ADHD? It’s not your fault, it’s Capitalism.
Living with ADHD in America means navigating not just the challenges of executive functioning, but also the weight of a culture that prizes self-sufficiency and relentless productivity. Under capitalism, worth is measured by output: how much you can produce, how efficiently you can work, how well you can organize yourself to meet deadlines. Pair this with America’s deeply individualistic values; where success is seen as a direct reflection of personal discipline and failure is blamed on laziness. These combine for the perfect storm for shame in people with ADHD.
Executive functioning difficulties are at the core of ADHD. Tasks like planning, prioritizing, organizing, or transitioning between activities require immense effort for ADHD brains. Yet our society assumes these skills should be second nature. A “good worker” is expected to juggle multiple responsibilities, manage time perfectly, and push through fatigue or distraction without missing a beat. When someone with ADHD struggles to return an email, pay a bill on time, or keep their home tidy, they aren’t just seen as disorganized, they’re seen as irresponsible or lazy. These judgments reinforce the toxic message that their struggles are personal failures, rather than predictable outcomes of a condition that affects brain function.
Capitalism amplifies this shame because it ties survival to performance. If you miss deadlines, forget assignments, or struggle to maintain consistency, your job and livelihood may be on the line. There’s little room for error, and even less space for neurodivergent minds to thrive in systems designed around rigid schedules and endless productivity. Instead of asking, “How can we support different brains?” the system demands conformity to narrow standards of efficiency. People with ADHD internalize this pressure, often telling themselves they “should just try harder” or “stop being lazy.” This self-blame, born from systemic failure, becomes shame.
America’s individualistic ethos adds another layer. Here, needing help is often stigmatized. Independence is glorified, while leaning on community or accommodations is viewed as weakness. For someone with ADHD, asking for extensions, using reminders, or needing workplace adjustments can feel like admitting they are “less than” others. This mindset ignores the reality that humans, by nature, are dependent on one another! It also denies the fact that people with ADHD often thrive when they have support and systems built with flexibility in mind.
The truth is, ADHD is not a personal defect. The struggles are not because you are broken, but because you are living in a system that was never built with you in mind. Recognizing this shift is powerful: your challenges with executive functioning are not moral failings, but signs that the environment lacks adequate scaffolding.
So what can people with ADHD do to push back against this shame? Start by reframing your narrative. Instead of “I’m lazy” or “I’m bad at adulting,” try: “This task is hard because the world expects constant executive functioning without support.” Acknowledge that needing accommodations is not weakness, it’s a strength to know what you need! Seek out communities where relying on one another is celebrated and where neurodivergence is valued.
Ultimately, the shame people with ADHD feel does not belong to them. It belongs to a culture that confuses productivity with worth, and independence with strength. The more we name that truth, the more space we create for compassion…for ourselves, and for a society that must learn to honor all kinds of minds.
