Many people who suffer from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) don’t learn of the diagnosis until they are well into their adult lives, and may have spent years thinking they were not as smart, organized, or motivated as everyone else. I doubt they would consider having ADHD a superpower, especially if it gave them difficulty in childhood, academics, and their relationships, and may have led to low self-esteem throughout their lives.
Although there are no current statistics on the prevalence of ADHD among firefighters, one in five wildland firefighters were found to have ADHD out of 302 who participated in a study done in 20111. And it is thought that 4-5% of adults in the US have ADHD. How many of you know or suspect that you may have ADHD or some characteristics of it?
- Study Looks at Firefighter Sleep Habits & Impulsive Behaviors
- Attention and Focus
- Organizational Attention Deficit Disorder
More About ADHD
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition. It consists of symptoms, behaviors, and characteristics that result from a brain developing differently during the key stages of development before a person is born, or as a very young child. Causes of neurodevelopmental conditions include:
- Genetics
- Trauma at birth
- Infectious disease
- Immune disorders
- Nutritional factors
- Physical trauma2
The three main types of adult ADHD are:
Inattentive ADHD: These symptoms are mostly about being distracted and having trouble paying attention. You might have a short attention span, struggle with planning and organization, often lose things, and have trouble following instructions or finishing things you start. How many times did you do your homework as a kid, but it never made it out of your backpack or you forgot to bring it to school the next day? This is commonly referred to as ADD.
Hyperactive/Impulsive ADHD: In these cases, most symptoms are centered on acting impulsively or being over-active. You may often feel restless, have a hard time sitting still, or be very talkative. You might interrupt people when they are talking or find that you already know what you want to say before they finish speaking. Adults with this type of ADHD often share personal information too easily. Do you find it difficult to wait your turn (or get frustrated with how everyone else drives?
Combined ADHD: This is the most common and is what it sounds like: characteristics and traits of both inattentive and hyperactive ADHD.
Another possible characteristic of ADHD is “analysis paralysis.” There can be many reasons why this happens, like feeling overwhelmed with information, a difficulty remembering details to compare, fear of making mistakes, and an inability to get the process going or initiating the task at hand. This can be even more true in your off-duty life, like being paralyzed when considering what to make for dinner!
Remember, as with most diagnoses, these symptoms and traits are usually on a spectrum of how challenging or problematic they are to you.
The ‘Benefits’ of ADHD…?
As adults, most of us eventually develop coping skills to help us deal with our individual challenges, or we may be drawn to careers where we excel despite them. Adults with ADHD can exhibit exceptional skills and productivity, especially when their tasks:
- Align with their intrinsic interests
- Involve high stress or challenging environments
- Include novel and varied elements3
These characteristics line up remarkably well with the roles and functions of a firefighter or paramedic/EMT! It explains why so many skilled, successful firefighters may have been considered “bad students” as kids or didn’t go to or finish college. Many superior athletes have ADHD but struggled with the academics of school. It isn’t uncommon for school athletes to hear the message: “How come you can’t remember to turn in your homework or bring out the trash, but you sure remember every play in that playbook?”
So, can ADHD be a “superpower” in the fire service?
Applied practically, consider how valuable it is to be able to hyperfocus on a task when you are genuinely interested and stimulated and can tune out the chaos around you to get a job done. How about the ability to thrive in a high-stress environment and to perform under pressure? Stress on the job is usually considered negative, but for adults with ADHD, it can be when you are most efficient and calm in fast-moving, dangerous situations.
People with ADHD can generate highly creative solutions and “think outside of the box.” This is especially critical when confronted with life-or-death, quickly changing scenes like fires, rescue operations, or medical calls.
Other positive traits of ADHD that are reflected in fire service personnel are:
- Energy
- Self-reliance
- Self-awareness
- Resilience
- Risk taking tolerance
Research shows that people with ADHD have lower levels of certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. Dopamine is one of them. Risky behaviors can increase dopamine levels, which may be part of the reason some individuals with ADHD are drawn to them.4
Taking risks can produce the “rush” of dopamine. Being drawn to risk-taking, dopamine-producing activities include running into burning buildings, driving fire apparatus with lights and sirens through traffic, or starting a line in a moving ambulance—all things capable fire service personnel must perform well to succeed on the job.
The Downsides
However, there can be negative aspects of that dopamine rush like substance abuse, impulsive spending, gambling, juggling multiple relationships at a time, or having extramarital affairs.
Firefighters and Behavioral Addictions
Knowing yourself and what traits of ADHD are most challenging for you is the best place to start when developing coping skills or choosing treatment options that best suit your needs as an adult. But learning to embrace and lean into those positive attributes of ADHD can reinforce why the fire service is a profession that can maximize your self-worth contribution as a person and a professional.
References
- Wildland Firefighter and Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Charles G. Palmer et. al, 2011, US Forest Services, US Department of Agriculture.
- Neurodevelopmental Conditions: ADHDaware.org.uk
- Ginapp et. Al. 2022, The lived experiences of adults with attention defict/hyperactive disorder: A rapid review of qualitative evidence. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10 August 2022, Callie M. Ginapp
- Stephanie Sarkis, PhD: Adult ADD: A Guide for the newly diagnosed. New Harbinger Publications, 2011.
Beth Flaherty is a licensed clinical marriage and family therapist in Virginia and Maryland. She is the clinical director of the Virginia Professional Fire Fighters Peer Support Team as well as Prince George’s County (MD) Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics, Local 1619.
