ADHD Tax
Does the ADHD Tax Need to Be So High?
The extra costs those with diagnosable inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and/or executive function challenges incur as a result of being inattentive, hyperactive, impulsive, and/or struggling with executive function.
At this point you might ask, “What the hell is the ADHD tax?” Answer: it’s the price you pay for costly mistakes due to symptoms of ADHD. Some obvious examples are parking and traffic tickets, late fees, high interest debt (i.e. credit cards), and low credit score (leading to higher interest debt, inability to get loans, problems renting apartments and buying cars, etc.). Sound familiar?
But get this: those are only perhaps the most common examples. The hidden ADHD Tax can be much much higher. In fact the hidden ADHD Tax is not measured in dollars: it’s measured in wasted time, physical well being, mental health, personal freedom (vs. incarceration), and — yes — years on your life.
The ADHD Tax – ADHD Traction
People with ADHD face a variety of challenges daily.
Sometimes these struggles end up costing us money.
That’s what the community calls “the ADHD tax”.
It can be things like always letting food perish in your fridge.
Getting fines because you forgot to bring back books to the library.
Forgetting to return clothes or items on time.
The ADHD Tax
Further reading,
- The long-term financial outcome of children diagnosed with ADHD. – PsycNET
- Economic Impact of Childhood and Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in the United States – Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
- Economic Impact of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents | Journal of Pediatric Psychology | Oxford Academic
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