Michael Phelps - Taken by Theo/Flicker

A fellow blogger at Psychology Today wrote a post on Michael Phelps’ ADHD not being a true disorder, and stating that stimulant medication for ADHD is a “crutch”. Here is my response.

One of the greatest disservices to children and adults with mental health issues is marginalizing those who need medication. In Marilyn Wedge’s blog post “What We Can Learn From Michael Phelps About ADHD”, she writes,

Ritalin is a crutch

Feeling that the drug was a crutch, Phelps decided to learn to use his mind to focus and control himself in the class room

[sic].

Wedge also writes,

But even with his exceptional gifts, it is unlikely that Phelps could beat his ADHD diagnosis if it were truly a biologically-based disease or brain defect.

ADHD is a biological, neurological, and genetic disorder. Michael Phelps has not “beat” his ADHD diagnosis, as Wedge claims….

Continue at ADHD and Michael Phelps