Britney Has ADHD
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Britney Spears has ADHD (picture from Wikipedia.org)
It has just been reported that Britney Spears has ADHD. The Grammy winning pop star, who holds Guinness World Records, and has her own Star on the Walk of Fame has now shared that she has ADHD.
Britney has taken on the role of a judge on the singing reality show "The X Factor", and she is now currently filming for the show. During the filming of auditions, Britney reportedly needed to take breaks, and the explanation was that she has ADHD, and that she had to take breaks during the long filming sessions.
The reports also go on to explain that Britney was diagnosed with ADHD when she was young, and used to take medication for it. Her doctors apparently have now forbidden her from taking ADHD medication for reasons related to other mental health concerns. Here is a link to one of the news reports about this story.
Now that Britney has come forward and shared her diagnosis of ADHD, she joins other celebrities like: Howie Mandel, Ty Pennington, Adam Levine, Michael Phelps, Karina Smirnoff and many others.
I personally view this as a brave and helpful admission. Millions of kids and teens get diagnosed with ADHD, and they feel that they are disordered, and they wonder if they will have a positive future because of their "Disorder". Having celebrities come forward to share their diagnosis helps kids to realize that they can be successful even though they have ADHD.
While I view Britney's disclosure as a positive, I have come across some comments on social media sites (which I don't want to support with a link right now…) who say that Britney is "blaming" her behavior on ADHD, and how awful is that. They are suggesting that she is acting like a diva, and using ADHD as an excuse.
Before responding to this, I'd like to share that I have no direct knowledge on Britney's diagnosis or medical care – I only know what I've read online. And saying that – here's my response: Britney apparently disclosed to her employer (Simon Cowell) before signing on for the show that she has ADHD, cannot take medication for it, and needs to take breaks at times because of it. Simon apparently agreed to this before hiring Britney. Britney can't take medication for ADHD, and instead she is using strategies to help herself to function well. And let's remember – although an 'audition show' makes it seem like 1 hour for each city (i.e. the LA auditions only seem to take 1 hour), in fact, they are filming for very long days… (and of course there is much more involved – make up, lighting, direction, breaks, etc.) They just edit it to seem short for us – the viewers.
In my understanding of the situation, Britney is acknowledging her challenges, putting strategies and supports in place, and working to function in the best way that she can. I think that is a great model for others to learn from and to emulate. I would not try to tear her down for being a diva and blaming it on ADHD.
The reality is that ADHD medication is helpful for Adult ADHD, and it is not the whole solution. There is some research that shows that most of the time, ADHD medications do not fully treat the symptoms of adult ADHD. So, it is very important to use strategies and to develop skills to improve functioning with ADHD. This is even more important if someone is unable to take medication.
Why can't Britney take medication for ADHD?
There aren't any reports that I've read which explain this in more detail. One news report said that she can't take medication for ADHD because of mental health issues. While I don't know what these are for Britney, it is possible that she has had one of these challenges: intolerable side effects from ADHD medication; mood instability from ADHD medications (i.e. depression or induction of hypomania or mania), sleep disruption, significant decreased appetite, etc. In other words, I'm guessing. I'm sure she has expert and capable doctors.
The take away I encourage you to get from this is: Britney is a talented star, who has ADHD, is using strategies to manage it because she can't take medication (on doctor's orders). That's a great example for all of us.
What impact do you think this admission will have for you, or your kids with ADHD, or the people you work with (if you're a professional working with people with ADHD)?
Please share your thoughts or comments below.
Best,
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