It's Not Just Temperament: ADHD and the "Extreme Sanguine" (#INJTChallenge)

For those of you who don't know, October is ADHD awareness month. Thus, I find that it is fitting to dispel one of the most common myths surrounding the disorder. The image of stereotypical ADHD represents the sanguine temperament in many ways; however, I am not predominantly sanguine.

The "extreme sanguine" stereotype promotes false positives and false negatives. The sanguines, usually ESFPs, falsely test positive for ADHD if given faulty and misleading diagnostic criteria while melancholics, cholerics, supines, and phlegmatics who have the condition, but don't know it, fall through the cracks. ADHD is a neurobiological disorder that can affect anyone no matter what their temperament is; it is not "just temperament" as the naysayers say it is.

Many sanguines' experiences with ADHD are discounted because they are "just sanguine". A neurotypical sanguine would display inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity to greater extents than what is typical for a melancholic, choleric, phlegmatic, or supine; the "clinical line" when what looks like temperament characteristics indicate ADHD is ambiguous and blurry. Parents may deny that their child has ADHD because they say to themselves "My child can't have a disorder. It's over-diagnosed. They are just sanguine."

On the other hand, ADHD goes unnoticed in people of other temperaments, especially the melancholics and phlegmatics. The melancholic tends to hide their symptoms under their talents while the phlegmatics seem especially lazy and disinterested. A choleric would show more outright belligerence and have little regard for tasks that do not interest them; the supines would perform all tasks to the best of their abilities, but cry and retreat within themselves, wondering why they can't be good enough.

A defect in one's dopamine receptors and differences in neurological pathways are not temperament. They can mask someone's temperament and change the way their temperament manifests itself, but do not change temperament. To the untrained eye, I look like a sanguine when I am indeed a melancholic-choleric with ADHD.

Thus, I challenge you to write a post for ADHD awareness month regarding temperament classifications and ADHD and tag it with #INJTFroma/n(Your MBTI) and/or #INJTChallenge. Alternatively, you can reblog this image with the hashtag redone in AI or Photoshop. The font used for the hashtag is Myanmar MN size 36. The image is below and up for alteration.

Type the tag #INJTChallenge into your search engine to see who else is doing it. The first contributor will get to guest post on my blog.

How That Would Work:

• E-mail me (flutistpride@gmail.com) with the subject as the title of your post, the post text and corresponding images and tell me where you want the images placed. Include a short biography (1-4 sentences) and a link to your blog/other Internet content if you have any.
• I may or may not edit or pare down your submission for conciseness, grammatical correctness, or to censor profanities. I will never add onto your post.
• When I deem your submission edited sufficiently, I will run it by you.
• After we come to an agreement, I will post it and credit you with the first to complete the INJT challenge. 

(A/N: This post is deliberately brief and ill thought-out because I want you to outdo me.)

Participants and Promoters So Far:
Meredith.S
Sylvia Phillips