Member-only story
Interest, not Importance, Drives Trump, and others with ADHD
A failure to understand ADHD explains why so many are confused and dismayed by Mr. Trump’s apparent decisions.
This week, as new COVID-19 cases in the US reach the highest levels they have attained in the pandemic, Mr. Trump was conspicuously silent. Instead, he campaigned in Arizona and visited fragments of his border wall. He may well have political reasons to avoid highlighting the impact of the coronavirus on our country. However, numerous health officials and politicians who have contact with the president have reported that his attention has simply moved on to other topics. While our official diagnostic markers of ADHD focus on problems with inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity, some researchers and clinicians consider an interest-driven attentional system to be the hallmark of ADHD.
Most adults attend to what is important. They prioritize tasks that are essential to their jobs or home life. They focus on tasks that help them achieve their goals in life. They complete these tasks in a timely manner. In contrast, the attention of those with ADHD tends to hover over rafts of activities and projects, flitting from one to another until finding something truly captivating. At that point, the individual may become so absorbed in the…
