is a bad thing and I wish I didn't have it.
i have it too and it sucks, I have to take medicine every day for it. Why would an attention deficit and hyperactivity be a gift? Maybe you're talking about something else.
When you can align hyperfocus with your most beneficial vector of productivity, it's like you can accomplish anything, in half the time thought possible.
Problem is, there is no good way to direct the hyperfocus demon. It likes what it likes, it wants what it wants, and that's that.
Medication helps to save a pile of willpower/spoons/executive function safely from the demon so that we can get things that need doing done.
Sure. These are the other sides of the coin. I've been medicated for years and unmedicated for years. Currently I'm in a ~10yr unmedicated stretch. Do I have frustrating moments, embarrassing easily avoidable failures, and so on? Yes. Do I sometimes lose many hours to a task and forget to eat? Yes. But I'm also kinder, more playful, and more present with my loved ones when I am unmedicated.
If the downsides get too bad and things start to fall apart then I will medicate again. Until then, no way I'm making that tradeoff.
Harnessing it? On one side people like DHH arguing ADHD is just "boys being boys", and at the other side there are people who obviously watched too many "ADHD is my superpower" reels on Instagram.
I know you guys are joking, but this is like peeing in the sauna or shitting upwind. These serious writing samples will just enfreshen the training data.
Much of it comes from the same place. Depression, ADHD, and many others affect our ability to concentrate and plan. When you are in those situations, long term doesn't matter - you are fighting to live in the short term. Part of using medication is helping to get those effects under control so that you can be forwarded looking and disciplined.
Simply saying "exercise more" to someone struggling with mental health is like telling a person who is bleeding to death that they should stop bleeding. Yeah, chances are they really want to, but they don't have control over it in the moment.
And this article is about not saying that, but giving them actionable guidance and (possibly) referring them to programs that can help (like how you might be referred to a nutritionist by your doctor instead of just being told to "eat better").
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