To wonder about the huge rise in people being diagnosed with ADHD?

[Starryskiesinthesky]

I am genuinely curious to understand why so many people are now being diagnosed, or self identifying with, having ADHD.

Is it just being recognised now with an awareness in neurodiversity or is everything labelled these days?

My son has dyslexia / a specific spelling difficulty and I suspect he has ADD/ADHD but wouldn't be severe enough to warrant medication. At what stage do we move from differences / traits to diagnosis? It does feel a bit like many aspects of our behaviour become medicalised.

I guess my AIBU is to wonder if too many people think they have ADHD/are neurodiverse these days?

People are a lot more anxious and depressed, and looking for explanations.

Our society is ever more competitive, aggressive and insecure, so it's not very surprising we are anxious and depressed! But we're discouraged from considering societal, political solutions, and very much encouraged to look to the individual taking responsibility.

I agree everything needs a label these days. Its like anxiety or depression. And it sort of takes away from people really suffering these things. But i dont know how to differentiate between the real sufferers and those that just aren't.

I would say that babies are born and saved in a way that they wouldn't have been years ago. If I'd had my son in the 40's or 50's it's very likely he and possibly me would have died in childbirth.

I think you’re doing the right think not pushing for an extra diagnosis for your son.

I also think there are quite a few cross overs in traits between ADHD and dyslexia. Forgetfulness, how your brain processes things and some other traits.

At what stage do we move from differences / traits to diagnosis?

When it meets the threshold for diagnosis as set out in clinical guidance.

I guess my AIBU is to wonder if too many people think they have ADHD/are neurodiverse these days?

YABU.

For one thing, ADHD is actually underdiagnosed in the UK.

Neurodevelopment conditions have a strong genetic element. It is not uncommon for parents going through the assessment process with their ND child to realise that, when answering the questions, they could be talking about themselves/their own childhood. ND people who would in the past not necessarily had children now do, thanks to things like online dating and a greater (but not perfect) acceptance of neurodiversity more ND become parents now. You also have a lot more older parents, there is a link between father age and ND. There is also greater recognition, less children being written off as naughty or troublemakers like they would have been in my own 80s/90s childhood.

Because there is a threshold for diagnosis and clinical pathways. There are also physical differences in brain structure.

Sorry about the creepy music but this man is good -

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YABU.
I was diagnosed with ADHD this year. Having been a. ‘Gifted child’ it was missed. Medication has changed my mind and I can finally switch off a bit and relax and order my thoughts.

I wouldn’t write off medication too soon if your son does have ADHD

YANBU but it's part of a wider trend to self identify asa particular condition. Look at all the kids on tik tok pretending to have tourettes and tics. Poor taste.

My dsis is in CAHMS and the service is on its knees due to underfunding. The armies of anxious teens and so called ADHD kids overwhelm the service and those who are seriously ill with schizophrenia psychosis and suicidal ideation are less able to get the help they need. I really feel for all those poor kids.

I guess everyone is looking for that magic pill that makes life OK. Unfortunately for many good mental health takes work. Dsis would know as she has her own battles. Some people genuinely need the help.

I personally think attention spans have been completely decimated by the digital era. I used to spend hours reading the Sunday papers but these days I get my news fix from 15 seconds on Twitter. I find it hard to read books as I lose concentration whereas I used to luxuriate in reading a good novel.

I'm not saying this is what ADHD is all about but I do find that many of us now have the attention span of a goldfish thanks to instant gratification and that quick dopamine fix we're always seeking. This doesn't cover all cases or aspects of ADHD of course, but I think it explains a lot of attention span and focussing issues.

The surge in diagnosis is mainly in 30+ age categories especially women who have been chronically under diagnosed for decades.

more awareness, recognition that symptoms vary for male/female, also the pressure we are under as a society making it difficult to continue masking

diagnosis is a long, difficult process- especially if you suffer from ADHD - I don’t think anyone would take it on lightly

ADHDers have an increased risk of addiction & suicide. Diagnosis can literally be lifesaving. I don’t think there is such a thing as too many people getting access to the support they need and in many cases hasn’t been available to them for decades

Because people were just written off as 'naughty', lazy, unfocused or learned coping mechanisms.

Dyslexia etc is also diagnosed more these days but I bet you think it's OK for your DS to have that "label" (DD has something similar so it's not a criticism - she has benefitted greatly from the extra help she got as a result of the diagnosis). It is highly likely both her and her brother have ADHD too. Not enough to need medication but it would certainly explain an awful lot.

I can look back on my school years in the 70s when pretty much no one had dyslexia or ADHD and pinpoint a good number of my peers who absolutely had those things. Is that better? I don't think so.

I have ADHD (diagnosed as a child 25 years ago) and I’ve been wondering about this too. I have however noticed that mine is becoming more noticeable and there’s two main environmental reasons for this in my case.

Number 1 is my phone. It’s the thing I get the most distracted by as it’s like my brain is constantly craving the dopamine hit which pre social media and smart phones I just didn’t get so easily from anything else. I can always justify a reason to look at it and get completely sucked in, forgetting what I was meant to be doing and procrastinating. It also seems to be adversely affecting my attention as I’m so used to looking at my phone even if I’m doing something enjoyable.

The other is too much stuff. Compared to a few generations ago we have much much more clothes, kids clothes, toys and general stuff and I find it very overwhelming to try and keep it all organised.

I genuinely believe that although I’d have still had ADHD 100 years ago I would have been more functional as I’d have had less stuff to keep on top of and less distractions.

Schools are so underfunded, they are often unable to offer the right additional support to any child unless they have a diagnosis, which then unlocks funding. So of course you end up with a situation where parents are pushing for diagnosis so their child can be supported properly, either now or as a safeguard as they get older. I know a number of children who got by ok without a diagnosis at primary but who have really struggled with the transition to secondary, but no support is there because they don't have a diagnosis, and this has really adversely affected their learning. This worries me for my son's future ( age 9, just started on pathway to adhd diagnosis)

So true, government and society are not willing to rectify problems which contribute to anxiety and depression. Often the situation an individual is in contributes or is responsible for their state of mind. Also previously children were not subjected to the same external stimuli and after school activities. I was a quiet and shy child who would really have struggled today.

I would frame this as a question instead. What might the possible outcomes be for children who live in environments that fail to meet their physical, spiritual and emotional needs? Brain development is among other things a deeply relational process and children need parents who are not stressed to be able to facilitate this. There was someone on here the other day arguing that childrens feelings don't count; this is a good example of a brain that will develop in response to this lack or relational reciprocity. Parents are trying to do their best but we create environments that undermine them at every turn. Unfortunately emotional intelligence is in short supply so we will keep doing the same old things and this is only going to get worse. I agree also with a previous poster that pollution is likely to be a big contributor; if whales washed up on beaches are classed as toxic waste then one has to wonder what might be happening to the brain development of babies.

I wonder if it's at least partly due to the modern lifestyle being increasingly difficult to manage with ADHD. We much are more sedentary (difficult if you have ADHD), there is much more availability of entertainment (video games, binge worthy TV etc) that encourages procrastination, life is fast-paced (but not necessarily exciting), and we need to multi task more. I'm sure there are other ways in which modern day life exacerbates ADHD deficiencies, but you get my drift.

I guess what I'm saying is that there's a significant section of the population who's weaknesses have become more visible and who's strengths are less valued, thus creating a growing group of people who find life problematic.

@hamstersarse I've thought this for a while as well. I also think it's coupled with wanting to label and categorise and pathologise every aspect of the human experience. It must be pretty profitable, especially in the US, in terms of prescription medication.

Whose not who's X 2!!

This.

I suppose it makes a change for the thread to be questioning ADHD rather than ASD.

Thd real question is, what is the rise in number of these threads about? 🤔

I can’t wait for the armchair psychologists and child behavioural ‘experts’ to let us all know their thoughts. Again.

🙄

I don't have a diagnosis yet, but am on a waiting list for it. It was actually a Mumsnet thread that raised ADHD as a possibility in my mind - I'd never considered it before.

My whole life I have beat myself up about my shortcomings. Lateness, disorganisation, untidiness, forgetfulness, interrupting people, procrastinating, leaving everything to the last minute, poor self hygiene, difficulty cooking, to name but a few. Things I had NO IDEA may be linked to ADHD but I have felt immense guilt for - wanting desperately to change, wondering how everyone else could just 'do it', trying my hardest and failing at basic life things.

A potential ADHD diagnosis was like a light switched on to say I'm, perhaps, not just an incompetent human being - I may be like this for a reason. The difference of recognising that alone has made a world of difference to my mental health.

And I am so, so afraid that people will think I'm just jumping on a bandwagon or following a trend.