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?

The over medication problem will depend on whether the symptoms can be treated any other way. If a child is only ever prescribed these medicines and those doses are increased when they fail to work, without ever having a sleep study, then there is a problem. Sleep studies should be a mandatory part of the ADHD diagnosis process.

I have ADHD and without my Methylphenidate (Ritalin) I honestly could not function in my job, as a mother and with life in general.
Every time I go for a hospital appointment for anything not related to my ADHD I usually have to fill out a form listing any medications I currently take.
I always get asked by the Doctors or Nurses what the Methylphenidate is for and nearly every single time I say it's for ADHD, the response is absolutely shocking. I've had Doctors laugh, shake their heads, tell me it doesn't exist, etc. I honestly dread filling those forms in as it's so very rare to be met with a positive (or even neutral) response.

I think ADHD is real, but I think it is over diagnosed when parenting is misguided.

Cecily, that is dreadful. You clearly have a set up that works for you and they should not judge that when you go to see them about other medical problems.

The issue that concerns me is all those children prescribe Ritalin who actually have a breathing problem during sleep that doesn't require Ritalin at all. This doesn't apply to all children, but to enough children for it to be a scandal.

actually in my experience and I can only speak for my experience is that ADHD is more likely to be diagnosed in “normal“ families.
I think it is really dependent on the whole social structure. The teacher from my OP teaches in a "rough" school in a third world country (the one I am from, so I can totally vouch for the school being challenging - and I admire her as it is fully by choice), but tutors many children from local well-off families too. Her view was diametrically opposite to the "chaotic poor families" expressed earlier on the thread, i.e. that all children with ADHD tend to mainly have wealthy helicopter parents and private diagnoses. But we did not discuss it in more detail.

@Genevieva
Thanks for the info, it is not something I came across in my research of the area. I will definitely look further in the direction you have indicated.

I'm a psychologist. My son has ADHD. Part of the debate about whether ADHD exists in professional circles is because of differing ontological views. Its a philosophical divide. It's clearly not an thing' in the same way as a lamp, a dog or a pebble are a thing. There are no physical tests ( brain scans, blood tests) that can predict whether a child shows the cluster of symptoms associated with ADHD and no clear causal pathway.

However, MRI scans clearly show different neural activity in ADHD brains during experiments where they get participants to perform particular tasks. Researchers can most definitely identify non-neurotypical patterns of brain activity.

Interestingly, recent research shows similar neural activity of children who have had Type 1 Diabetes. Shifts in brain function likely due to how the developing brain was affected by glucose that is higher than normal.

It fascinates me that some people still dismiss ADHD as something that doesn't exist. I wonder if a proportion of them would also be determined to believe they could cure their kid of Type 1 Diabetes, should they develop it, with a bit of 'diet and exercise' or the right snake oil?

ADHD exists, just like T1D.

*children who HAVE Type 1 Diabetes.

Not have had. Freudian wishful thinking on my behalf

I do think that. It is a combination of bad parenting and, mostly, those children are chronically tired and emotionally overcharged.

not autism, it is attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder.

There is growing evidence that the two are related and often overlap.

My DD is very likely to end up with an ASD, ADHD, pda, spd diagnosis. I'm sure I'm not alone in spending far too much of my life overanalysing my parenting. Reading every book. Trying every approach. Doing all the courses.

I'm also not convinced that the system is such a nightmare to navigate that you have to have a certain level of intelligence to be able to navigate it to get the diagnosis.

The overlap is why DS couldn't be diagnosed with ADHD even with indications that it is/was present. It was impossible to say where ASD ended and ADHD began (and visa versa) or how many of the behaviours indicating ADHD were down to needs relating to ASD. They were confident in the ASD diagnosis so that was made but the ADHD diagnosis was deferred due to insufficient/inconclusive evidence. They have tried to do the assessments since but couldn't proceed as he couldn't engage with them.

Nope they're not. Until my son was on medication I worked with the school to find solutions.

I do laugh a little ruefully when people say ADHD is over-diagnosed and medicated here in the US. For my son to get an ADHD diagnosis...

We saw his GP with him
We filled in questionnaires
His teachers filled in questionnaires
We met with the counselor at school
We met with the psychologist at school
I met with another educational psychologist who interviewed me for 2 hours
He spent 2 days doing tests with the educational psychologist, who then produced a 28 page report with detailed findings, recommendations, and information.
We had a 2-hour debrief with the ed psych

At that point he was diagnosed with ADHD and was prescribed meds, at which point our health insurance company also wrote to us to ensure that he sees a doctor regularly while they are being prescribed.

We went back to the school who put together a 504 Plan for him to ensure they make accommodations for his learning disabilities. We meet with all his teachers at least once a year to review his plan.

He also sees a tutor who specialises in working with students with ADHD, and we regularly attend group sessions and parenting classes.

It was all worth it - he's so much happier now he's getting the support and understanding he needs.

He's never been particularly naughty btw. He's an incredibly well-behaved kid.

I think it exists but it’s over diagnosed now.. I do agree that poor parenting and chaotic households does sometimes lead to this diagnoses but then take them away from that environment and they do change. One of my sons is ASD and that definitely exists as well..

A lot of the ADHD = naughty can often be just because we (society) are deciding what is naughty or not. School is such a lot of 'sit down, listen to the teacher and get on silently with some written work'. Children with ADHD often just don't learn and behave that way. They need to be 'doing'. Uniform rules and making sure you have your equipment and bringing in homework etc are also often hard for those with ADHD to deal with. As a result they are labelled 'naughty'.
ADHD is very real but I believe a lot of the struggles that so many children and their families go through is that the school/exam system is set up just for one way of learning (academic focus) and for many children who have ADHD it just doesn't work for them.
Changes to the school system wouldn't mean ADHD would go away it would mean that so many children wouldn't be labelled 'naughty' it would just be that ADHD is the way they are.

ChangeOfNameNeeded07 stop talking crap. You dont know "all adhd mums" and how they behave, or whether the children are tired.
Those people who think it is just bad parenting are just being smug. I have 2 children, one with no sen, one with asd and adhd.
I have parented them the same.
One has never been in trouble at school, ever, and is now in year 12.
The other had absolutely no ability to concentrate, and ended up getting fidgety and unsettled in class, and getting into lots of trouble.
After his diagnosis and medication, he can concentrate and learn, but towards the end of the day, as the medication wears off, the movement, lack of focus, etc return. You can almost see his brain getting "fizzy" as he calls it.

So it's not parenting , or lack of sleep. He does need to take medication to help him sleep, but that didn't cure the problems.
Just watching him right now, he is pulling all sorts of faces, jiggling around, moving upside down on the sofa and making all manner of odd noises.
Certainly not being "naughty" just cant stay still.
This is a real condition, not something I have made up to excuse myself from parenting him.

@FabbyChix
It’s a behaviour issue - it’s not something your born with

This is not correct.

Many genetic conditions have ADHD as an associated part of the condition. These are conditions children are born with, their neurological differences are written into their DNA!

Changeofnameneeded, I suggest you change your name to moreknowledgeandunderstandingneeded.
Are you a child psychologist or an educational psychologist? Oh, wait, let me answer that for you. NO.
Your judgemental attitude and the way you group people together for your own ease is disgusting.

This thread is a perfect example of why You never talk to anyone about this. Apart from the people that absolutely need to know.

I would be better off teaching my dog to drive than trying to counter these idiotic opinions. People are, generally speaking, not too bright. Explaining something complex through the prism of their background of daily mail articles and 6th hand knowledge is just an utter waste of time.

'The ones with adhd have mind that always think their kids are right' . Dear oh dear.

Typo - I mean mums that always think they are right.

I don't see how it can be over diagnosed. We are in the process of getting a diagnosis. I have had concerns for about two years. There appears to be nothing available through the NHS at all. We have had to make a private referral. The process is going to cost us several grand. As this thread clearly demonstrates, there is stigma and judgement attached to a diagnosis. There was nothing in my teacher training about ADHD but I am fortunate to work with an excellent SENCO and she makes sure we've got all the info we need to work with our students. She's been way more help than anyone else. I feel it's much more likely to be under than over diagnosed, given all the adults who have likely not been diagnosed.