Dream responds to "controversy" over his comments about ADHD medication

February 18, 2023

During his interview with Anthony Padilla, Minecraft YouTuber Dream opened up about being diagnosed with ADHD when he was younger. Some viewers have become critical of the 21-year-old, though, after he revealed that he threw out his prescription medication.

For his June 8 episode, Anthony Padilla interviewed Minecraft sensation Dream. In the sit-down discussion, the YouTuber touched on subjects from his speedrun cheating scandal to his plans on doing a face reveal.

However, the conversation got personal when the faceless content creator discussed his ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) diagnosis as a kid. Critics were not too happy with him when he explained how throwing out his medication helped him.

The Minecraft YouTuber opened up about ADHD medication during his interview with Anthony Padilla.

Dream opens up about his ADHD diagnosis

During the 30-minute interview, Dream opened up about being diagnosed with ADHD as a child and how that impacted his education. “I was literally tested for glasses as a kid because I was having trouble in school. I could never pay attention. I was always doodling, drawing. I was doing anything but not paying attention,” he said.

He then opened up about being prescribed medication. “I had ADHD medication, and I was like “Nah” … I remember pouring it down the drain.” When asked why, the YouTuber responded, “I didn’t feel like myself [on meds]. I feel like I was way less creative. My mind didn’t drift as much.”

Dream followed up his statement by cautioning viewers that he was not an expert on mental health. “I don’t know enough about [ADHD medication] to know whether that was smart of me to do. I don’t want to encourage ANYONE to do that. I haven’t been on ADHD medication since then, but it’s a unique thing to me that I’m proud of.”

(Topics starts at 18:49)

Despite his warning to fans to not follow what he did, some critics became upset with the YouTuber over his comments and argued that he was setting a bad example for his fanbase.

“Hey dream what’s the message behind throwing out the “normal pills” and basically implying that if you have a mental illness do not seek medical help because it’s “bad”? Really weird message to say f**k medication for any form of mental illness basically,” a viral post on Twitter read.

Hey dream what’s the message behind throwing out the “normal pills” and basically implying that if you have a mental illness do not seek medical help because it’s “bad”?

Really weird message to say fuck medication for any form of mental illness basically pic.twitter.com/6hFVB4Nolm

— nick (@24framesofnick) June 9, 2021

Dream responds to “controversy” over medication comments

Dream used his alternate Twitter account to respond to the criticism and exclaimed, “mom wake up the new dream controversy just dropped,” before following up with, “they really be like: he visualized his personal experience as a kid with ADHD and medication for it?!? DISGUSTING.” The June 9 social media posts have since been deleted.

In now-deleted tweets, Dream responded to criticism about his ADHD comments.

This isn’t the first time the YouTuber has discussed his mental state. Dream dropped a single in June called “Mask” that had several lyrics that touched on his struggles with mental health.

In his interview with Anthony Padilla, Dream also explained how his ADHD helps him make content: “I feel like one of my biggest strengths is that I am creative. And one of the things that help me come up with ideas is I am thinking quickly.”

The content creator also added, “People, a lot of the time, describe it as a lack of focus. But in reality, you just focus on the wrong thing a lot of the time.” The 21-year-old also confessed that it was “scary” opening up about his mental health.

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