Does anyone think they DONT have ADHD?

[Frenchtoastie]

I keep seeing posts on instagram with various reasons why someone has ADHD and then hundreds of comments below reporting these people also have all of these symptoms.
Just wondering if anyone reads these and doesn’t relate to them? To me they are just part of being human, but maybe I am completely wrong and I have ADHD🤣

the posts generally include statement along these lines…

• I find it hard to get going or impossible to stop
• I can put off a tiny task for weeks but worry about it for hours but when I finally complete it it takes 5 minutes
• I can distracted and start cleaning after the shower and suddenly I’ve cleaned the whole house whilst wearing my towel
• Having a chair covered in clothes
• having multiple drinks on the go in the house
• needing a calender because if not I would forget appointments

Nothing in my post implied I was referring to you specifically or that I was writing off impact, you were doing that yourself.

lol agree, it seems people seek out and wear these labels with pride, publicising them as often as possible, mostly as an excuse to be lazy or behave poorly.

Then you should be more careful with your grammar and use words other than “you“ if you don't mean the person you are directly replying to.

But my point still stands that it is outrageous that you should write off other people's problems of living with ADHD as not significant in the way that you do just because they don't qualify for benefits.

Many people with diagnosed ADHD or autism in fact do meet the threshold of disability and are protected by the Act. Unless you are diagnosed, perhaps you shouldn't really be commenting and spreading BS.

Exactly, some people do meet the threshold, and some people don't.

No not really, we’re talking about the autism and adhd community as a whole not just you and you hadn’t said it was about you specifically so my post was pretty clear. Being protected by the disability act is not just about qualifying for benefits, odd you think it is.

You really are splitting pointless hairs.

Society manages disability just fine, it knows the criteria and legalities of the Equality act and acts accordingly. The same as it does with the vast majority of conditions that have a significant impact on life.

I don’t think I have ADHD. I do think I’d have been diagnosed with Asperger’s before they changed it to autism spectrum.
I don’t need a diagnosis, I’m happy carrying on with my “quirks”. It’s only since I’ve had my daughter that I’m looking at these things because we do think she has ADHD and possibly autism.

I would expect the majority of people with ADHD and autism to meet the legal criteria for disability. To get a diagnosis, you need have had clinically significant difficulties or impairments since early childhood. This overlaps significantly with the legal definition “substantial and long term adverse effect on normal day-to-day activities” . And please be aware - people achieving things does not prove they have no difficulties because you don’t know how difficult it is for them or how much they are hiding.

There are as many psychiatrists who believe the condition doesn’t exists as there are who believe it does.

British Psychiatrist

https://www.samitimimi.co.uk/

Tje reason this is important is because there can be a variety of contributing factors leading to the same behaviour. If we don’t confront this we will not change anything in our environment that contributes. And the pill sellers are the ones who profit.

Incorrect.

Most psychiatrists and major medical organisations recognise ADHD as a real, biologically based neurodevelopmental disorder. There is scientific and medical consensus.Leading psychiatric bodies classify ADHD as a legitimate neurodevelopmental condition.There is biological evidence and clinical endorsement. Neuroimaging, genetic studies, and neuropsychological research show consistent structural brain differences and a high heritability rate (roughly 70% to 80%).Research published by Cambridge University and mental health charities like affirm that the vast majority of clinical and academic experts view ADHD as a valid medical diagnosis rather than a social construct

Incorrect.

Most psychiatrists and major medical organisations recognise ADHD as a real, biologically based neurodevelopmental disorder. There is scientific and medical consensus.Leading psychiatric bodies classify ADHD as a legitimate neurodevelopmental condition.There is biological evidence and clinical endorsement. Neuroimaging, genetic studies, and neuropsychological research show consistent structural brain differences and a high heritability rate (roughly 70% to 80%).Research published by Cambridge University and mental health charities like affirm that the vast majority of clinical and academic experts view ADHD as a valid medical diagnosis rather than a social construct

You think that 50% of psychiatrists don’t think ADHD exists?!?!? That sounds incredibly unlikely.

The Royal College of Psyciatrists says (among many other things):

”The negative tropes claim that it’s a fashionable label, a social-media diagnosis, or just ‘medicalising’ ordinary distraction, but the evidence tells a different story. ADHD is well characterised, understood and responds well to treatment but there can be serious consequences for individuals when it goes unrecognised. Equally there can be serious consequences if ADHD is misdiagnosed or a comorbid condition missed or mislabelled as ADHD.”

https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/news-and-features/blogs/detail/the-rcpsych-blog/2026/08/19/adhd--your-questions-answered

Please link to the evidence. It’s hasn’t been scientifically biologically proven.

If it was there would be a blood test developed not subjective reporting of behaviour.

@Ikeameatballlunch Stop spreading bullshit

From the Royal College of Psychiatrists link I posted a few minutes ago:

”There isn't a blood test or scan that can detect ADHD, but that is not unusual in medicine. There is no blood test for migraines or depression, and Parkinson's disease and rheumatoid arthritis have long been diagnosed clinically by using a patient’s history, a thorough examination and defined criteria. What matters is that those assessing for ADHD are well trained and supervised, in a team experienced in the condition, its consequences and the conditions it can overlap with.
What we do have is substantial. ADHD is highly heritable and runs in families. Twin studies put this at 70–80%, comparable to height, though no single gene is responsible and environment matters too. Large international collaborations find average differences in brain functionbetween groups of people with and without ADHD, but these are group-level findings: invisible on an individual scan, and not usable for diagnosis. The World Federation of ADHD's international consensus statement sets out 208 evidence-based conclusions: whatever you think about ADHD, its scientific basis is not in doubt.”

Note that research such as this:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3016271/

was done pre raising of symptom onset from 7 to 12.

prior to that it was a known childhood issue that children grew out of.

It also originally did NOT include learning difficulties.

I know adults diagnosed who had zero issues at school.

But what is IT?

On the one hand it’s a lack of attention.

On the other hand it’s been explained as Hyperfocus

A young female relative has been diagnosed and is doing extremely well on medication (she was unable to function prior to this) and yet a friend trotted out something about “classic girl adhd” and listed some characteristics and none of those fit my relative. In the same conversation she described her sister (of a set of twins) as someone who now has adhd but the drugs didn’t work at all for her.

And frankly when ever I’ve met her sister I’ve met a very driven focused woman.

What IS it?

Two friends have described their diagnosis evidence as to do with how they clean their house.

That’s not adhd that’s a husband issue.

30-40% students at elite universities now claim extra time due to these apparent disabilities.

If they’ve got to these universities are they really struggling that much?

At Oxford university they said that they’re give 25% extra time to students with adhd( they then set an in house screening diagnostic test.

Nearly all the students qualified.

A neurodevelopmental disorder.

ADHD is prevalent in highly intelligent people, who manage to find ways to mask. Well, somewhat...

The inability to REGULATE your focus. Caused by lack of electrical activity in frontal lobe of the brain. This is why stimulants can help.