I grew up in a fundamentalist religion, where certain mental health conditions were considered a sin or a punishment from God.
Schizophrenia and epilepsy were considered demonic possession, arthritis was bitterness, depression was selfishness, and ADHD was just a general lack of discipline.
I have ADHD and I know what it’s like not to seek help due to harmful attitudes in the community (an exorcism was more common than going to a therapist).
So I am devastated to think that my original, and admittedly haphazard, comments regarding the condition may have stopped people from seeking help.
I grew up in a fundamentalist religion, where certain mental and other health conditions were considered a sin or a punishment from God, writes Megan Marx.
While I don’t believe Abbie Chatfield ‘attacked’ me for personal reasons, I also don’t believe her campaign against me is all about harm reduction.
Abbie’s about me content has proven to be more of an act of entertainment and self-promotion than any veneer of camaraderie within the ADHD space.
A good example of this would be Abbie stating that weight loss as a side effect of ADHD medication is something that should not be discussed as it could lead people with eating disorders to seek a bogus “treatment”.
His point could have had merit, however he proclaimed this to his nearly half a million followers, providing a platform for the very idea that he found too damaging to examine.
The fact is that Abbie Chatfield is a stranger. And outsiders can’t have the singular moral authority to make an objective statement about my character based on a few Instagram stories.
Pursuing a muddy libel case and personally organizing an exile from a community of which I am a part, disregarding my experience with substance abuse, withdrawal, neurodivergence, and most importantly, diagnosis and medication of ADHD is not just utter insanity, but utter hypocrisy.
The fact is that Abbie Chatfield is a stranger. And outsiders can’t have the singular moral authority to make an objective statement about my character based on a few Instagram stories, says Megan Marx.
“I am happy to be responsible not only within a social media space, but also in my everyday life with family and friends”
If harm reduction is the goal of ‘calling someone’, then I need an ethical explanation regarding your dubious methods.
I’m not saying I don’t believe in restorative justice, just because. My original comments regarding my views on ADHD among influencers were too casual, inflammatory, and provided no context.
I am happy to explain more and be responsible not only within a social media space, but also in my everyday life with family and friends.
But how is this ‘justice’ being achieved? And at what cost?
People frequently ask me, upon learning of my diagnosis, to “borrow” my medications for weight loss, a night out, or performance enhancement, says Megan Marx.
I don’t have the media privilege, the wealth privilege, or the fan privilege that Abbie Chatfield has. I’m privileged in many ways, but I live a quiet life in a small town on the Sunshine Coast, use a boombox for audio in my shitty car, and for the most part sell commissioned nude paintings for a living.
I don’t have the ‘power’ of the media that could protect me from the wrath of almost half a million followers.
People frequently ask me to “borrow” my ADHD meds for weight loss, a night out, or performance enhancement.
On the last show I was on, The Challenge, two contestants asked me to use my Ritalin for the elimination challenges, and another contestant told me that they used to sell their meds to partygoers.
I’m sick of the continual claims that substance abuse inside and outside of actual ADHD diagnoses doesn’t exist, and worse, the dialogue that refuses to acknowledge the dark side of prescribing amphetamines.
ADHD is often referred to on TikTok as something fun and quirky, a cool group to be a part of, and this has been incredibly demeaning and frustrating not only for me, but also for my inbox full of frustrated ADHD influencers. including, gasp!), too scared to speak for fear of breaking the ‘rules’ of social justice.
While I understand that many influential people are doing great work within this space, and I understand the benefits of building community and taking lightly of a condition that can be extremely debilitating, I also believe that we live in a world where the medical system fails constantly. U.S.
We should take both social media-based self-diagnosis and prescription drugs as treatment more seriously.
I’m a huge fan of the diversity of thought and experience within any community group, and I won’t bow down to ‘you’ve done this that’s outside of my expertise, so I have the right to humiliate you and take everything away from you’. dialogue from people like Abbie Chatfield, or from any ‘social justice’ person or brand for that matter.
“We should take both self-diagnosis based on social networks and prescription drugs as treatment more seriously”