ADHD Leads to Frequent Failure in Life
Can a Person Who Has ADHD be Successful?
Failure is no stranger to anyone who has ADHD. How often are students with ADHD voted “Most Likely to Succeed?” Probably not very often, if statistics about them hold true. Russell A. Barkley, Ph. D., in his book, Taking Charge of ADHD, gives some statistics on students who have ADHD:
- 65% have problems with authority and show defiance and open hostility.
- Up to 50% are retained in at least one grade in school.
- 45% are suspended at least one time.
- 35% drop out of high school.
- 25% to 40% have serious learning disabilities.
- 25% are expelled from school.
- 21% skip school on a regular basis.
Students with ADHD struggle with remaining on task, learning to focus, functioning in a structured environment and developing and maintaining relationships. Many young people who have ADHD commit antisocial and illegal acts. Substance abuse is most common, with more than 40% using tobacco and alcohol before they have reached the legal age limit. Stealing is a practice among 30% and more than 20% have set serious fires. These figures portend failure in the school career of a student with ADHD.
Becoming an Adult Doesn’t Mean the End of These Types of Struggles.
Adults who have ADHD struggle with many of the same areas they struggled with as children. Further, a large percentage of adults with ADHD move from job to job, sometimes jumping from industry to industry. This may stem from boredom, interpersonal problems at work, or a desire to find the right fit. They are more likely to be unemployed or under-employed relative to their intelligence and education, and they tend to go through a higher number of breakups in friendships and romantic relationships, including marriages.
People who have ADHD struggle with the demands of life, especially those aspects involving executive function and social skills. According to Barkley in Taking Charge of ADHD, those who have ADHD are commonly perceived as “failures in all areas of life.” Does this mean that people who have ADHD actually are failures, or that there is no hope for them? Certainly not, according to Dr. Barkley, Thom Hartmann and other experts.
Different Perspective Highlights Examples of Success With ADHD
Thom Hartmann posits that ADHD is not a disorder or medical condition at all, but rather a genetic difference that has been essential to the survival of the human race, and illustrates stories of some highly successful people in his book, ADD: A Different Perception. Many wealthy entrepreneurs and CEOs of powerful corporations are people with ADHD, and many say they became successful because of, not in spite of, their unique constitution.
People who have ADHD face challenges that other people don’t face, but that does not mean that they are doomed to failure, or that they should develop a poor view of themselves. Having ADHD lends abilities that others do not have, and as Thom Hartmann’s writing shows, those who take advantage of those abilities can become extremely successful people. Is there hope? According to experts, absolutely.
ADHD student graduating kindergarten
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