Do many people think that ADHD is not real?

[Ilovecranberries]

Was having remote drinks with a friend and his wife yesterday. She's a secondary school teacher in a quite "rough" school (not in the UK). I was quite surprised when, discussing something quite abstract about how different people think and react differently, she had said quite breezily that the majority of teachers she knows "don't believe" in the existence of ADHD.
Incidentally, one of my children is currently being assessed for it, but it is not news that I had shared socially outside of my immediate family. I wasn't offended, but I wonder if it is actually a widespread view behind the closed doors?

This is exactly my point. In America it often is a case of prescribe medication and that's it. I wasn't offered any support.

The UK is much better in my opinion for offering support than America is.

Our experience is the total opposite. Had to go to the US to get any support at all. UK didn't want to know, at all. Had to fight tooth and nail for 3 years to get him diagnosed with ASD with the school fighting alongside us all the way, then they just didn't want to know, much less try any meds or any support at all. Apparently not possible to have co-morbidities with ASD, even though they are very common. Left him seriously ill with OCD as well. Will never trust the NHS or CAMHS with him at all again ever.

I think it’s overdiagnosed and used to excuse poor behaviour.

YY the US has massively stepped up in terms of support and is very good now - I'm sure it varies based on education district and health insurance, but the UK is shocking in comparison.

Yes I can imagine it varies a lot by education district.

In terms of health insurance, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act required mental health conditions such as ADHD to be covered - medication, therapy, psychologist/psychiatrist visits, even some alternative therapies such as neurofeedback, chiropractic care and acupuncture are covered.

However, high deductibles can be a problem, and I'd actually imagine there's a lot of undiagnosed kids out there.

@Ilovecranberries I apologise.I was being sarcastic, and mostly in reply to the posters that say it doesn't exist/debate it's existence like it's something that relies on their belief to exist. I'm so sorry, didn't mean to make you feel bad.

@BertieBotts
Thanks for the information - definitely will look up. I asked about the microdosing because I sometimes work with young tech / startup entrepreneurs, and have literally lost the count of how many times someone had mentioned microdosing with stimulants to me, actually with a very similar explanation of the effect to what was described by some posters.

Apparently not possible to have co-morbidities with ASD, even though they are very common

Ugh - I have a friend in the UK going through this right now. I'm so sorry it happened to you too. Her son is just totally falling through the cracks.

Also you mention she teaches in a foreign country, so I’m wondering if it’s not a diagnosis there?
Yes, definitely. It wasn't a dig against this particular person, I actually quite like her, and admire for many things she is doing, but her view is influenced by her current environment. I was just wondering how common this view is.

@ComeOnBabyPopMyBubble
Sorry, I totally misread your post. I am just oddly oversensitive to this topic.

I have seen examples on the telly of parents who try and blame the behaviour on ADHD but with help can improve the behaviour. So there must be some but I don't know anyone personally. I think that you can tell which children have tendencies.

@RunningFromInsanity RTFT, that was debunked ten pages ago.

I am exactly with @GnomeOrMistAndIceGuy

I absolutely believe ADHD is real. I used to teach a young boy with it and it shattered me every day that I couldn't give him the support he so very much needed and desired.

However, I've also taught children who have either been in the rarity where I feel they have been misdiagnosed or where the parents simply believe their child has ADHD and so chuck the label around everyone, when really all the child needs is a healthier diet, better routine and more discipline.

Unfortunately, the smaller latter group give the genuine pupils and unfair start.

I have seen examples on the telly of parents who try and blame the behaviour on ADHD but with help can improve the behaviour.*

What kind of help?

Yes it exists, yes parents abuse it to cover up poor parenting imo. Hello

Unfortunately, the smaller latter group give the genuine pupils and unfair start.

No. The myths, prejudices,ignorance,refusal to be educated and "I believe in fairies but not ADHD" attitudes is what give pupils an unfair start.

@ComeOnBabyPopMyBubble

Quite clearly there are lots of factors which mean the 'genuine' (for want of a better word) cases don't get the attention and care they deserve, I wasn't saying it was just misdiagnosed children, merely that was a small factor

There are plenty of people in the world claiming their thyroid condition makes them fat. Does that mean thyroid conditions dont exist? Of does it mean that some people like to make shit up as an excuse?

Some parents feed their kids rubbish and drink too much during pregnancy and have terrible parenting styles and then when questioned blame their kids terrible behaviour on a condition. It does make that condition fictional - it just makes some parents arseholes.

One thing I'm seeing on this thread from more than a few people us a total lack of logic and reasoning. People who consider themselves superior because they don't have ADHD. Yet are happy to spout utterly unfounded and incorrect opinion.

I'm booking my dog in for driving lessons tomorrow. It will be nice to put my feet up on the way to work. 🙄

@2155User then why just mention that? Why focus on the "small" factor?

Misdiagnosed in your opinion by the way.

Exactly @ComeOnBabyPopMyBubble. But when you've got people claiming they can 'tell the children with tendencies' based on their vast experience from 'the telly' it's hardly surprising.

Unless you have it, or your child has it or you treat it you do NOT have an informed opinion. So please spare us your 'wisdom'. It's not showing your cognitive abilities in a good light. Do your research and be informed instead of foisting your prejudices on people who have had more than enough of that kind of thing.

If you arent bright enough to grasp the complexities that's fine - just don't think that you are right.

Seriously, no one goes through the assessment process for shits and giggles. You have to clear several gatekeepers before you even get to the point of getting a referral to CAMHS and every single one of those gatekeepers seems to act from a starting point of "well this is clearly a parenting issue..." so you have to prove it isn't. Often you have to prove that several times. It can take years to get a referral, an appointment, assessments, and a diagnosis (or no diagnosis).

There probably are a very small number of people who are misdiagnosed because no system is infallible but there are not swathes of parents lining up to go through the assessments in order to obtain a "get out of parenting" free pass as the process is designed to weed them out fairly early. Unfortunately this also needs out a fair percentage of genuine people too. There are also not huge swatches of people who are misdiagnosed, if anything it is underdiagnosed due to the stigma around "labels" and "pathologising behaviour".

@KittyFantastico

This thread is like a game of Ignorance Bingo.

Totally with you there. I had to put it down. The ignorance is unbelievable with ADHD.such stigma. Usually be people who no nothing about the condition. It's why I have our off telling friends and work. Really worried about how people will react.

#Soontobe60 ... so you think adhd is only caused by trauma/inadequate parenting? And you're a Senco?

Well we have lived with this for 13 years.

@Bearnecessity do you seriously believe that absolutely feckless parents just skip into a GP office and bam! they've got a diagnosis?

No assessment, referral,investigation etc?

Just to start with , often there is a 10 week delay before anything happens, to wait and see if symptoms get better,stay the same or get worse.

Then, in a lot of cases parents need to go through a parenting course.

Then there's the assessment where there is a certain number of behaviours (at least 6 I believ?) that must be displayed in at least two settings.

A lot of kids can fall through the cracks, because the process is not easy or straightforward and a lot of the time parents are being fought at every step,while being blamed and told it's all in their head/their fault.