Natalie Imbruglia recently revealed she has been diagnosed with ADHD and OCD, calling her neurodiversity a 'superpower.' But for many, that label feels like toxic positivity that masks the real challenges.
Why the 'Superpower' Narrative Fails
Eleanor Noyce, a journalist diagnosed with combined ADHD at age 23, argues that framing ADHD as a superpower is misleading. 'Looking at ADHD like some kind of Marvel origin story is toxic positivity at its finest,' she writes. 'It tries to force us to see the good while ignoring the difficulties.'
Noyce describes her own struggles: chronic lateness, clumsiness, procrastination, and mental health issues. 'When I'm crying on my bedroom floor because my room's a mess, I've forgotten to pay a bill, or my mind has been racing so much that sleep has been replaced by insomnia, these positives don't come to me.'
The Reality of ADHD in the UK
ADHD affects an estimated 3 million Brits. A 2023 UCL study found a twenty-fold increase in diagnoses between 2000 and 2018, with prescriptions to men aged 18-29 rising almost fifty-fold. However, the ADHD Foundation estimates 50-70% of the 1 million UK women with ADHD remain undiagnosed due to medical misogyny.
Despite increased awareness, stigma persists. In 2023, the BBC sent a reporter to private ADHD clinics to see if he could obtain a diagnosis without having the condition. Afterwards, charity ADHD UK polled 2,203 people with ADHD: 90% believed stigma increased after the broadcast, and 88% felt the representation was unfair.
A Call for Understanding, Not Glorification
'Calling ADHD a superpower might sound positive, but it glosses over the reality that living with it can be genuinely debilitating,' Noyce says. 'It suggests we can turn our struggles into assets if we just try hard enough.'
She acknowledges the positives: creativity, passion, quick thinking in crises. But she insists the condition is not a one-size-fits-all experience. 'ADHD doesn't need a motivational spin or a cape; it just needs understanding.'
Noyce concludes: 'I wouldn't change my diagnosis for the world; understanding who I am and how my brain works has forever changed my life. But to suggest that it's not a completely disabling condition that so many continue to misjudge is, for me, a complete falsehood. Society owes us more than that.'
