I Don't Have a Condition, I Have a Variation: ADHD and Evolution

Recently, I have been diving more and more into the topic of ADHD with ChatGPT, and the things that I discovered are extraordinary and beautiful! I am learning that my ADHD isn't a condition or disorder; it is actually an evolutionary trait. I had my doubts about this, whether ADHD could be a result of evolution since 1 out of 3 people in the world are born with this condition or not, and I thought I should explore that with AI. And I was right! It all fell into place like Tetris, a perfect pattern, something that should be celebrated and embraced, not medicated. To be honest, I might try the medication once or twice to see the world from the eyes of neurotypical people, but I don't think I should be on a regimen when I can change the world around me instead. I don't wanna change my ADHD to fit in the world, I wanna change the world for my ADHD.

Here is what I have figured out: as ChatGPT says, ADHD was in fact an evolutionary trait. Our ancestors were most likely hunters, innovators, and survivalists. We were the heart of a community, beating like an alarm sounding whenever danger is near. We were made by evolution to help our tribes survive and thrive. In today's society, our unique skills are deemed useless. They want us to sit on a chair for hours and do certain repetitive tasks that have no end to them, but we were not wired to do this kind of work. We were meant to be innovative, impulsive, constantly diving into change and making life worth living.

We were hunters, using our quick reflexes, rapid scanning, and high sensitivity to surroundings to find and capture prey or avoid threats, what today's society calls "impulsive". We are said to have a "lack of focus," and they call us "distracted," but in fact, we are simply bored and repelled by meaningless repetitive tasks, and we tend to hyperfocus on more important matters. In the past, those important matters were survival or catching prey, but today this "distraction" is frowned upon or misunderstood. We are constantly being blamed for not being able to fit into a perfectly shaped box, but we're amorphous, shape-free, variable, colorful.

Now let me tell you what I figured out about myself, in the sense of ADHD and evolution, so maybe you find it relatable to yourself. There are tens of different traits and behavioral patterns that I noticed I have that I never even thought were related to ADHD, but now it seems like every part of me, every cell is derived and run by my ADHD brain. Every decision, every move is going through the ADHD filter.

Starting with the inability to be creative. I always have struggled to be creative, to create something out of nothing, but whenever I sit down and want to create something, the way songwriters and artists do, I get paralyzed. I find myself staring at a blank page for minutes and with each second my mind gets farther away from creating. Apparently, the reason behind this is executive function shutdown which basically means when you try to create something from nothing, your brain needs structure but can’t find any, and then it panics. ADHD makes it hard to start tasks, organize thoughts, break down open-ended ideas; so you freeze and your brain gets overwhelmed.

Another fact that stunned me today was the fact that I like to stay up at night and sleep in the next morning. The feeling of waking up in the early morning almost disgusts me. I'm what they call a night owl or in the frames of ADHD, "The firekeeper/Night watcher". It seems that my ancestors used to guard the tribe at night from potential dangers, hence why nights are so peaceful for me.

Last but not least is probably the most obvious indicator of why I do have ADHD today, being a survivalist. I cannot express how much I love dystopian, survivalist movies, games, and situations. I love camping and survival tricks and I always wondered why since as a child I have never gone camping with my family. I guess I should've looked way further to my ancestral family members who have been the actual survivalists in their core which created ADHD by the way.

From being born with a variation, to living in a modern world not made for us, to having to adapt our behavior and wear a mask our whole lives, to knowing about ADHD and finally realizing that it is not Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, but a beautiful brain variation. To realize that you're not defective, you're a different kind of human, built for a different kind of world.

This isn't a sad post. It is inspiring, informative, and a call to action. Maybe the world is not made for us, so let us make our own world; let's create a world in which we are honored for our eccentric skills, not blamed. Let us remind the world that it was people like us who helped societies survive to be able to build the world. Tell them not to scan all humans through the same filter, not to shove them in a box and drain them of their energy and potential.

Using the word ADHD for people like us is inaccurate and misleading. On that note, I have decided to create a new acronym to replace ADHD; Evolution Based Adaptive Variation or EBAV! ChatGPT seems to like it very much!:D

Not only does this phrase capture the essence of our neurobiological design, but it also honors the ancestral role this variation played in human survival. EBAV reframes what society calls a “disorder” into what it truly is, a naturally occurring brain type shaped by evolution, built for rapid response, deep pattern recognition, emotional intensity, and creative adaptability.

The word EBAV itself sounds like "above", and that’s no accident. It symbolizes elevated awareness, wide view, and rising above outdated labels. We are not broken or less, we are simply wired for a different kind of world, one that values movement, meaning, and truth over routine, silence, and sameness.