An Open Letter to Keirsey Website Visitors

Dear Keirsey Website Visitors:

Keirsey wrote about an "ADD Hoax". He said there was "no such 'mental disorder' to 'diagnose' and 'treat'." He went further to write misleading information about ADHD claiming that doctors are "intoxicating them with brain-disabling narcotics." Claiming that ADHD medication, using Ritalin in his example, "differs little in its destructive effects from cocaine or amphetamines", Keirsey created a misleading article about ADHD.

I have predominantly inattentive ADHD. I enjoy academic pursuits, strive for accuracy in my works, listen to my teachers, and mostly do not fit the "symptoms" Keirsey listed. By saying that people with ADHD are just Artisans, he downplayed the seriousness of a disorder whose existence has been backed my numerous studies and promote the "extreme sanguine" stereotype of ADHD. The extreme sanguine stereotype is one that prevented me from receiving a diagnosis in the first place because my temperament and giftedness masked the disorder.

The use of amphetamines in ADHD treatment has been studied more than the use of insulin for diabetes and albuterol sulfate as a rescue asthma treatment combined and stimulant medications do not "disable the brain". They compensate for the chemical imbalances present in people with ADHD by either increasing dopamine levels in the case of stimulants or affecting neurotransmitters in the case of non-stimulants. Personally, I, as of now, do not take any medication, but it greatly benefits the people who do.

Think of attention as distributing pie at a party. A neurotypical person would have enough pie for their priority guests to have larger slices, but enough left for all non-priorities to have their share and still have some left for themselves. However, someone with ADHD is someone who did not bake enough pie. This leads to 1) the guests receiving unsatisfying portions and then demanding more, 2) priority guests receiving satisfactory portions, but non-priority guests receiving none at all, or 3) every guest receiving a satisfactory portion, but the host having none. Depending on one's temperament, ADHD can manifest differently, even within the same subtype.

The "ADD Hoax" article suggests that Keirsey read misleading information about the disorder and proceeded to write about the "hoax" himself. By doing so, he perpetuated misleading information and stereotypes about ADHD, a disorder that plagues many to extents unseen by observers. The "symptoms" listed on the Keirsey website are heavily stereotype-based and are misleading. ADHD is not just an aversion to school, failure on teachers' or parents' parts, or a temperament pattern. It is a neurobiological disorder that can affect anyone regardless of their temperament or upbringing.

Keirsey's work helped me to understand more about the way I think and I admire most of his work greatly, yet, as with anyone, I do not take every word from his mouth as fact simply because he said so. As a Rational (_NT_), I value knowledge and discernment. Keirsey's "ADD Hoax" article is an example of misleading work. The information is archaic and blatantly erroneous; it serves as a reminder of the harmful ADHD stereotypes that continually vex the affected.

Yours Truly,
A Mastermind with ADHD