Has ADHD become trendy?

[RedRobyn2021]

Please don't burn me at the stake

But I've noticed for a little while now that loads of influencers on Instagram are suddenly saying they have ADHD or suspected ADHD

Also on parenting pages, almost every other post and they'll be a comment on there suggesting the persons child has ADHD

Is it just me?

Sorry if this is really insensitive, it's something I've wondered for a while

Oh good, this again. It’s been at least a day since someone said this so it was clearly time

Ffs

Sorry I didn't see the previous thread, I did try to look first

Maybe you have ADHD?

More seriously... as somebody whose life (certainly working life) is a dumpster fire thanks to undiagnosed/late diagnosed ADHD and Asperger's, the more discussion, articles etc the better.

Yeah my son feels trendy as fuck as he tics his way through his GCSE exams.

Ok trendy was definitely the wrong word to use, I'm sorry

I think what you mean, OP, is "has ADHD become more high profile, as more is known about its affects and behaviours".

The answer is yes, it has. Does everything who says they have it, truly do? Probably not. But it's great to have the awareness out there, for those that do.

Not trendy just more widely diagnosed and recognised
And believe me we still have a long way to go

No. Posts (and attitudes!!) like this are so infuriating. We’re just more aware of it, and so it gets diagnosed more often, and thankfully gets people the support they need. So yes more people will have it. It can be really hard for someone to live with ADHD, so it’s great that people are more aware. People dismissing it as ‘trendy’ is so damaging and will stop people seeking help for fear of seeming like they just want to be trendy. Lots of adult women will ‘suddenly’ have it and be getting diagnosed now because it wasn’t diagnosed often for girls (who normally masked), and many end up suffering with their mental health when suddenly trying to juggle life as an adult. So it’s great that many women are seeking help and getting support they need.

I'm bang on trend as got my official diagnosis yesterday.
I'm 50 though and it only just dawned on me that I am not a total twat but that I have ADHD. Once it was suggested it was like oh, right of course.
It wasn't a thing when I was at school I just used to get bollocked all the time for making mistakes and my family took the piss out of my useless. They still will but I can at least realise why I do twattish things.
Anyways good to be in the cool club.

My teenage child trying to commit suicide because of their mental health was shot to pieces by ADHD was so on brand and instagrammable
shame on you OP but I doubt you have any

I'm sorry that happened to your child, that is horrible.

I think like some of the other posters have said because it has become more high profile it seems like it is everywhere.

I do apologise for using the word trendy that was very clumsy.

Im sure my DD feels very trendy with her ADHD and associated anxiety, depression, self harm and inability to cope with mainstream school. I mean I haven't asked her, but I'm sure she does.

It's on my mind quite a lot because it's is being talked about a lot

There was a woman I used to work with and I am sure she must have ADHD, she used to get such a hard time from colleagues. I didn't know anything about it until maybe over the past year

Have you found that you've had must support since your diagnosis?

Horrible doesn't even begin to cover it
Nor does "clumsy"

There's more awareness of what it is and thus more people going for diagnoses.

Possibly there may more of it - depends if there some environmental factor involved - seen some research suggesting some evidence subset of populating struggle to clear some modern chemical more and they may be involved but not conclusively proven either way- plus hard to say given increased awareness if an actually increase is happening.

Plus there's a lot of self diagnosis - some of which will be correct and some of it won't be - but given waiting list times hard to avoid.

Ok I'm not sure what you want me to say. Should I ask mumsnet if they will take the post down?

No, it is not "trendy".
It is problematic, difficult, stressful and hard to manage. I teach increasing numbers of young people diagnosed with this, and believe me, they face significant challenges.
I would suggest op that you ask MN to alter the title, or perhaps delete the thread.

That's very interesting

Honestly OP you can do one. I'm 41 and have struggled with what I now know to be ADHD. For years I've believed it to be something deeply wrong with me but I'm now learning to understand how my brain works and how to work with it.
Of course, the absolute hell I've been through and continue to go through is so I can seem "trendy".
Ridiculous and unintelligent posy OP. You could have easily typed your question in to Google or looked on MN for the almost daily occurrence of this question.

I have a formal ADHD diagnosis and I actually think that you are right OP.
I'm old enough to have seem trends come and go.

Usually what is happening is that a diagnosis is getting recognized and therefore reported more and then there is a moral panic about over diagnosis.
So females with ADHD is a current theme, I remember when dyslexia had more air time etc.

It doesn't mean that the issue is fake but simply that media tends to hyper focus on one diagnosis at a time.

It was only yesterday so not yet! They offered me medication but I definitely don't want that. I've yet to talk to work about it but I think there will be really good. They are going to send me a report with lots of suggestions of different ways of getting support. To be honest the diagnosis itself is pretty helpful because it means it gets treated as a disability of work and they have to put in some reasonable adjustments. Also a bit like a dyslexia finding out that the reason they can't read isn't because they are stupid but because of a disability it's a bit like that

It's not trendy in my profession. I'd never dream of "outing" myself at work. My son is the same.

.

But if it gets to the point where a quarter of people are diagnosed then… it’s hardly ‘diverse’ is it? It becomes typical. And I know what you mean OP, it can’t be a coincidence that all these ‘influencers’ who need to feel current and compelling are suddenly neurodiverse - always self identified rather than diagnoses by a professional - and then use it to further their media with their cutesy ‘what my ADHD brain thought today’ posts.

If people can’t see that an aspect of neurodiversity (not all, and the usual caveats) is becoming a fashion then they’re in denial tbh. They seem able to critique transgender for the same reasons though