I Reject the Killing of ADD
If you’ve read my previous blog posts, you may notice I switch back and forth between the terms ADD and ADHD. I have described myself as “having ADD” or “being ADD” since 1997, when I was first diagnosed by a neurologist and prescribed Paxil*.
For me, it feels weird and awkward and wrong to call it ADHD for a number of reasons, not least of which is just how clunky the acronym feel in my mouth. Try it when you’re alone and/or willing to sound awkward.
Say “ADD” out loud.
Now say “ADHD” out loud.

Now say “I have ADD/ADHD” in succession.
One is just a little clunkier and it’s all because of that rassin-frassin, daggin-zaggit H.
It just don’t belong there, in my mind.
But it’s not just about phonological differences (yes, I spent 20 minutes trying to find the right word (yes, that’s probably 15 minutes longer than most people take to find the right word on Google)). It just seems like it makes more sense to call it “Attention Deficit Disorder” with inattentive/combined/hyperactive presentations [AUTHOR’S NOTE: the only substantive edit I made to this section was to replace “inclinations” with “presentations”]. The fact that it’s called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder makes as much sense as calling it Attention Deficit Inattentive Disorder.
I say all of this knowing that there’s probably some well-thought-out reason that experts decided to go with ADHD. But having lived with the diagnosis of ADD for over half my life, I’m partial to it, even if if it’s just for sentimental reasons.
Okay, during the Intermission, I went on a slight Google tangent and found a fascinating article on the nosology (don’t worry, I Googled that too) of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

So, it turns out they killed ADD in 1987.
The term Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was introduced in DSM-III-R, with the controversial elimination of ADD without Hyperactivity.
And when they published the DSM-IV in 1994, it introduced the three “subtypes,” which are now called “presentations” with DSM-5 (2013).
So, now I feel befuddled, having spent the first half of this post defending how I’ve been ADD since 1997. I can practically feel you out there, reading this dramatic shift in subject and tone, thinking…

And, yes, I considered editing out the first half, since it demonstrates a tendency of mine to form passionate opinions with half as much evidence as necessary. But then it also demonstrates another tendency of mine, which is my insatiable thirst for right knowledge.
I began to question myself prior to Intermission when I described how people probably had a good reason for killing ADD. I began to wonder why, or even when, they changed it. In my experience, it seemed like it’s become a social norm in the last 4 or 5 years. Has it really taken since nearly 30 years for the general public to catch up to the American Psychiatric Association?
And if that’s the case, then why does it feel like this is a very recent change? Why does it seem like it’s only recently become important to not use the term “ADD”?
Maybe it’s just me (a thought I have a lot). Maybe I latched onto the term at diagnosis and just didn’t notice that I was the only one (feasible). Maybe the shift was more gradual and I just wasn’t paying attention (an ever-present possibility). Or maybe social media has fostered a discussion among actual knowledgable people that ADHD is the best diagnosis.
I’d just like to understand why it feels like I’m suddenly the odd man out and if I really need to feel bad for calling myself ADD.
I hope someone actually has an answer for this because I would love to understand better.
But fair warning: whatever it is? I’m against it.
*I can hear the puzzled looks on every psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor, medical professional, or person who has any experience with ADD medications. Whenever I’ve mentioned it, I get asked about the Paxil. It was an off-label use and I was told it helped with impulse control. I’ve taken it ever since.
