For decades, children who didn’t sit still, didn’t follow instructions, or didn’t fit the mold were given labels. Some were called “naughty.” Others were told they were “slow.” And many, like my client Ragner, were stamped with a diagnosis: ADHD.
But what did that really mean, especially 40 years ago?
Back then, ADHD wasn’t well understood. The term itself only entered psychiatric vocabulary in the 1980s, and even then, it was often misapplied. Teachers and doctors didn’t have trauma-informed lenses or nuanced assessments. A child who was energetic, curious, or emotionally reactive could be labeled as disordered, when in truth, they were simply different.
Ragner was one of those children. He was told he had ADHD. He was told he was difficult. But today, Ragner is a CEO at a major internal company. He’s a husband, a father, a man of integrity and vision. So I ask: Is that ADHD? Or is that resilience? Is that a nervous system that learned to adapt, to lead, to love?
🧩 Unpacking the Word “Stupid”
Let’s pause here. Because this isn’t just about ADHD, it’s about every label that’s ever been weaponized against someone’s spirit.
Have you ever been called “stupid”?
Let’s unpack that word.
- Where is the evidence?
- What metric defines intelligence?
- Who gets to decide what “smart” looks like?
“Stupid” is not a diagnosis. It’s a judgment. A lazy one. And it’s often used to silence those who think differently, feel deeply, or challenge the status quo.
Just like ADHD, “stupid” is a word that cheats people out of their full humanity. It reduces complexity to caricature. It ignores context, trauma, creativity, and neurodiversity.
ADHD Is Not a Life Sentence
ADHD is not a flaw. It’s a challenge, yes, but also a gift. It can mean heightened sensitivity, rapid ideation, emotional depth, and a unique way of seeing the world. But when misunderstood, it becomes a cage.
Older adults like Ragner have lived with this stigma for decades. Many were never given the tools to understand their minds. They were medicated, shamed, or dismissed. And yet, they built lives. They raised families. They led companies. They healed others.
So let this be a call to attention:
🗣️ You are not what someone once said you were.
You are not “too much.”
You are not “broken.”
You are not “stupid.”
You are a whole human being, shaped by experience, worthy of dignity, and capable of rewriting your story.
Reclaiming Identity, One Reflection at a Time
If you were labeled with ADHD, or any other diagnosis take a moment to ask:
- Does this label still serve me?
- What parts of it feel true?
- What parts were projections, misunderstandings, or trauma responses?
And if you’re a therapist, a parent, or a teacher: remember that every label carries weight. Use them with care. Better yet, look beyond them. Ragner did. And so can you.
By: Naazi Morad
