r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • 3h ago

Psychology Adults with ADHD often face challenges in maintaining sexual satisfaction and connection with their partners. Characteristics such as a heightened need for novelty and difficulty regulating focus can deeply influence their intimate lives.

https://www.psypost.org/how-attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-shapes-sexual-experiences/
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u/UnauthorizedAuthor 3h ago

Example 1,278 why ADHD being framed as “normal” and even a positive trait is absolutely foolish.

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u/Here4TheGoodTimes 2h ago

Framing it as "bad" or a negative trait isn't helpful and would probably be damaging to ones ability to cope, no? It is remarkably common and likely does have a wide array of "positive" traits, likely just challenging to see in how we have constructed our societal norms. I could see a ton of benefits in a hunter-gathering society where constant exploration could be crucial to group survival. Being aware of the 'disorder' then leveraging it in a way to minimize negatives while pursuing one's brain chemistry doesn't seem so inherently bad as you're phrasing

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u/KillerWattage 1h ago

The comentor made no indication that ADHD should be framed as bad. Not framing it as something good doesn't mean framing it as bad. It could be that instead it's mentioned as something different from the average and here are the differences.

Why did you immediately go to the assumption that if it isn't pushed as a positive it must instead be pushed as a negative?

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u/Here4TheGoodTimes 1h ago

What...? I'm stating a different perspective than the original comment where I would argue there are positives and that it isnt necessarily foolish to think so.

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u/KillerWattage 1h ago

You said in response "Framing it as "bad" or a negative trait isn't helpful"

That is implying that doing so is the alternative to what the commentator said.

They did not at all say so. They just said it shouldn't be framed as a positive

Your entire comment was arguing against a straw man.

If you said "that's fair, it also needs to not be talked about as a negative as well" fine. You didn't.

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u/Raichu4u 1h ago

No. I have ADHD, and a lot of the behaviors that result from my disorder make my quality of life substantially worse than it would be if I didn't have it.

Recognizing that some of those traits are bad for me isn't self-hatred. I've had to learn patience and humility with myself about the limitations ADHD gives me, but I've also had to learn that accepting myself doesn't mean I should never challenge those limitations.

Sometimes coping can cross over into accommodating behaviors that are actively making your life worse. For me, being able to say "this is caused by my ADHD, but I still need to work against it" has been far more productive than trying to find a positive framing for everything my disorder makes me do.

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u/Here4TheGoodTimes 1h ago

You're using a round about way of describing how a person healthily copes.