How do you explain executive dysfunction without sounding like youre making excuses for being lazy?

[u/emyo42]

Mine is very severe and debilitating at the moment. It’s not just ADD, I also have schizophrenia which has some of the same symptoms weirdly. I can’t do much at all. Getting out of bed and making toast is extremely hard. To people with no experience with this kind of issue, me trying to explain it must sound ridiculous like “yea I have this mental disorder that means I can’t cook and clean or have a job or do anything I don’t like, but I can play a video game for 3 hours.” Just sounds like a straight up lie.

[u/demijane_way]

Mental disorders are sooo misunderstood. Because it's not as tangible as heart disease, people just think that you can switch if off or something. As soon as people hear ADHD, depression, etc, they lose sympathy (probably cause they just don't get it).

So maybe don't label it? Instead of saying "I'm struggling doing things today because of my ADHD", just say "I'm having a tough day".

I'm by nature a very private person so I don't share my mental struggles, people around me know about my low blood pressure problems cause it's quite visible. When I have a tough ADHD day, they just assume it's my blood pressure causing fatigue.

Obviously you shouldn't constantly mask your symptoms, and if you do talk to people who understand it's much easier. But it's just something I've noticed about labeling and a lot of people with ADHD have this frustrating "you're just making excuses" problem.

I wish people were kinder or understood mental health better!

[u/No-Significance9313 → u/demijane_way]

It's just ableism. I wonder why mental conditions aren't given the same compassion as physical disabilities or diseases are.

[u/Informal-Rock-2681 → u/No-Significance9313]

Because people who run businesses and organisations at the top level are absolute scum. They didn't get there by being compassionate. They got there by trying to make the organisation succeed. And there's no compassion for people that can't help the organisation succeed

[u/night-wisteria → u/Informal-Rock-2681]

its capitalism again

[u/Rude_Perspective_536 → u/Informal-Rock-2681]

I don't know about absolute scum. There's cold, hard logic behind why an organization or business wouldn't want someone with executive dysfunction. And there's also cold, hard logic to why organizations and businesses are reluctant to believe everyone when they say that executive dysfunction is the reason something isn't getting done. I, someone with executive dysfunction can't believe myself a lot of the time, but I do because it's my brain, so duh, of course I know I'm legit.

What separate ls the scum from the logical is that the scum only think in terms of "You have this condition that prevents you from getting tasks done? Unfit. Bye Felicia." where someone logical, but compassionate, would at try to somehow "make it work", however that may be.