To be clear, I don't work at Shimmer or any place centered on treating ADHD or helping people with it. Idek if Shimmer's services are useful.
I just want to push back on the notion that 'this is a neurological disorder' is the only acceptable or useful way to think about ADHD.
To your point, I think it's clear that the world hasn't really figured out what ADHD is yet. That is, we haven't figured out the best way to think or talk about it, let alone treat it.
That's why I think it's important to hold onto that label with a light touch, and an understanding that our conception of the problem is likely to change a lot in the future. The 'real core' that we do know about ADHD is in the common struggles of people, situated as they are, who have ADHD-like symptoms and experiences. Those are worth addressing with anything that helps, and if you have those struggles yourself you know you can't wait for an ideal 'final answer' from scientific or other authorities to try to improve your life.
All that said it's way easier to be comfortable with non-commercial, community-oriented efforts of people sharing their experiences and trying to figure out what works for them in an ad-hoc way. Companies offering solutions to people, especially people who fear that their ADHD-ish struggles might cost them their livelihood or are destabilizing their lives, do have to prove themselves trustworthy and effective somehow and there's a lot of room for scammy bullshit with something like this. I don't disagree with the skepticism so much as the scientism and medicalism.
I just want to push back on the notion that 'this is a neurological disorder' is the only acceptable or useful way to think about ADHD.
To your point, I think it's clear that the world hasn't really figured out what ADHD is yet. That is, we haven't figured out the best way to think or talk about it, let alone treat it.
That's why I think it's important to hold onto that label with a light touch, and an understanding that our conception of the problem is likely to change a lot in the future. The 'real core' that we do know about ADHD is in the common struggles of people, situated as they are, who have ADHD-like symptoms and experiences. Those are worth addressing with anything that helps, and if you have those struggles yourself you know you can't wait for an ideal 'final answer' from scientific or other authorities to try to improve your life.
All that said it's way easier to be comfortable with non-commercial, community-oriented efforts of people sharing their experiences and trying to figure out what works for them in an ad-hoc way. Companies offering solutions to people, especially people who fear that their ADHD-ish struggles might cost them their livelihood or are destabilizing their lives, do have to prove themselves trustworthy and effective somehow and there's a lot of room for scammy bullshit with something like this. I don't disagree with the skepticism so much as the scientism and medicalism.