The stigma around mental health leads to people with ADHD to camouflage their symptoms to avoid ostracization.
With humans, it is a direct reaction of us to ignore any signs of cognitive issues and label it as a behavioural change problem. When someone is sleeping a lot, people immediately label them to be lazy or lethargic; however, there is a chance that they might be suffering from narcolepsy.
A clear cut example of this was seen in the film Taare Zameen Par, where the person suffering from dyslexia is shunned and labelled as a lazy student. If such learning disabilities are not diagnosed it leaves a person with underconfidence and social ostracization.
ADHD is a neurological disorder that causes attention deficiency in kids and adults. Often, people with ADHD are labelled as restless or unfocused individuals.
The treatment and stigma faced by children with ADHD are harsher, especially in a country like India.
Teachers lack the basic sensitivity and awareness to identify students with ADHD. Often due to public shaming, students start to camouflage their ADHD symptoms and behave like others who do not have ADHD.
So what is ADHD masking?
ADHD masking is a term coined by the psychologist, Russell Barkley. He called it as impression management where people with ADHD hid their symptoms to mix well with others instead of being shamed or stigmatized.
Well, impression management is just not limited to ADHD. With any mental health issue, people try to suppress it and strive to assimilate.
This is a coping mechanism for most people with neurological disorders. More than young adults, children are the first ones to camouflage their symptoms as they fear being ridiculed or being termed as a freak. The pressure to be normal conditions them even further to replicate the behaviour of their non-ADHD peers.
Symptoms of ADHD masking
Kids with ADHD find it more difficult to mask their ADHD symptoms than adults. This is because of their hyperactivity. Their hyperactive behaviour is considered to be socially unacceptable. You might hear these words such as ‘ Sit still’ and “stop fidgeting’ as a kid.
Slowly other kids start to call their peers with ADHD weird and avoid contact with them Only a few kids are okay with being a lone wolf, while others become susceptible to bullying. Hence, for kids, ADHD masking becomes a response to trauma.
Children or adults trying to mask their ADHD symptoms often script their conversations and avoid talking about their personal interests. They are immensely cautious of their facial expressions and tone of voice when they are present at a large gathering
Effects of ADHD Masking?
ADHD masking can leave the person exhausted as they have to suppress their natural behaviour. It is tedious to pretend and constantly modify your expressions according to the others idea of socially acceptable behaviour.
When it comes to ADHD masking, a lot of time is spent on scripting every social conversation.
People with ADHD have a narrower energy pool, it is even more difficult for them to execute tasks. With ADHD masking, they have to constantly put in the work.
The effects of ADHD masking also delays the diagnosis of the disorder. It also leads to anxiety and stress as the person is constantly afraid of being socially ostracized. It may even cause identity crises as the person may be confused about what is their reality.
Adults masking ADHD may often resort to substance and drug abuse in the longer run.
Coping up with ADHD masking
People with ADHD masking have to be given a safe environment to unmask themselves. The unmasking process is gradual and slow as the person has to be unconditioned for years ‘being on their best behaviour.’
People mask their ADHD conditions as a defence mechanism as they feel unsafe to show their emotions.
To unmask, family members and friends need to assure the person that in front of their close ones they can be themselves and face no judgments. Such safe spaces will help them to accept themselves and go for the needed therapy from a professional.
Also, tell us your opinions about what you think about creating safe space for people to unmask their ADHD symptoms. For more such content, join the Fuzia community today or simply Download our App.