“I Do not have ADHD When I Drive My Truck” Exploring the Temporal Dynamics of ADHD as a Lived Experience

Cult Med Psychiatry. 2025 Apr 29. doi: 10.1007/s11013-025-09910-x. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

With this article, we set out to introduce a dynamic and expansive notion of what it means to live with ADHD. Based on ethnographic fieldwork among families living with ADHD in Denmark and inspired by Thomas Fuchs’ Eigenzeit [own-time], we forward the notion of “own-time space” as a means of examining the dynamic nature of ADHD. Own-time spaces connect the lived experience of ADHD and time to space. Own-time spaces are situations where the presence or absence of others, and cultural expectations related to timing or tempo enter complex, rhythmic interactions in ways that allow ADHD symptoms to fade into the background. We suggest that own-time spaces are characterized by space, rhythm, and imagistic thinking, and add to our existing knowledge of shielding as a therapeutic effort in ADHD treatment. With own-time space we emphasize that shielding is not just a matter of place or protection from stimuli, but also involves temporal, meaning-making, and relational dimensions. Own-time spaces are dynamic environments where individuals can navigate and negotiate their own rhythms and temporalities and foster a sense of agency and thriving.

PMID:40299113 | DOI:10.1007/s11013-025-09910-x