'Sorry Paris Hilton – but I don't agree that ADHD is a "superpower"'
Paris Hilton just dropped her new track, ADHD, which – while undeniably catchy – is a tad problematic. When you scratch beneath the surface, her repeated references to the condition being a ‘superpower’ risks doing more harm than good – or at least that’s how it seems to me, a woman who also has ADHD and who has hugely struggled with it. While Paris’ messaging might sound inspiring on paper, and of course she has just as much right as anyone else with ADHD to air her feelings about the condition, for many others it’s far from something we view as a hidden strength.
I understand that some people probably do choose to frame ADHD as their superpower, preferring to take a positive spin on it. Everyone’s experience is different, but I – along with many others – accept that it is a disability, and it should be treated as such. When it comes to someone as famous as Paris, whose words will have such an impact and will likely receive attention across the media landscape – including from those who’d love any opportunity to strengthen the false narrative that ADHD is a quirky ‘non-condition’, or a social media ‘trend’ – I can’t help but feel she should know better than to use this framing of ADHD to market a musical comeback.
My biggest worry about Paris’ new track, which features the lyrics “I was so down, never thought I’d be free. My superpower was right inside, see? It was ADHD”? It might reinforce the untrue (and unhelpful) sentiment that ADHD isn’t a ‘real disability’, and makes light of something that can hugely impact a person’s day-to-day life.
Sure, ADHD can have some upsides from time to time: creativity, hyper-focusing on things we love, and an ability to think outside the box. But it’s also important to note that for the majority of people – who, unlike Paris, can’t afford access to the best support to help tackle the ups and downs – these ‘perks’ go hand-in-hand with many, many more challenges. There’s the executive dysfunction, impulsivity, poor memory and concentration issues, along with emotional dysregulation… the list goes on. I’m sure Paris has experienced these too, but they’re not mentioned anywhere in the song.
If we really want to talk about the downsides of ADHD, research even shows that adults with the condition are 5 times more likely to attempt suicide and that 1 in 4 women who have ADHD have made an attempt to end their life. That doesn’t sound like a superpower to me; it sounds like we need to be taking ADHD a lot more seriously.
For Paris, with her access to top-notch resources, it’s also likely a lot easier to view things through a shiny “superpower” filter. She’s never needed to work a ‘normal’ job, where masking your traits and struggling to do the ‘easiest’ of tasks is a struggle. For me, as a social media manager, having to sit down and write a report, crunching numbers can take a whole day, while it might take others half an hour. Heck, even turning up to the office on time can be an ordeal. Time blindness is understandably annoying for those on the receiving end, but imagine being constantly stressed because you’ve miscalculated your commute… again. There are also some very real financial implications and fears surrounding losing a job due to ADHD too. I mean, sure, we all saw Paris getting fired a bunch of times while on the Simple Life, but that resulted in zero real-life consequences.
For so many people out there with ADHD, even taking the first step towards getting a diagnosis can feel like scaling Everest – according to the BBC, some wait lists in the UK are stretching as long as eight years. And with NHS backlogs like that, paired with national shortages of medication, little to no resources for therapy and coaching, and a generally terrible understanding of how to accommodate neurodiverse colleagues at work, countless people can’t get the help they need when they need it. So when a song refers to ADHD as a ‘superpower’, sorry Paris – but I can’t help but feel it’s out of touch.
Instead of framing it as a superpower, I wish Paris had shared some of the deeper struggles that come with ADHD, beyond surface-level lyrics like “My mind is always runnin’, sometimes I feel like cryin’”. I can relate to that, but so will many neurotypical listeners – that’s a part of life. It feels like a missed opportunity to highlight the importance of understanding and support, that those of us with ADHD so badly need, instead of just pushing a catchy tagline.
Learn more about ADHD and Mared's journey through her documentary 'Moodswings, Meds and Mared'
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