To think this is real adult ADHD and not part of a trend

[ReadyTeddyGoooo]

I'm 35 and I've had anxiety since childhood. Over the years, I've had times where it has been extremely complex and debilitating. I've had both NHS and private therapy and been on meds for a long time. I have severe health anxiety linked to ocd. I have a panic disorder and have also had pnd twice.

My 4 year old son is going through the assessment process for adhd. Since researching it for him, I've discovered that I could also have it. Obviously it's highly hereditary so it would make sense.

However, since exploring adhd, it seeks to have become over saturised on social media it seems and could almost be seen as a trend. There seems to be a lot if people getting diagnosed and it makes me wonder, do this number of people actually have adhd?

I had an appointment with a psychiatrist coming up primarily for my anxiety problems but I do also want to talk about adhd with her. But don't want her to think that I'm just jumping on the bandwagon with it.

I feel I do have adhd because...
I'm terrible at time keeping and I'm always running late.
My house is chaotic. There's little order and I lose things all the time.
I can be quite reckless in some ways, e.g. parking where I shouldn't and getting fines.
I leave everything to the last minute. Especially things that seem too overwhelming. Even my wedding - it was somewhat a rushed job.
I find big shops snd supermarkets very overwhelming. If there's too much choice and things to look at, I just flounder.
I have mind chatter and songs plating in my head a lot! Constant ideas too. I dart from one thing to the next.
I rarely finish projects.
I've never been great at reading books, I feel like I don't have the patience.

Does this sound like proper adult ashd?

Your GP is right. It's all about the drug money.

Social media has indicated or been responsible for the up scaling of May disorders previously seen as uncommon. I genuinely think it's impossible to tell whether that's because of wide spread recognition or social contagion as it's mainly young women displaying these disorders, male numbers haven't changed. I feel it's a combination of social contagion and recognition of 'masking'

Yes let's dismiss women with years and years of study and expertise, they couldn't possibly be an expert could they 🙄

The increase in people being diagnosed is based on women suddenly being able to get a diagnosis after years of being medically ignored.

So if GPs are calling things a trend or saying the increase is due to misdiagnosis what they are complaining about is women and girls.

The same as my GP who told me I only came in to get my thyroid investigated because 'women like an underactive thyroid diagnosis because it gives them an excuse to be overweight, that's why its more prevalent in women". Is my underactive thyroid misdiagnosed, of course not. Its just gender/years of medical bias coming into play.

Im actually hoping jenny is reassured by this. In that most people with adhd arent medicated, and medication rates would actually be slighlty lower than her suggestion of 1-5% of diagnosis being real. It also sounds like medication has improved a lot in the last 22 years.

All the not real diagnosis children get in terms of support is quite minimal really. They get things like information chunked down and apps with reminders on. So its not invasive and if the diagnosis isnt real it doesnt matter if it helps anyway.

I cherish his wise counsel.

But not verifiable statistics! Lol

This has nothing to do with women. You are trying to change the subject and turn it into an issue of misogyny. This is about children (boys, girls) and adults (men, women) being misdiagnosed/overdiagnosed. It is NOT about women alone. Nor is it about someone who undertakes 'years and years' of 'study and expertise' in a social trend. You can do 'years and years' of study in any hot trend, it doesn't make it valid. Anyone can get a PhD in anything these days. You can get one in gender identity. Are we going to say that is valid, too?

I think its a combination of things:

• underdiagnosis (especially of women) in the past. Rising awareness now leads people to be diagnosed now.
• the broadening of diagnostic criteria. There's been a shift towards using American DSM criteria, and there are some doctors who have expressed concerns over how broad these are, with the risk if medicalising a normal range of personality profiles.

In particular, there's a view that traits like inattention, impulsivity etc occur on a continuum (its not that people with adhd have them and no one else does - its that people witn adhd have them to the extent it impairs them). Current diagnostic criteria a) doesn't currently distinguish severity of impairment b) involves subjectivity/interpretation.

Further there's an extent of reliance on self reporting of the extent to which traits are impairing someone, with a risk that people over-attribute impacts to the ADHD symptoms.

I got my super trendy diagnosis in my late 30s, and it changed (and saved) my life!

I guess there is a spike in dx cause there are several generations of adults who have struggled through their whole lives getting other dx like depression, anxiety, bipolar, bpd and being given ALL THE DRUGS for all those things for years, before realising hang on, there is more to this...

What difference is it if they are pre-dx filled with prozac- in a frustrating and almost emotionless state- or post-dx filled with ADHD drugs actually being able to function and feel a bit less shit about themselves.

To the posters who think we're all just being dramatic, I used to be like you, I thought it was all trends and attention seeking and just get on with it, everyone feels like this etc etc. Until I was so burnt out I had a deep horrific depression for years, on antidepressants, unable to do life anymore. And guess what, I got DX, and guess what THERE IS NO SUPPORT OR ATTENTION, no one believes you, everyone eye rolls about it, it is not a lovely place where everyone has so much empathy about your struggles- you STILL just have to crack on, you just hate yourself a bit less.

I have a serious incurable physical disability as well, funnily enough, I get a lot more support and attention for that even though it impacts my life SO MUCH LESS than neurodiversity. I don't see anyone faking that disability for the attention.

Ah, actually there have been studies done on the over diagnosis of COPD, its highly likely that your mother is just jumping on a trend and if she tried to regulate her breathing properly she would be fine

@JennyNotFromTheBlock you either respect medical expertise or you don't. A GP is a general practitioner (right there in the name!), not a specialist. Your attempt at derailing the thread has been noted.

Anyone can get a PhD
Then go and get one, but as a one time school admin who brown noses their gp you offer no insight or authority.

This is very true. Lots of women are told they have bpd or other issues that they are medicated for even having admissions to hospital, then reassed for adhd or asd and get a different medication that now works.

If you think someone studying ADHD is studying a 'social trend' and not a medical condition you are effectively denying the medical existence of ADHD. That's a particularly uninformed position.

But yes I am calling you out for misogyny in worshiping the male GP and entirely dismissing the female expert.

I have a diagnosis of ADHD and I get a lot of sniffy comments about it being "a trend", "oh, everyone has ADHD these days". But I've had a lot of life-changing help (including medication) from the medical professionals I've seen and, perhaps even more importantly, I have allowed myself to believe in my diagnosis.

As others have said, I've seen estimations that around 10 per cent of the population are neurodiverse, but diagnosis rates have been way below that, hence why a lot more people are being diagnosed. And that's a really good thing.

Yep. It staggers me that even some people who do understand how routinely our feelings are medicalised for money don't see it happening when it's "gender". Even after Cass, & Karolinska reporting itself, etc etc. I genuinely despair.

It is 100% different from the gender issue in that there is proof ADHD exists, and there is none for gender.

Please stop derailing the thread with reference to gender politics, I don't want it being deleted because you two can't back off with the insulting comparisons.

There isn't though. Or are you going to quote the made up stuff about twin studies that can't separate heredity from environment? Or the busted stuff about brain chemistry?

I would personally advise anyone seeking/receiving an ADHD diagnosis not to talk about it to anyone unless you need to for work or something.

"ADHD is not a diagnosis and cannot be supported as an evidence based construct

Whatever you might think are the perceived merits of constructing ADHD as a “diagnosis” that has biological origins and can be “treated” with medication, the scientific truth is that it cannot be thought of as a valid scientific entity and the current recommendation for its treatment that usually prioritises medication without time limits is not evidence based.

ADHD is an example of the way academic psychiatry got infected with scientism that has likely led to untold harm. Imagining that ADHD is a diagnosis blinds children, parents, teachers, doctors, and other practitioners to a whole variety of context-related factors, including immaturity, learning difficulties, schooling issues, bullying, violence exposure, dietary, lifestyle, lack of family support, lack of confidence in parenting, and so on, that may be relevant.

It also blinds them to the ordinariness of childishness and the capacity of kids to irritate adults. ADHD is more of a commentary on the cultural intolerance we have for the diversities of the ways children grow up, and the pressure we put on them and their parents to perform to the narrow age-dependent standards we set."
S. Timimi, from an article I quoted earlier that you won't want to read.

This is in fact complete bullshit because even in children it's under diagnosed.

I suspect you've no idea, or maybe you read something in the media about all those kids with bad parents eaying too much sugar. 🙄🙄

It's a real thing and is actually very debilitating and can fuck up every area of your life. Plus it's really not good for your general mental health to be constantly worrying what you'll forget or mess up next. Hello confidence and self esteem! now at rock bottom. 🫤

I've read Scattered Minds, actually, and agree with a lot of what Matè says, although I found myself feeling defensive and challenged when reading it.

I'm no expert and don't claim to be, so if my comment above was inaccurate then so be it.

@Galvantula thank you for that! That PPs post is ridiculous.

I have ADHD and two children - one who I am certain has ADHD and one who couldn’t be any less ADHD. Looking at that non-ADHD child I’ve seen ‘normal’ close up and it’s mind blowing to me. I sympathise so much for my other child - I’m just back from taking something over to school for them because they forgot it (again) and I know they’ll be feeling so rubbish about themselves!

Why do people think an ADHD diagnosis is so easy to get that children who are just hyper are getting one? It shows they really don’t have any knowledge of it whatsoever!

Malignant tumour? Nobody wants one of them. 1 in 2 people will get cancer in their lifetime.

Why do people get labelled as having cancer?

Ugh.

Yes but people with ADHD actually have differently developed brains - you can literally see it on scans!