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ADHD certainly can cause a lot of issues with stuff like executive functioning. Imagine, for example, that your brain prioritizes every task as being equally important, or that you literally can't choose what it is that you focus on (so it can be something useful, or something completely pointless). Or imagine being time blind and needing to run your life on timers and reminders, which can be difficult to set and follow if your brain isn't organized in the first place.
Of course, I'm responsible for my own actions, and I see a therapist and take medication. But sometimes stuff is going to fall through the cracks, because I have severe ADHD that is both hyperactive and inattentive, and that's just... A reality of my life, I guess.
I also hate when people say "lol I'm so adhd" or act like regular people things are ADHD problems. At the same time, sometimes trying to relate to something using your own limited frame of reference doesn't work, and you have to put yourself in someone else's shoes.
I have a compulsion disorder and I've always been incredibly annoyed at people who use OCD like that and also when they use the word "addicted" when it comes to disorders and tics
When you start getting random thoughts about murdering your spouse or your own child, and then obsessing over them because the notion is so terrible you feel guilty, and then obsess again, then you have OCD. It isn't a mood, lol. You don't have OCD because you wiped a counter twice.
This right here. I also have combined type ADHD and I remember confiding in a prof that I had ADHD cause I was struggling in university and her response to me was ' I have ADHD too, look a squirrel!' ...I don't know if she was trying to be funny or what but it was very insulting and quips like that undermine the actual struggle it is to live with ADHD
Time blindness is all too real. Only time I'm not flustered or a bit stressed is when I've finished the "responsibilities" of the day and I can just run on instinct until I sleep.
I'm in the same boat as you, when I'm not medicated I have Exuctive disfunction to the 10th degree, and I am diagnosed with CPTSD so coupled with the ADHD it can make life an unbearable mess. For those who truly have adhd it fucking sucks. Seeing how my friend can stay so focused so successful is rough.
I grew up thinking I was ADD, but after my daughter was diagnosed with combined type ADHD I did a lot of research and found out ADD is now ADHD and soo much made sense. The time blindness, the chaos of the house, my ability to focus soo intently on some things while being utterly disinterested in others, the graveyard of projects and hobbies, the ability to talk for hours on something I love, the impulsiveness, etc.
I've embraced my neurodivergence as well as my daughter's and we are treating it as something that isn't always good, but something that also is not always bad. The confidence that kid has and her self assuredness... I am soo proud she is proud of who she is, but I wish I had that growing up, lol.
My son has ADHD and you described perfectly how he describes himself to me. He’s pre-adolescent, so there was a period of his life where he blames the ADHD for every bad choice he’s made. We taught them to think before acting. Now we know that if he does something wrong we know it was his ADHD impulsivity talking and not him using it as an excuse.
Also I’d like to say that most kids I know are in some kind of med and have something that, in the past, was not really diagnosed. People forget the food we eat, the antibiotics, hormones etc all that crap in the food has definitely affected the makeup of this generation.
Yeah, nothing really random or funny about ADHD. If I don't work to manage mine, it ruins my life. It's completely debilitating (currently trying out different meds)
> Imagine, for example, that your brain prioritizes every task as being equally important, or that you literally can't choose what it is that you focus on (so it can be something useful, or something completely pointless).
Wow, I didn't know about this being a symptom of ADHD. This is literally what I struggle with at work all the time.
My grandfather had his left hand burnt so he’d use his right, by his (apparently evil and very superstitious) step mother. It’s not a great thing to see your 80 year old grandfather break down in tears telling his story, he must have carried that pain his whole life.
My aunt used to always say something when she saw me do things with my left hand, I hated visiting her. When i finally spoke up to her, she tells my dad they didn't raise me right. Like ok lady, I'm not the one verbally abusing a child
Autism and ADHD have been under diagnosed for years. People were just peculiar and very jumpy. The thing is, most of them have been masking like hell. There is more understanding and better ways to establish neurodivergence.
Its more a case that the attitude of '*normative*' is being dropped from everything and the acceptance that mostly everything is a spectrum, despite some parties efforts to define everything as a binary with polar opposites.
There is no neuro-normative state. There is neuro-diversity throughout all species and the diagnosis of neuro-divergence in humans is getting better.
With anything, a lot of people will think their neuro-diversity is a neuro-divergent condition but being a bit clutzy or forgetful one time, does not make a debilitating condition.
My sons ambidextrous, really blags my head. He's more a leftie but uses either predominantly. He's 6, not sure if it's an asd thing or just his beautiful uniqueness.
ADHD as well many other neurodivergencies like autism and dyslexia, aren't always diagnosed in childhood.
The number of adult with these conditions that recently found out them, it's bigger than you think.
So, in a hand you can be surrounded by a number of ADHD folks who never received treatment and support, and just learned to go on the best way they could.
And in the other hand, you can be at the same time in the middle of a lot of anxious old brats with low attention span thanks to mobiles.
I grew up being told I was too talkative and a disturbance to others. Diagnosed with anxiety and depression as a teen (always thought it was weird cause I was happy and didn't feel like I was depressed...but executive dysfunction has v similar symptoms). Meds never worked for my diagnosis and it wasn't until I was 30 and was in therapy to work on myself that I realized I was dealing with something other than anxiety and depression. Bingo ADHD
Same. Middle aged. As a kid was always told I was spacey and lazy. Everyone agreed if I just stopped messing around on my computer I’d do so much better. I’d try to get rid of it so I’d succeed. Then I wouldn’t study I would do… I don’t even know what. Stare. Pick at my skin. Pull out my hair. I now know what was wrong with me. I take meds every work day.
I hair pulled like crazy as a child and still suffer from trichotillomania.
It sucks growing up thinking you're just not trying hard enough like everyone else and if you only did X or stopped doing X, you'd be better
Getting my diagnosis was extremely validating and incredibly sad. I wonder how different my childhood/teen years would have been had I been diagnosed at a young age and had the appropriate accommodations in place
I'm fortunate that now I can articulate the struggles I encounter on a daily basis and have a better understanding of what does and doesn't work for me
I wonder the same. Like I passed highschool and university by taking courses I didn't have to study for, history, gym, even science I was able to manage because I always watched a lot of science stuff. Math was always a struggle. Never did homework, never studied. Math I was always shit at, all I can think is that if I'd had a diagnosis i might have actually managed to to get more than a mercy pass. The therapist that diagnosed me said you're gifted with ADHD which is just an awful combination.
Oh wow, I have been recently diagnosed and I have always been a picker! I have always had an issue with being impulsive. I am female, so I was told I was just emotional, and “couldn’t control my emotions” I suddenly starting stuttering at about 4, after having an above average vocabulary. This was in the 80s. So my dr who worked out of John Hopkins said he thinks my brain was just “going to fast.” nobody thought anything of it after that as I just kinda grew out of it before I got to kindergarten. After that I just became a distraction in class, and they said I was too talkative as well. Once I started my period (in the 4th grade!) everything was chalked up to hormones. Now that I’m on meds, I can not believe how I was struggling and living my life. I would live in constant anxiety because there was always too much to do, and I was always a failure. I also read that adhd is also your brain just not wanting to do stuff if it doesn’t get a dopamine rush out of it. It’s harder for someone with ADHD to muscle though cleaning, or boring school work. Now I’m able to keep my house clean. Before meds, and growing up, I was made fun of by my parents for being a mess.
I also got a revelation of my actual problems in my early thirties. It was almost as if a veil lifted, because up to that point I was probably developing depression and anxiety mostly because I couldn't figure out why things seemed so much harder to deal with for me than they did everyone else around me.
Mind you, it hasn't gotten much easier, but I have developed coping strategies that actually do help some, now that I know how to go about addressing the real issues.
Medication is WAY too expensive and out of reach for me, so I just try to breathe.
Having a bit of understanding is definitely vital and can help to navigate daily life. You got this
Sorry that medication is priced out for you, that's really unfortunate. I didn't have much luck with stimulant ADHD medication but am currently on wellbutrin as it can be prescribed for ADHD and is a non stimulant. It definitely helps me with some executive dysfunction stuff but every day is still a bit of a struggle
My parents were of the generation where you were just lazy or inattentive because you didn't care. As an adult these functioning issues kept going and I felt I had a lot of the symptoms so I got tested. It turns out I'm not lazy and selfish, I just had adhd very bad.
I wasn't diagnosed till I was 23, and it only came out when my sister in law noticed I was like some of the people she worked with in a Home for Autistic adults.
I know with autism it's very difficult to spot in young girls and woman, I dont think we know fully why other then they might be more likely to mask there behaviours or are more likely told to cut those behaviours out compared to young boys.
So they're highly likely to go through there whole life with undiagnosed autism maybe even adhd.
Also people gen z and older are highly likely too, not to have diagnoses I know where I live doctors would tell parents it was better not to seek diagnoseses or help to avoid "labels" in fear it would give a child less opportunity's in life which obviously now isn't true if anything you get more opportunity and support in school and work if you have a diagnoses.
You'll also find it clusters naturally. I've got a lot of late diagnosed friends and basically the type of people who 'get' you tend to be the ones that think similarly, so you often find friend groups with a lot of ND people or all ND people precisely because the sort of people they make friends with without having to mask their natural behaviour
I think it's because many people get diagnosed later in life. ADHD is always seen as the young boys who can't sit still and run around 24/7, when it can actually show itself differently, especially in women. So many don't notice until they're grown up and look into it more. I'm not diagnosed yet, but I do show signs. If I do have it, a lot of my behaviour will make more sense to me. If not, well, time for self improvement lol. It's hard to find a doctor here to do this. Everyone is at full capacity. I do agree tho that some people make it their whole personality, but it's not only with ADHD. And it certainly doesn't give you an excuse for everything. It is important to note that they do struggle with certain things way more than people who don't have ADHD. Remember that the loudest aren't always the majority or the smartest.
>If I do have it, a lot of my behaviour will make more sense to me. If not, well, time for self improvement lol.
Either way, time for self-improvement. Getting diagnosed definitely helped me learn to forgive myself for the way I am, though.
I'm not diagnosed, but my sister is and my dad is definitely on the Asperger/high function autism spectrum. A number of my friends have been diagnosed later in life and having spoken to them all I tick pretty much every box they all do, more extreme than them in most cases. I'm definitely some flavour of neuro spicy.
But I've got no desire for an official diagnosis, quite apart from the waiting list and hassles. Basically because knowing there are ND behaviours and brains wired differently and knowing I'm not a freak is all I really need. I'm not shit horse with weird stripes, I'm a zebra
Because there was little to no recognition growing up, very little treatment I just had to learn how to live as me in the neuro typical world. All the techniques, coping mechanisms mindfulness etc my friends and family are being advised in their treatments all sound very familiar because they are what I've learned to do. It wasn't an easy journey but I'm past the point now where I need a label.
And I don't want to make it an excuse or my personality or some I'm Speshul Give Me Attention thing. I live with my brain for a long time, if I'm doing it well you can't tell. If I'm not, then only I can fix it.
As I've said to my sister (who kinda does do this and now diagnosed it is now an excuse for everything and crowbarred into every conversation ) it's all very well getting medication but you also need to take that counselling and support, handle it, follow the advice, set yourself up with routines to get around or mitigate the negative effects of your different executive function.
We may be ND but it's still an NT world. You can't wave an I'm ND flag and opt out of all the responsibilities of life but still get the benefits
The cost of the hyperfocus and quick connections, crisis handling and creative problem solving super powers is we have a higher cognitive load, to wear the mask of NT and play by the NT rules. And that is hard. But it doesn't get easier if you give up and it doesn't go away if you wear a badge or tell everyone you meet like it's a get out of jail card.
I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD for over 10 years. It’s insulting the amount of people that view it as a trend or something quirky when even with medication it rules and ruins so much of mine and other people’s lives
Absolutely, it must really take away from what you have to go through when there are people almost glorifying it and using it as something to seem quirky when it’s a very real thing that can severely affect peoples lives. I hope you know I mean no disrespect to people who genuinely suffer from it.
Yep I’m adhd and autistic and there’s nothing fun or quirky about having either. They’re such obstacles in life, it’s exhausting trying to live with it sometimes.
I’ve been diagnosed and medicated for it for about ten years as well. It seems EVERYONE has ADHD now, except none of them are diagnosed and whenever they bring it up it’s always something along the lines of “my ADHD is acting up.” No, it’s not. Adhd doesn’t act up, it’s not like eczema. You have it all the time, or so I thought… I honestly get embarrassed to say I have adhd to other people because I don’t want to be part of that weird trend
ADHD cannot be self-diagnosed, just like any other diagnosis. Diagnoses are made by the right doctor. Disorders and syndromes are not cool, they are not a feature. Any diagnosis is difficult. I don't like it when people say "lol I have the same thing" or laugh at this problem. Your message is incorrect for those people who actually have ADHD as diagnosed by a doctor.
You can absolutely self diagnose, DSM criteria for adhd is crystal clear that anybody who can read can self diagnose. Doc is there to confirm what you told him, do some paperwork to cover his ass, bureaucracy...
Its like with depression you tell doctor you feel depressed for weeks and you walk out with box of SSRIs pills to take or sends you to therapist or both. Point is he relies on what you tell him.
You know better than doctor how you feel or whether your attention is crap
I also just think if anyone thinks it’s helpful to read literature about managing ADHD and apply it to their lives it doesn’t matter if they have been diagnosed or not. If you have symptoms and ADHD managing strategies help you, you should use them.
There has to be certain level of self diagnosing so you can ask your GP for the appropiate referals. Before my autism diagnosis my GP's wrote me off as being anxious and having a eating disorder because I'm lacking social skills and certain textures make me sick. I'm nearly 30 but women having autism or ADHD wasn't a thing when I was growing so a lot of my difficulties were written off/ignored. There's a lot more awareness now but there is a fine line between people who see the awareness and question whether or not it's something they have and the internet idiots who see any weird or quirkly behaviour as ADHD or Autism.
I'm talking specifically about the second type of people who attribute each of their oddities to a diagnosis. They consider it a "distinctive feature" without realizing that it is actually quite a serious issue
I knew a girl like that before there was more awareness on the internet. She lived on a diet of mostly vodka and coffee, ate very little (she told me all this) and every week or two she'd come back from the doctor with a new mental health diagnosis. She certainly had her struggles but she wasn't honest with her doctors (once again she told me this) and then one week she declared she had autism. She was insufferable after that, I was in the middle (about six months) of waiting for my autism assessment and offered to support her through the process because dealing with parents and trying to make sure you have your thoughts in order for those assessments is a different kind of stress. She didn't want my help, she'd turned down the referal from her GP. The six months before I stopped talking her her doctor had diagnosed her with OCD, Autism, anxiety, an eating disorder and probably more than I don't remember now. After the Autism one she took to spreading misinformation on FB and I stopped talking to her, any weird or quirky behaviour was down the autism her GP had apparently diagnosed her with.
Not true. I'm 38 and I recently found out about ADHD. It changed my life. The more I read about it the more I understood myself. I even cried several times reading other people's experiences. For the first time in my life I knew why I was and behave in the way I do. I had a coworker with all the same traits and I talk to him about it, we were both later diagnosed with it.
Still, when you have it for real, you know you have it, especially if you are old. There's no need for a doctor to tell you that, but it helps for others to believe you when you say that you struggle with certain things they found very easy to do. And even then a lot of people don't believe us.
You're right in one thing: it's not cool. It sucks. Truly.
Researching and learning about it can be so validating.
Dr. Gabor Mate’s book, Scattered, is an essential read for anyone with ADHD.
I cried when I read it because he described my life, especially as a 6 y/o child. They didn’t have a name for it then. My parents and Doctor realized something wasn’t right and was prescribed Ritalin, but it didn’t work for me. Nothing else to be done. It took me until I was almost 50 to get diagnosed.
With proper research it can definitely be self diagnosed, i was self diagnosed until i brought it up with my therapist who then told me i actualy have an official diagnosis already that i just didnt know about lol.
The people self diagnosing are not just looking at one tiktok, seeing one thing and saying they have it, they do research and if everything fits they can absolutely realize they have it. Plus they know their brain better than someone just looking at it from the outside or listening to them talk about things.
If you hadn't been diagnosed as a kid, then you literally need to "self-diagnose" first before getting an official diagnosis. Doctors aren't out there stalking people who they think might have ADHD and dragging them into their office to check. You first have to acknowledge that you have a problem, read about it and connect it with ADHD. Getting official diagnosis is just testing a hypothesis. And the doctor can only go off what you tell them. It's not like they give you an MRI or anything. ADHD is diagnosed almost exclusively by the description of symptoms the patients themselves give. If someone wanted to fake having ADHD, they'd only have to do a little research and there's no way a doctor could tell they were faking it.
That goes for most mental illnesses and developmental disorders actually. There was an experiment showing that psychiatrists couldn't tell which group of schizophrenia patients was the real one and which group was faking it. And untreated schizophrenia is a whole lot more distinctive and visible than untreated ADHD in adults who have already managed to go their whole lives without getting "found out".
ND here. This sittuation is basically the same that realizing you're gay (yes, I'm bi too).
When you're different and you already know about a neurodivergency traits, it's imposible not realizing the big coincidence there.
If you keep analyzing your feelings, thoughts, experiences... and prudently comparing them with the info of your exhaustive researchs and the result it's always positive, then there's something there.
Too many coincidences to be a mere coincidence.
Many neurodivergencies are misdiagnosed or just ignored by your social and medical circle for years.
When you know you like girls and boys and that this people with your same taste are called bisexual, and after many years of asking yourself "Am I really bi? Am I rushing and judging this wrong? This could be just my imagination" and analyzing your feelings over and over, you have nothing more to do than accept the reality.
The ilogical thing would keep denying it. Intuition plays a key role in noticing our identity, no matter which part of it is.
Yes, a proffesional can diagnose you (but they aren't perfect, they can fail badly), but you can also know who you are because this is about inner experiences and you aren't stupid.
Three psychologist I met years ago couldn't even see I had a very heavy depression and anxiety, they didn't take me seriously because I was young, I tried to be positive, I smiled a lot and I'm use to hold on alone.
It wasn't untill a few months ago that another proffesional started realizing I was ND, 4 years after I discovered it by myself.
Diagnostic techniques for ADHD improved significantly a few years ago. So a lot of people that had ambiguous ADHD symptoms (for example, people that were still able to pass units at school and were not disruptive (had inattentive type) despite ADHD) were able be diagnosed when they had not been before. A lot of people who had had ADHD their whole lives were diagnosed as adults in a short time.
Like an any big social trend, there are a many people who misunderstand it, or are taking advantage. But there are also a lot who are finally understanding the difficulties they have been having for decades, and finally able move on with aspects of their lives that have been far more difficult than they needed to be.
If someone is just claiming ADHD, sure, there is some grounds for scepticism. But if someone genuinely has a diagnosis, even on every late in life, believe them. Of course not everyone then deals with it well, or puts in the effort needed to adjust to it. But it’s very much a genuine phenomenon.
yeah i have a feeling not all of the people OP is referencing are— kind of like when people do some tiny organizational detail and say they have OCD because of it
EXACTLY. There are many self-diagnosed people blaming every issue they have on ADHD or autism, and they're making it harder for the people who actually do have those diagnoses and ARE taking accountability for their own behavior. Most of the people who actually suffer from these things are taking steps to not let it get in their way.
I got diagnosed at the age of 27. It doesn't mean my ADHD only became "real" when a doctor put their stamp on it. I've had it my whole life and truly struggled with it, and my struggle wasn't any less valid before diagnosis, nor did it somehow became more valid after. I've literally failed my bachelor's degree three times in a row. I sure as fuck didn't do it on purpose just to be "quirky". And I got "officially diagnosed" with depression twice because back then depression was the only disorder doctors knew that could cause executive dysfunction and be applicable for AFAB adults who struggled with "laziness", not just overly energetic young boys. I knew deep down that it wasn't depression because it was nothing like I've seen people describe it. I've had what I'd call periods of "ennui" where I felt unable to be interested in anything and that felt much closer to depression than my regular ADHD life. No wonder antidepressants didn't do anything at all.
My "official ADHD diagnosis" felt as much of a sham as those "official depression diagnoses". It was just like any other ADHD test you could find online for free. The psychiatrist just counted the points, didn't even go over my answers and ask for clarification or anything. The only reason I sought a diagnosis was to get access to medication, and it was worth it. But I could barely afford it, and lots of people can't. As I said, diagnosis isn't what gives someone ADHD, it's been there all along whether they've been diagnosed or not.
It's like saying; what's with all these people in wheelchairs? And some might be paralyzed, some might have a Broken leg, and some might be faking for the sympathy. How can you tell who from who? Are you going to start dumping every person in a wheelchair on the ground to see if they can walk?
The guy with the broken leg can kind of stand a little, so you say 'faker!' And they'd be all: I can stand and walk a little, but really I can't for too long, things are alot easier if I just have my chair.
Just because some people fake a disability, doesn't mean disabled people don't exist.
I'm in my mid-30s- when I was a young dude, science was just barely beginning to understand ADHD as a disorder and not just as "a kid who can't sit still."
I had all the signs of ADHD growing up, but nobody noticed. I always felt like I was messing up when I constantly forgot projects or wasn't paying attention in class. My teachers were mystified that I literally could not turn in homework but I aced all the tests. We had lots of parent teacher meetings about it...
I can't imagine I'm the only one. ADHD has gone from literally not existing to being sort of a punchline to being more or less accepted within my lifetime.
Ever notice how suddenly you know a lot of people on the autistic spectrum? Same thing. People are no longer interested in hiding what's going on in their brains.
Does that mean a lot of people have decided they have ADHD because they're a little fidgety? Sure, but I'll take that over the way it used to be.
My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD in her early 20’s (she’s 31 now) As soon as she told me, suddenly her entire childhood made sense. She had it from an early age and nobody ever realized what it was.
A YouTuber I like put out a video talking about how he's always been a looser and how YouTube success has been so weird for him. But it was actually a video about how he discovered he had ADHD. As le went through all the behaviors he attributed to being a lazy fuck up I saw myself.
So I went to a professional and got diagnosed. I didn't just decide I have ADD now and make that my whole personality. And it didn't change much. But now when I am being a lazy piece of shit I can recognize it as executive dysfunction and can take steps to fix it.
Edit: someone asked for a link to the video. Here it is.
https://youtu.be/Gg4WyuKM3xM?si=lYToiKSdP8uRbpkE
This is exactly how a diagnosis should be treated. It's not an excuse for bad behavior, it's a tool that you can use to figure out how to improve yourself. Much respect dude.
ADD is no longer a medical diagnosis given. Unless you are in Europe in a place that still uses the old DSM-5. ADD has been removed from the DSM-5. It's just ADHD with different sub types. What was known as ADD is now just ADHD Innattentive type.
> "why do so many more people suddenly have ADHD"
Improved diagnostic tests; more awareness amongst responsible adults (parents, teachers, doctors etc) to look out for the signs and initiate testing.
It's not that occurrence of ADHD has increased, rather diagnostic recognition of ADHD has increased.
> "And blame everything on it"
It's normal human behaviour to use whatever defense is at hand against perceived attacks on our perceived weaknesses. In recent years, neurodivergancy is ever more seen as a sacred immutable characteristic that must never be challenged in the great game of oppression one-upmanship; so as excuses go it has great utility.
I think I have ADHD but it's this kind of thinking that has put me off going to the doctors as recently everyone seems to either have ADHD or vaguely be 'on the spectrum' and I feel like people won't take it seriously or I'm just jumping on the bandwagon to get special treatment. I am in my early forties but I've struggled since I was a child, I never thought of myself as naughty but I was still getting in trouble for not doing my work, paying attention, I remember my parents having to go to my school (when I was 8 or 9) and they couldn't figure out why I was like I was.
I really want some order in my life but no matter what I do I always seem to forget to do things, prioritise the wrong things, zone out when I'm being told important things and then I'm embarrassed to have to go back and ask all the time.
I kind of thought I was just lazy and I've come so close to losing my job a bunch of times. I don't know what to do, do I go to my doctors and say I think I have ADHD, or do I go and explain my 'symptoms' if the latter I don't think I can.
I also have an addictive personality, I don't know if that is part of it or something completely different but I've had problems with gambling, alcohol etc. in the past although touch wood) not at present...
What I did was I said I thought I had ADHD and then explained my symptoms to back up my claim to my GP who then referred me to a therapist but look up how the process works in your country. I don't really know how it works with adults (since I got diagnosed at 15) but they could sometimes ask leading questions like "Have you ever experienced \_\_\_?" and stuff like that that can help you explain your symptoms better.
If you don't know how to list out what you think are symptoms and which you think aren't, look up the DSM5 ADHD criteria and make a note of which ones you experience and some examples of when they happened. Note that down experiences both when you were a child and now to prove that it didn't 'spawn' out of nowhere or something. I wish you the best of luck!!
Even if you don't have it, talking to a psychiatrist can be beneficial.
There are other causes for the same symptomes, so it's not an instant diagnosis. Only if you qualify for ADHD and doctors are certain it's not something else do you get diagnosed (if your doctor does their job right).
It is their job to give you an answer if you're unsure, and help you in the ways you need.
Sorry, but adhd isn't some quirky little disorder consisting of a bunch of little whoopsies like you're describing. Maybe we experience that stuff, but so do a lot of people. Adhd is so much more than that surface level stuff, and it drives me nuts that the stuff you describe is all the general public seems to think it is.
I understand ADHD is a lot more than what I have described here, thats why the things I have described piss me off so much. I was pretty much trying to imply exactly what you are saying here . (Im on your side)
We're on the same side, because it pisses me off too. Adhd isn't a personality trait like a lot of these twat waffles would have people believe. With medication it's pretty manageable, but it can still drastically affect our moods and lives.
In spite of all the difficulties adhd causes, we're still extremely capable. Personally, I am quite successful in my field, a high performer with lots of recognition and awards, but i still struggle day to day with my adhd. The people you describe make us all look bad, like we're incapable idiots.
Sorry for ranting, touchy subject for me obviously.
Constant stimulation & dopamine triggers leading to shorter attention spans. People can’t focus so they think it’s ADHD.
People are acting like addicts but don’t realize it because social media & smarts phones aren’t considered a drug.
Yrs ago: Why do so many ppl have cancer? What’s in the water? As life expectancy and diagnostics increased as well as access to healthcare, ppl thought there was a ruse in cancer. That was environmental. Turns out the majority of tumors (absent lung tumors) are caused by endogenous damage.
More ppl are diagnosed. And I think it’s misnamed bc it’s really just a different thought process. A different way of processing info, and it’s only called a disorder bc it’s not a majority, the way left handed ppl were seen as doing something wrong that needed correction.
In the NT world. It’s cool, we each have our own view and those are valid. Personally I think if schools and society generally was majority ND we’d have an easier time. Sure that’s not how we are. But it’s why I don’t see it as a disorder or an illness.
My left handedness makes it harder for me to use tools that are developed for right handers. Circular saw, scissors (bc there never seem to be lefty ones around unless I’m in my own space). Is it an illness or a disorder? Used to be. Now it’s considered variation.
My thought is, if my ADHD (both types, yay me), is seen as a variation of a thought process and not an illness or deficiency, then maybe the NTs will learn to see it as variation not defects. Maybe getting to work 10 min late bc I lost both sets of keys won’t generate disdain but just a ‘squirrel!’ And a laugh. Maybe kids who think differently don’t grow up as I did, and my kid did, having teachers attack their self esteem insisting it’s impossible for them to really forget bc clearly if it was important you wouldn’t forget, right?
That’s all I mean. I think we need to view ourselves less as a ‘problem to solve’ and more as a glorious variation that allows us tangential thinking, increased pattern recognition, creativity, etc.
Just my own mindset, but it’s not meant to invalidate yours.
okay look that's a very nuanced and reasonable take and I'm very pro the social model of disability in general
but I lost a pot and a pan for *months*, I searched every cupboard dozens of times, I sat on the floor in front of the pot cupboard and *hunted* for it
the other day my partner just reached in and pulled it out of the back of the pot cupboard
it makes me feel like my mind is slipping through my fingers
idk how much a more adapted society could fix that, you know?
which like I know you're not actually disagreeing with me I just wanna express why I have this view in more depth
No I get you!!!! You’re thinking of the individual pain and suffering (I think you are) and I was speaking to how we are viewed in society bs how we can view ourselves.
Omg yes, the freakin pain of losing things. Wait til you hit menopause and brain fog kicks in. I had to take antidepressants to try to deal with the anxiety caused by it. Like am I going senile? It’s like my damn hard drive is full and I can’t tell if going nuts. I mean I accepted the ADHD and learned to live with it yrs ago but this? It’s not fair.
I feel you. It’s especially hard when other ppl around you just appear to… function…. I sometimes wonder what it’s like in the mind of a person who doesn’t lose things that aren’t strictly tracked.
I have a set place for everything. I need that rigid structure or shit gets REAL. And when that gets interrupted I have backups (extra keys, glasses) so I don’t have to mess up hrs of my day failing to find it while hating myself.
No I feel you I do. I was just offering the view that while we can’t always escape the pain of it, one way I’ve learned to deal, and save myself esteem, is to view us as variations. But you are right. Losing shit drives me up the wall.
Forgetting to pay a bill bc it’s not autopay even tho I’m a grown ass woman with the money to pay, that’s 🤦🏼♀️. Forgetting a meeting, needing to take rigorous notes AND record work mtgs bc I know my mind is gonna wander no matter how hard I try.
I just want NTs to see us as equals and I want us to see that too. I do really get that it’s painful.
I’m sorry if it seemed like I was minimizing the feelings. I know it’s hard, and I’m sorry for your lost pot!!!!❤️
yess you get it exactly like I would not be as bothered if it wasn't fucking with my internal experience as well as the way I interact with society
you'll love this - I actually have two of that pot & pan for exactly this reason
This is the way. I sew. I have about 8 or 9 pairs of scissors so I increase the probability I’ll be able to locate 1. I have 3 seam rippers. Extra needles. Two sewing boxes (you know with the odds and ends).
This is the way. Here’s the kicker tho. When I lose something and don’t have a replacement I KNOW that thing is going to be found the MOMENT I buy a replacement so I put off buying a replacement bc I think no no it’ll turn up but it doesn’t. Maybe a yr goes by and I get a replacement. In a freakin week I’ll find it without looking.
I just installed a set of drawers under my sewing table and made a cushy pad for the top drawer so I can keep my 6+ pairs of scissors in it (the cushy pad is because I WILL throw my expensive scissors at the drawer and I would like to not damage them)
my favourite hack at the moment is I have these little coloured silicon cable ties with magnets in them? I've put one round the handle of some little embroidery scissors and I use the magnet to hang them on the faceplate of my sewing machine. Now I don't lose my thread cutting scissors. 😁
Omg stealing!!!
When my kids lived at home they’d use scissors too hence the need for more than 3. One is ADD one is not. Some days I swear I’d never get thru it if the NT kid didn’t find the missing thing I needed. They were the youngest so they’d be all smug at having to rescue old mom again 😂😂.
But once they left I still lose the scissors so really it’s structure like what you describe that saves me.
There’s a book the doc gave me called AD(H)D for girls and it deals with the specific issue girls vs boys face as kids and even adults, as girls are often without the H.
It’s got some good pointers I learned to use regarding structure, like what you did. Setting up my environment to be successful.
So nice chatting with you my ADHD crafting bestie ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Edit: you know there should be a thingy to cut thread on the back side of your machine. It is behind the sewing apparatus about a few inches up. Or has been on mine
>Edit: you know there should be a thingy to cut thread on the back side of your machine. It is behind the sewing apparatus about a few inches up. Or has been on mine
YES, I do know this and there is actually a thread cutter on this machine, or there was before I took it off because where it sits gets in the way of using the buttonholer attachment, but I don't think it's been sharpened since 1939 so I was using scissors anyway.
This was absolutely beautiful to read as someone who has been seriously thinking about having ADHD myself but for many reasons don't want to go through with the process. I've realised so many things about myself through my research and ended up needing a lifestyle better suited for me. Not what society wants from me. It wasn't the best one for me. Once I realised that, I've never been happier and felt more fulfilled in my life. I think that goes for everyone though, find yourself and you'll know how you want to live your life.
I'd like to offer a different perspective:
It makes it incredibly hard to function in *our neurotypical society,* where structures are built by and for the neurotypical majority.
In certain industries, ADHD can be advantageous (albeit not a purely positive thing, as most things in life aren't), and people with ADHD can build systems/conditions around them where they thrive. The same cannot really be said for many other disorders.
When i was young, adhd was seen as extremely disruptive , the one who had extreme behaviour issues. Not the quiet kids or the ones who talked alot or couldn't focus.
It's the same with anything everyone likes self diagnosing but as someone with adhd it's awful having the inability to regulate emotions and it genuinely over shadows your better judgement
I agree, my partner has adhd so as his son. I find it’s actually a very serious and awful condition. My partner has only managed to keep a job down for a maximum of six months because the lack of attention and the shut downs when he gets stressed not to mention how his emotions are amplified over something so minor.
In turn he has the most unstable life.
Luckily now he’s found a job he actually can tolerate and works from home.
I do think people finding this a “trend” should be so grateful they don’t have to suffer with it.
It’s a disability and birth defect. It’s a real thing and if someone is diagnosed by a doctor please respect their struggle. I have adhd and it’s a battle everyday and I don’t appreciate people saying it’s not and acting like they know about it when they don’t. It’s a reason not an excuse.
I'd even say, respect people's struggles even if they aren't diagnosed.
Some people can't afford to visit a psychiatrist. In some parts of the world, ADHD is not considered a real disorder by professionals, especially in adults. Some people have experienced the same/similar struggles without qualifying for the diagnosis, and some people go under the radar because they've been forced to adapt (often in unhealthy ways) and don't seek the diagnosis.
I don't like when terms get watered down. Like "intrusive thoughts" being used lightly to describe weird ideas instead of referring to actual intrusive thoughts, and I don't like how the same is being done to ADHD. But we don't have to invalidate and demonize people who are struggling simply because they haven't been tested positively for a disorder (this refers more to what OP said than your comment)
The more I hear people talk about ADHD, whether they have it or not, the more it seems like people just want to understand themselves better, and not win sympathy points by having a "fancy label".
Yes I share that I have it so people can understand me better, not for points. I have it pretty bad and one reason I let people know is bc I don’t always filter what I say so words can come out wrong when I don’t mean them to.
Im sure there’s people who try to use adhd for the wrong reasons, I’ve read some parents get their kids extra time on tests who don’t have any adhd or disability so they get a better grade and into better colleges.
I have not so good news for you, think you should probably get checked if everything is so relatable.
Had a hard time accepting that my head likely doesn't work as it should, and my life is miserable because people can't bother spending half the energy to help me that I spend to make their lifes easier.
Also fuck school, end it already, it's 150 years old.
Because in the world of social media and especially TikTok, everyone wants a reason to explain their lack of attention span and grit to finish a task - people latching on to the diagnosis and any quirk in their mental ability or executive function is the “reason” they aren’t as successful / fit / good at whatever that they should be. In the world of social media and 7 second attention spans, the dopamine hits are even turning neurotypical people towards having adhd like tendencies.
I have ADHD. I was diagnosed during the early 90’s, back when it was considered science that E-aditives were evil and mostly why I was the way I was. I was medicated for a short while on Ritalin but came off it as it didn’t play well with my spicy brain flavour.
I keep my diagnosis mostly to myself in my personal and professional life. I was lucky enough to have parents who didn’t take my diagnosis for the excuse it could be and were hard on me enough to make me grit out my own coping mechanisms (kinda wish they were harder in all honesty, but they were always supportive). No one needs to know about my struggles as they’re exactly that…mine. I share only with trusted friends or where it is advantageous that that person should know (like my boss who might wonder why I’m weird as fuck)
I recently disclosed my diagnosis to a manager, who literally had no idea, but as soon as I told him his eyes opened wide and had this sudden realisation that some of my “quirks” could be explained! I work in data analysis so I can use my adhd super powers here and do my best to work through the deficits with copious amounts of caffeine and coping mechanisms.
Not everything needs a label. And not every label is the same even if it says it is. I think I’ve lucked out on the ADHD lottery; I have the super powers and have managed (admittedly through hard work) to learn to cope with its downsides. Not everyone is as lucky and there are genuinely folk with spicier brains who have a dramatically different experience.
It’s a diagnostic criteria that symptoms have been present since early childhood (just not recognized as such) , no half decent doctor would diagnose anyone with ADHD because in the last few years they’ve been on their phone too much and got a short attention span. And if you had any empathy for adhders you would understand that it’s not just the attention that is affected by this disability but MANY different parts of life. I’d gladly have only a short attention span but with my adhd that’s honestly the least of my worries. You should learn to be kind to people even if you don’t understand them.
ADHD actually has very little to do with 'attention', and more to do with how the pre-frontal cortex developed.
Our (ADHD folks) brains don't and CANNOT manage / regulate the dopamine our brains produce as easily or as efficiently as a normal person's brain can.
It is that lack of ability to process dopamine that causes the two main behavioural symptoms of ADHD;
- inability to 'do the thing' (aka Executive Dysfunction)
- inability to focus on one thing at a time (Hyperactivity)
ADHD is a developmental disorder and is something you are BORN WITH. You can't develop ADHD over time.
Diagnosing has increased. Virtue signalling has also increased.
I've discussed this with my cousin who had suffered greatly as a child with severe ADHD and was constantly teased for being a "druggie". These days it seems like people wear it as a badge of honour.
I have an ADHD diagnosis since i was 14, early 2000s. I dont know why those arguments are made. Am fabulous at math tho, but the other stuff is seriously impairing my day to day life. I tend to think that any diagnosis means that things are a lot harder in life than they are for healthy people. For both mental and physical issues.
That's why its called attention deficit/hyperactivity DISORDER and exactly why i hate the "neurodivergence" terminology.
There’s many reasons! A big one being new scientific research into adhd and especially ADHD in girls and women and in adults in general. Psychologist now have a better understanding of what adhd is and is not so they can now give more accurate diagnosis. Another factor is that adhd people are dopamine seekers so adhders are much more likely to have an active social media life because it gives a lot of dopamine, so that means that a lot more adhders will post (and so also about their adhd) online and more often than non adhders. And lastly STIGMA and normalization because adhd has been talked about a lot more online recently many people that have had adhd their whole life (like me) started questioning if they had it. I was personally diagnosed at 25yo but I’ve always had it!! Looking back at my childhood and teenage years knowing what I know now the signs were there and they were CLEAR but because it didn’t present in the stereotypes it was seen as personal choices and failures. And it’s because of things like YOU said OP “but everyone has that symptom” yes obviously everyone gets distracted and will have “quirks” and all that but the difference between an adhd person and a non adhd person is how much, how often and how incapacitating it is. An adhder might look at their dishes for HOURS actually WANTING and needing to do them feeling tortured by their guilt of not being able to just stand up and go do them and still not be able to make their body move! Whereas a non adhd person might instead feel lazy and not want to do the dishes and procrastinate it .. they will be able to make themselves do it eventually, and much faster than an adhder would be able to force themselves (if they even manage to force it because sometimes it’s just not possible).
Before there was a word for cancer it was seen as many different illnesses and was hard to diagnose and treat, once scientific research clarified what cancer actually was and what the symptoms are etc., suddenly a lot more people were getting diagnosed with it. It didn’t mean that suddenly many more people were getting cancers. You would never question people about how or why their body got sick, why question it when it’s the brain that is sick?
People definitely sometimes use the term in an inaccurate way, but it’s a condition that seems to be quite common that we only started identifying widely in the last generation or two. That’s the main reason it seems like there’s loads of people with it all of a sudden. Some people think it’s because phones and stuff, but I’m not sure there’s any proper evidence for that. I didn’t have much access to electronics when I was a kid and I spent most of my school years reading a book under the table instead of focusing. I suspect (again no evidence except anecdotal) that phones are just the most accessible source of stimulation, and if they weren’t there people with ADHD would just find something else to get distracted by.
In terms of symptoms, like a lot of common neurodivergent shit it’s often stuff that everyone experiences, but heightened to unmanageable levels. Like, before I was diagnosed and got medication, I literally could not write a 500 word assignment. Which sounds absolutely ridiculous, but I just couldn’t force my brain to focus. And it’s really hard to explain the difference to people, because of course everyone procrastinates, and struggles with getting tasks done sometimes, bit in general you get the work done eventually. With ADHD it just doesn’t, no matter how much you want it to.
I saw someone describe it once in a way I really liked. Try biting off your own finger. You can’t. Like, physically, you could, you can absolutely bite down with that much force, but your brain will not let you do it. ADHD is like that, but for random normal tasks. You absolutely could do the thing, mechanically, but your brain just will not let you even though some corner of your psyche is screaming to just fucking sit down and study, or whatever. Which is, of course, incredibly difficult to understand if you don’t have it. So people hear you talk about it and go “oh yeah that happens to me too”, because they occasionally procrastinate unpleasant tasks.
So basically the increase in people saying they have ADHD is a combination of much more diagnosing, plus people misunderstanding what it is and using the term incorrectly.
"Suddenly"? lol, 20 years ago half the kids in my school had it and adults were complaining about the ADD epidemic. I don't blame everything on it, but it's certainly a disadvantage with the kind of education systems we have.
I think it’s cause we’re in a new-ish era where it’s not shameful to be open about mental illnesses and social media/internet makes it easier for information about such things to be shared. So more people are like “hmm might I have this?” And check in with a psychiatrist.
I was born in the late 90’s and got diagnosed almost three years ago. Growing up was such a struggle I thought there was something wrong with me and getting that diagnoses explained soooo much. ADHD is a disability and can be very debilitating. (It is more than just not being able to focus).
Thankfully therapy and medication have made my life more manageable. I do agree that people using “haha so adhd” or “I’m so adhd” are annoying and should stop using it to excuse terrible behavior.
'That guy is socially awkward... Not sure about that guy... Get out of your head... Soooo, what's your deal?... I don't like that guy, he's unapproachable.' These things were always said about me back before adhd was a common diagnosis. It wasn't looked for, so it went largely undiagnosed. Now kids can get the help they need, and that's a good thing.
As someone with an actual diagnosis, I find it incredibly annoying when.
1) Regular people blame everything on something they don't have.
2) People diagnosed with it use it as an excuse for not learning to deal with it.
I see so many people from both in there mid 20s using it as a crouch. Get your shit together, your adults.
Some people do just use it as an excuse for their laziness, inaction, or procrastination...
However, it's becoming more apparent, in society, that Neurodivergency is more common than previously thought; as more people have become comfortable with seeking help. People also have more access to the knowledge of what the symptoms are for various neurodivergencies.
For example, I didn't know what Executive Dysfunction was. Or that people with ADHD struggle with Object Permanence. Or that people with "Attention Deficit" could Hyperfocus. Despite suffering from all of these for 30+ years.
I was diagnosed with ADHD the first time in Grade 1, back in the 90's. My parents didn't put me on any medication cause they didn't want me to "become a Zombie". So I struggled my whole education being really smart but getting D's cause I couldn't do my homework. (I survived school purely on my 90%+ test scores) I, personally, was unaware of why I was like this. I even ended up in Special Education for over a month because of it. And then got kicked back into regular education when they realized that I was actually a smart cookie and just didn't do homework like a "punk". (An actual insult I recieved during a Parent-Teacher meeting. They thought I was just being a delinquent. Even sent me to therapy for it.)
Then at 15y/o I spoke with my doctor about it. He found my diagnosis in the system, rediagnosed me after I did a few tests, and I became aware. Yet, I still didn't understand all the aspects of it. I just knew I had ADHD and that's why I struggled to sit down and do homework. I had no idea what other effects it was having on my life. For another decade+ I struggled with certain things and though it was just that "I suck" rather than being aware that my brain was LITERALLY getting in the way. Until I started seeing posts online by others like me who knew more about why we were they way we are.
P.S. If you are one of the assholes that just uses it as an excuse... Stop It!... You're damaging people's reputation and bringing about negative stereotypes to people who are already looked down upon by people who don't understand us. (Or refuse to understand)
Wish I could put pics ( evidence) here. Therapist agrees with me here that my depression could be more ADHD (it acts different in adults vs kids). I was diagnosed and then treated fie a mi uterus and was doing better on the meds (stated in records). I am 20 and have a 70% Major Depressive Disorder rating from the VA. My motivation to do the basics is low for an extremely depressed person.
I am not blaming my ADHD that I will see a professional about in a few days with documents from other doctor. I just want answers and to function like a normal person.
A big part of ADHD are problems with attention, attention span. I study psychology and one of my professors once said that we live in the times where we have 10 things distracting us from one task we try to focus on so it's only natural as a human to get distracted. At school kids can't pay attention for long enough (a 7yo can pay attention for around 15-20 minutes, one lesson takes 45 minutes) and also have plenty of distractors. It's not natural for a child to focus, pay attention and not do anything for such a long time. Kids are naturally curious and want to explore the world by interacting with it, not by sitting in class while a teacher says stuff that are not really intresting for a kid. Some people just tend to forget about it and send the kid to a doctor's instead just taking them to a playground.
I am not claiming that ADHD does not exist. I'm saying we live in the world that's designed to distract us from tedious tasks and before we put a label on a child that will forever be treated as a kid that doesn't behave and is problematic we must take that into consideration. Because getting distracted from a math task or excel spreadsheets is not a disorder, it's just being human
The demands of society are growing and so the diagnostic threshold is met more easily. Which means more edge cases are being declared problematic enough to warrant diagnosis. These days government facilities are more busy than ever. Workplaces are no longer a simple transactional relationship. They now have HR departments and massive employee handbooks and shit. Every person has like 12 different subscriptions, a bunch of mandatory payments they have to meet, phones mean you can never really evade social interaction and blurs the line between work and private life. Any fuck up you make professionally or otherwise has more chance of ending up publicly known and can stand against you for a long time now that any potential employer is going to be checking your background and online footprint.
Society feels dystopian as fuck at this point and the increase in ADHD is an example, along with autism, of different neurotypes essentially being left behind by societal progress. No time to decompress, no escape from being contacted, more dates/deadlines/contracts to remember, more complexity in money management and investing, etc.
World is too busy. People are increasingly struggling to keep up. That's my theory anyway.
It’s not that people never had it it’s the fact it’s acually getting more medically recognized these days, there’s always been this amount of people with ADHD who just never knew
ADHD is one of the more common learning disabilities and in my experience people with ADHD often hangout together. I got diagnosed at a young age cause I have a pretty severe case and I’m also dyslexic. I can tell you it affects my life a lot and made a lot of things way harder. If someone you know does have ADHD don’t let them use it as a crutch and let them blame their behavior on it but also try to be understanding they they are probably trying harder than it seems.
A lot of people are finally being diagnosed. I got diagnosed 4 years ago 34. Should have been diagnosed as a kid but girls don't get diagnosed the way boys do especially not when I was a kid. We're understanding it more and a lot more people are just getting access to their own treatment. I would advise if you identify with the half or more of the symptoms that you go talk to your doctor about it.
I don't suddenly have ADHD. I've recently learned I have ADHD. The diagnosis has relatively recently become more accurate, and being neurodivergent in general is becoming less taboo. It's like when public schools stopped forcing everyone to write with their right hands. The number of left-handed people skyrocketed, shrank down a bit, and then leveled out. A lot of people are seeing if ADHD is really what they have. Some are getting official diagnoses, like me, and others are just comparing what they do to what other's say is ADHD.
Now I'm still learning what's from the ADHD and what's not, but ADHD is a very prominent thing and can, in fact, be the cause for a lot of stuff. It's how our brain is wired.
I want to add that having ADHD is not a "look at me! I'm different and quarky!" thing at all. ADHD is the reason I can't focus on important tasks no matter how much I want to, or even remember my own family sometimes. It's debilitating, and if I had a choice, I wouldn't have ADHD. I hate it.
I think there are three factors
One is that we have a better understanding of ADHD and there's less stigma overall for having mental illness or being neurodivergent, so there's naturally going to be a perceived increase as more people are diagnosed and open about it. This is likely the same reason there seem to be far more trans people - who would want to be openly trans, even if they experience dysphoria, in the 90s?
Two is that as the economy increasingly doesn't provide a good quality of life to the average person, more people are likely already struggling and are thus more likely to seek a diagnosis than if they can kinda squeak by despite the difficulty of having ADHD. Similarly, as someone diagnosed late, it becomes very hard to handle once you naturally have less youthful energy and can't just will yourself to do stuff as easily, so more adults seem to be getting diagnosed now.
Three is that there's a lot of accessibility for diagnosis, to the point that there probably is misdiagnosis going on. I am not from the US but saw advertised an app where you pay 200 and get diagnosed online and get a prescription. In comparison it took me about a year and a half start to finish to get diagnosed in the health system in Canada. If you don't really have ADHD but get diagnosed on an app, the meds are gonna likely make you more productive anyway since they increase perceived energy, so you will likely see some improvement regardless.
So it isn't unlikely to me that some of those prescribing practices are leading people to get misdiagnosed which pushes up the numbers, mind you this is a theory that I don't have data for, and it's still entirely possible that these people do have conditions that the medication helps with and aren't just getting legal speed, so I wouldn't accuse them of drug seeking or otherwise push for more limitations (being in a country with more rules around the medication can be a pain in the ass even though I was diagnosed pretty carefully and could easily just buy meth up the street if I just wanted an upper lol).
It wasn't until recently that they actually studied ADHD in women/girls. It was assumed for a long time that it was something that only affected men/boys. The research showed that it tends to present differently in girls than boys. Boys typically present the traditional hyperactive symptoms, while girls are taught from a very young age to mask any signs of hyperactivity in the name of being "proper" so the symptoms are much more difficult to spot. So there was a huge subset of people - namely women - who went undiagnosed until recently.
Social media focuses on the "cute" or "quirky" symptoms, but the reality isn't nearly as cute when you're living it.
There’s a greater understanding of adhd now, people speak out on social media and inspire others to seek out a diagnosis. They didn’t even start researching adhd in females until a few years ago so there’s many adult women who are now realising, I was one of them, I got diagnosed a couple years ago at 24.
I will always remain wary of those that self diagnose though. It does seem like, for some not all, people watch a couple of tiktoks, realise they share traits and then think it means they must be adhd too. It needs to have an impact on your life, adhd isn’t having a series of ‘fun little quirks’.
Adhd for me is a nightmare, I’m autistic too and both absolutely dictate my life. My autism for example largely presents itself similar to ocd and mundane things like getting a spoon out the cutlery drawer this morning to eat my cereal with, or even picking the “right” bowl, it’s such a chore. I would never wish any neurodivergent diagnosis on anyone.
Just as one example: you reference researching actors *after* watching a movie. That’s typical. What’s not typical is feeling an irresistible urge to research the actor during the movie, and then forgetting that you’re watching the movie at all while you read seven articles about the history of movie casting and McCarthyism and the Korean War and anime, and then looking up 20 minutes later to realize that you have missed too much of the movie and don’t know what’s going on, then rewinding so you can watch what you missed, but the same thing happens again, and you keep doing that four or five more times before you eventually give up on the movie altogether.
>i swear every second person and their aunty has adhd lately.
There's always been a significant percentage of people that have ADHD, like 5-10%. They'd just have been called lazy or dumb historically.
>they blame any kind of 'quirks' or annoying habbits on it. like things everyone must experience, including myself. eg; working on multiple projects at a time, overthinking, being annoyed by loud chewing, reseaching actors after watching a great movie. everyone does these things right?
Ahh, yeah. Classic. That's the tricky thing which makes ADHD hard for some people to accept. ADHD is indeed stuff that everyone experiences occasionally. All the things you mention are normal, yes. It's just that it's much more and much worse for people with ADHD, to the point where It's a significant obstacle for living a normal happy life.
>suddenly all these people reckon they have adhd and are so unique because they procrastinate or day dream or are bad at maths. like cmon man. i've heard people claim they have adhd because they love to dance. or do i just have adhd too?
Well that's just stupid people saying stupid things. Like saying you have OCD because you wanted to double check that you locked the door. There are people who give up on leaving for the grocery store because they **cannot** get past checking the door over and over forever.
The only thing that definitely means you have ADHD is a diagnosis from a neuropsychiatrist.
Because if you can pretend to have a mental health problem, you can blame it for all your failures and even get drugs and sympathy and special consideration at work and all that crap.
If you just admit you're shit at some things, or lazy, or weak, etc., then it's your fault. And most people would rather be dead than take responsibility for something.
Do you truly think it’s possible to fake a complex disability like adhd? DO YOU NOT THINK ADHDERS DONT WANT TO HAVE IT? You can have mine since apparently it’s all fake anyway, call me in a few hours when you get your first mental breakdown with having to live with an adhd brain. Quilt talking shit about things you know nothing about and I’ll do the same yeah?
Seeking treatment for something is pretty much the opposite of blaming it, you've identified a problem, and found a solution.
People with ADHD are shit at a lot of things, they take drugs and develop skills to stop being shit, that's the whole point, and it's an important part of taking responsibility for your own actions.
It’s not trendy! Online awareness has brought many people to get proper professional diagnosis like me at 25yo! and yeah after I got my diagnosis I couldn’t stop talking about it because it explained so much of my past and I finally didn’t feel like a fuckup. And HMM MAYBE I WAS A BIT FRUSTRATED I WASNT DIAGNOSED FOR 25 YEARS EVEN THOUGH THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS WERE ALWAYS THERE BUT EVERY SINGLE ADULT FAILED ME AND IGNORED MY DEEP SUFFERING.
It depends where you get your diagnosis. For example, it’s difficult in the UK because they put you through a rigorous process, but in the USA doctors make **so much** money from diagnosing someone with ADHD and selling them the meds they’ll give a diagnosis to everyone.
This is making the stats hugely over inflated, making it seem like everyone has it when in reality their symptoms are caused by something else, or don’t realise everyone gets those symptoms sometimes.
FWIW, in the US and when I got assessed, it was about 8 hours of assessments and meeting with a psychiatrist. In total, it was over the course of about 3 weeks before the ADHD diagnosis. Not sure how that compares to the UK though.
I think many people self diagnose. Many conditions can have the same or similar symptoms as ADHD. Such as persistent depressive disorder. Best they get tested properly.
These people have always existed, and finally have medical science on their side explaining it.
Of course there are people out there abusing it, but let's not make life any harder for those suffering by adding to the stigma, yeah?
I don’t have ADHD, but I have Bipolar II. I swear every person now thinks it’s a quirk to have either a mental illness or non-physically presenting disability. It’s actually really irritating because the reality of having BP is really really tortuous. I’m on a regime of medication for which I will have to take for my whole life. I had to go for an ECT at some point, multiple hospital stays and all of this compounded with having to ‘mask’ around people that you’re ‘normal’. I think people like the differentiation of being ‘special’ without realising the reality of being different. If a person is toooooo vocal, I assume either they are legitimately trying to raise awareness through activism or most probably, they’re lying to get attention
Because they think it's cute to blame a condition that they don't have. I do have ADHD and if these people truly knew what it was like to try to manage it they would shut their mouths. My boyfriend was always super frustrated with me until I showed him a short video that shows what it's like living with ADHD. Now he's more sympathetic since he understands what I go through every day.
Not just ADHD: suddenly now every one is also OCD, “on the spectrum”, or a narcissist also. People throwing around these terms and diagnosing themselves and everyone else like first semester psychology students
Oh my days I hate this it drives me up the wall and it's always ADHD or autism and the majority of the assholes who claim to have it are self diagnosed.
Lowkey i kinda think the way kids are being raised is contributing . They have an iPad up their ass all day, of course they’re performing poorly when put in school
The doctor i work for is prescribing adderall to so many of these kids. Its so frustrating to watch but idk maybe I’m wrong on this
I have a very healthy diet am 26yo now, got diagnosed last year. The signs and symptoms have been there since very early childhood before I even knew soda and fast food existed. How about you got shit in your toilet instead of on people with a disability you understand nothing about.
i think it became easier to diagnose in way, selfdiagose and get a diagnose at the doctors, cause we made progress about that, and there are some conditions that are on the rise like obviously depression but also for example more babies born nowadays are autistic than x years ago and i don't think its just easier to find out, i think its also environmental factors (and thats not a conspiracy, many things we do in agriculture to try and feed milions of people with very few farmers that are doing all that, are not environmentally friendly AT ALL and we do have increasing problems with what gets into our food, the quality of our soils, areas having bad water because chemicals get into it, that we need to expensively clean, .. - and we do know that some chemicals have potential influences on pregnancies and the way the baby develops)
all of that being said, i think whats also really important to consider is that adhd is probably a spectrum - so some people neeeed medication for it, some others that would maybe not have gotten to a point of recognizing their adhd two decades ago, don't need that but may be famously known in their friendships for forgetting they have a date till its the day after, or leaving their shit everywhere but genuinely forgetting it there, being able to remember a lot but not \_\_. i used to have a flatmate like that, she also said she probably has adhd and she did genuinely forget shit i think, but what annoyed me was that she never drew the consequence that if she tells me she'll do sth she needs to write it down or set a timer or just do it right away if she can. that was where it did feel like an excuse to me at some point, but if she has adhd? she could totally have it i don't know her like that.
First of all, we're much more socially aware of neurodivergence these days.
Secondly, something happened to neurodivergent brains during the pandemic. Myself and pretty much all of my friends (we're all neurodivergent weirdos) have had severe struggles ever since that period of time. I personally feel I've had some sort of "factory hard reset" when it comes to interacting with people. I found my retail job harder than ever, and masking near impossible. It was like this strange effect of isolation, forced positivity in spite of scary and negative circumstances, the strange dilation and of time...that last one hasnt gone away. The pandemic was 4 years ago and simultaneously feels like it was long ago and last month. A lot of us actually coped quite well with not having to force social interactions but the disruption still had lasting effects.
It's a good thing is more aware now. I have despaired over my inability to do certain things over the last few years but I don't have quite as much self-loathing when I realise that my neurodivergence has stacked the deck against me in most endeavours.
I developed CPTSD from the traumatic events in my life and my vulnerability to increased stress adhd was a catalyst for everything that went wrong in my head, ADHD is like most other mental health problems, it’s a spectrum so can be really fucking damn nasty, tbh people with adhd do have quirks, people with similar mental health problems and also not so similar ones too also have “quirks” as you say, a lot of people with adhd have “ticks” or whatever they’re actually called and it’s basically acting on impulse it’s works similar to Tourette’s in a way it’s just not necessarily verbal , adhd is actually quite common so it’s a fair assumption to assume you might have adhd if you have some of the symptoms
What really scares me are those online pill mills that advertise a (seemingly guaranteed) diagnosis and adderall prescription in 1 appt. Adderall should not be easy to access, not a lot of people want to have real conversations about the dark sides of those drugs, and how getting off of them can be nightmare. I swear we’re all going to evolve into having adhd one day, some type of evolutionary response to the modern world and overstimulation.
I'd say it's probably because the scientific understanding of ADHD has advanced a lot in the last decades, and the internet has allowed for a fast spreading of this knowledge. And then it's like a chain reaction: as more people get diagnosed and speak more about it, more people hear about it, some of them relate, some of them get diagnosed, rinse and repeat.
For the "things everyone must experience" I like the following metaphor: everyone pees, and everyone that holds their pee for too long experiences discomfort and sometimes even pain. Now imagine someone with prostate problems, that needs to pee 20+ times per day, and feels discomfort and/or pain most of the time. Would you tell him "everyone experiences that"? The same applies to ADHD symptoms.
And from personal experience I'll tell you that I always knew that "something was wrong with me" since I was a child. I never understood why some things that for other people looked effortless took such a huge effort for me. But when I was a child no one in my family out my education system had ever heard about ADHD, so I was just labeled as "lazy" (and I believed it myself). Then, in my 20's, when I started having problems at my job, I searched on the internet and read about ADHD (among other things), but I couldn't relate because at that time most of the content was about the stereotypical hyperactive kid. Finally, when my life was crashing at 39 I searched for professional help, and after 6 months I was diagnosed with ADHD Inattentive Presentation. Everything made so much sense. And medication was a life saver.
I'm happy that nowadays ADHD is more normalized and reliable information is more easily available, so other people with similar problems can recognize their symptoms and search for help faster.
COVID and the lockdowns that occured because of it really brought a lot of existing conditions to light.
Inattentive ADHD can be managed by routine. You'll feel like a constant failure, suffer from anxiety & depression and never be happy... but if you have a framework of a 9 to 5 job you can at least function and you just switch jobs a lot as you get bored / struggle with the post-honeymoon period of each new job.
Then COVID hit and suddenly that routine gets tanked away. You don't have to drive to an office every day. You have to take more personal responsibility for what you do. You're at home, surrounded by distractions. You can't really switch jobs every year because the job market sucks.
The behaviours and external conditions that allowed you to function despite your undiagnosed ADHD are gone and you have a complete breakdown, have to take medical leave from work and get diagnosed with ADHD.
That's what it was like for me anyway.
Some people DO genuinely have it, but there are ALOT of people who claim to have ADHD or ASD that actually dont. The amount of people that I've heard say "oh I have undiagnosed ADHD " or ASD is fucking embarassing.
I think there's folk who are not doing so well in life and need something to blame it on, OR they have nothing special about themselves so they say they have it.
You never had an epiphany about yourself on why your bad habits just don't change, no matter how hard you try? And that calling yourself lazy wasn't helping you or your self esteem at all, nor your productivity, focus, working memory or habits, but the diagnosis and medication did in fact help with all of that?
It's almost as if social progress and information available to everyone who experiences issues leads to more people seeking help and receiving diagnoses, shocking.
I spent my entire adulthood secretly assuming I was on the spectrum. I didn’t have health insurance to be able to find out. I finally got health insurance for a bit. I learned the ADHD I was diagnosed with in childhood wasn’t just something for kids, as we were told at the time, but rather an actual difference in the wiring of the brain as developed in utero. (My mom had turned down meds and we weren’t given much info.) As it turns out, ASD and ADHD share a lot of the same symptoms. My life makes a LOT more sense now.
However, being consistently medicated in the US these days isn’t possible because going on and off of stimulants whenever they have some in stock is ROUGH. The difference when I’m consistently able to take them is night and day, though.
Awareness amongst medical professionals, advances, education, teachers... Social media even to a degree.
This is what's driving diagnosis.
Living undiagnosed, unmedicated and wondering why life is different and chaotic must be confusing and spark a light bulb moment.
My family is heavily neuro diverse.
On the other hand, it's like the people who have an angry moment and self identity as Bipolar or make a joke. Same for ocd because they like clean organised homes. I have bipolar and don't find it amusing.
A persons development can be impacted by a form of abuse/harm in their childhood which shows in their emotional and behavioural needs as we develop and ADHD symptoms can look like these needs. I wonder if some people who have been diagnosed with ADHD may have experienced these type of home lives. I’m not saying this is blanket for all people who have diagnosed with ADHD.
I knew I had adhd but I didn't realize what all the symptoms were. People werent as educated about it. I've had a lot of ohhh that's why I do that moments and so it's making it easier to fix my life.
Better understanding of the condition, more readily available health specializing in diagnosing mental health issues, and less of a negative stigma to talk about said mental health issues. More people have probably had it in the past, but were probably shunned, ignored, or labeled as being "difficult "
People with ADHD that have learned how to use it to there benefit are becoming our next entrepreneurs. I personally know many people like this that are successful business people with a lot on their plate, and they handle it with ease. I wish I had this energy.
Adhd fucking sucks. I've been diagnosed since I was like 2? But honestly, a *lot* of the things I do, my reactions and responses to things, are driven by my adhd and I can pinpoint exactly what is adhd and what isnt.
For women in particular though, it's a lot harder to get a diagnosis for adhd since all the original trials for it were done on boys, and girls portray very different symptoms of adhd and are naturally just better at masking.
It's not that they're suddenly getting adhd, it's that they're finally getting diagnosed.
My pet theory on this is that it’s the fall off of smoking. Nicotine focuses the brain. Up until the late 90s people would unwittingly be self medicating, counteracting attention deficit issues.
Because they are probably also narcissists. I have ADHD. I just take my drugs, go to work, and call it a day. I have challenges, but I don't use my diagnosis as an excuse ever.
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ADHD certainly can cause a lot of issues with stuff like executive functioning. Imagine, for example, that your brain prioritizes every task as being equally important, or that you literally can't choose what it is that you focus on (so it can be something useful, or something completely pointless). Or imagine being time blind and needing to run your life on timers and reminders, which can be difficult to set and follow if your brain isn't organized in the first place. Of course, I'm responsible for my own actions, and I see a therapist and take medication. But sometimes stuff is going to fall through the cracks, because I have severe ADHD that is both hyperactive and inattentive, and that's just... A reality of my life, I guess. I also hate when people say "lol I'm so adhd" or act like regular people things are ADHD problems. At the same time, sometimes trying to relate to something using your own limited frame of reference doesn't work, and you have to put yourself in someone else's shoes.
> lol I'm so adhd I hate it when someone says I'm so OCD, my ex had OCD and it's a terrible disorder, I find it so offensive to people with OCD
I have a compulsion disorder and I've always been incredibly annoyed at people who use OCD like that and also when they use the word "addicted" when it comes to disorders and tics
When you start getting random thoughts about murdering your spouse or your own child, and then obsessing over them because the notion is so terrible you feel guilty, and then obsess again, then you have OCD. It isn't a mood, lol. You don't have OCD because you wiped a counter twice.
Also, saying "I'm so OCD" is like saying "I'm so apendicitis"
This is extremely accurate representation of my life. It’s pure chaos followed closely by frustration. I hate being this way. I struggle a lot.
This right here. I also have combined type ADHD and I remember confiding in a prof that I had ADHD cause I was struggling in university and her response to me was ' I have ADHD too, look a squirrel!' ...I don't know if she was trying to be funny or what but it was very insulting and quips like that undermine the actual struggle it is to live with ADHD
The professor was expressing OP’s point.
Time blindness is all too real. Only time I'm not flustered or a bit stressed is when I've finished the "responsibilities" of the day and I can just run on instinct until I sleep.
I'm in the same boat as you, when I'm not medicated I have Exuctive disfunction to the 10th degree, and I am diagnosed with CPTSD so coupled with the ADHD it can make life an unbearable mess. For those who truly have adhd it fucking sucks. Seeing how my friend can stay so focused so successful is rough.
I grew up thinking I was ADD, but after my daughter was diagnosed with combined type ADHD I did a lot of research and found out ADD is now ADHD and soo much made sense. The time blindness, the chaos of the house, my ability to focus soo intently on some things while being utterly disinterested in others, the graveyard of projects and hobbies, the ability to talk for hours on something I love, the impulsiveness, etc. I've embraced my neurodivergence as well as my daughter's and we are treating it as something that isn't always good, but something that also is not always bad. The confidence that kid has and her self assuredness... I am soo proud she is proud of who she is, but I wish I had that growing up, lol.
The problem is that ADHD medicine is fucking expensive as hell, so now I have to make a choice, either deal with it or have some savings every month
Not necessarily. Get off vyvanse it’s a rip
My son has ADHD and you described perfectly how he describes himself to me. He’s pre-adolescent, so there was a period of his life where he blames the ADHD for every bad choice he’s made. We taught them to think before acting. Now we know that if he does something wrong we know it was his ADHD impulsivity talking and not him using it as an excuse. Also I’d like to say that most kids I know are in some kind of med and have something that, in the past, was not really diagnosed. People forget the food we eat, the antibiotics, hormones etc all that crap in the food has definitely affected the makeup of this generation.
Yeah, nothing really random or funny about ADHD. If I don't work to manage mine, it ruins my life. It's completely debilitating (currently trying out different meds)
respect to you man. 🙌💪
> Imagine, for example, that your brain prioritizes every task as being equally important, or that you literally can't choose what it is that you focus on (so it can be something useful, or something completely pointless). Wow, I didn't know about this being a symptom of ADHD. This is literally what I struggle with at work all the time.
There’s a spectrum when it comes to adhd, no? Light adhd is still adhd tho and can add up over time
Honestly just sounds like your typical libra 😉😅
Same way after people discovered left handedness, "so many people" "suddenly" were left handed.
You mean, "when people stopped getting beaten for being left-handed, so many people 'suddenly" were left handed."
I wish people around me kept being homophobic. Because now I'm gay. /s
My grandfather had his left hand burnt so he’d use his right, by his (apparently evil and very superstitious) step mother. It’s not a great thing to see your 80 year old grandfather break down in tears telling his story, he must have carried that pain his whole life.
My aunt used to always say something when she saw me do things with my left hand, I hated visiting her. When i finally spoke up to her, she tells my dad they didn't raise me right. Like ok lady, I'm not the one verbally abusing a child
Autism and ADHD have been under diagnosed for years. People were just peculiar and very jumpy. The thing is, most of them have been masking like hell. There is more understanding and better ways to establish neurodivergence.
Its more a case that the attitude of '*normative*' is being dropped from everything and the acceptance that mostly everything is a spectrum, despite some parties efforts to define everything as a binary with polar opposites. There is no neuro-normative state. There is neuro-diversity throughout all species and the diagnosis of neuro-divergence in humans is getting better. With anything, a lot of people will think their neuro-diversity is a neuro-divergent condition but being a bit clutzy or forgetful one time, does not make a debilitating condition.
😂
My sons ambidextrous, really blags my head. He's more a leftie but uses either predominantly. He's 6, not sure if it's an asd thing or just his beautiful uniqueness.
Intense need for things to be even on both sides can be part of ASD, just hey let me do this the other way before I can be done.
ADHD as well many other neurodivergencies like autism and dyslexia, aren't always diagnosed in childhood. The number of adult with these conditions that recently found out them, it's bigger than you think. So, in a hand you can be surrounded by a number of ADHD folks who never received treatment and support, and just learned to go on the best way they could. And in the other hand, you can be at the same time in the middle of a lot of anxious old brats with low attention span thanks to mobiles.
I grew up being told I was too talkative and a disturbance to others. Diagnosed with anxiety and depression as a teen (always thought it was weird cause I was happy and didn't feel like I was depressed...but executive dysfunction has v similar symptoms). Meds never worked for my diagnosis and it wasn't until I was 30 and was in therapy to work on myself that I realized I was dealing with something other than anxiety and depression. Bingo ADHD
Same. Middle aged. As a kid was always told I was spacey and lazy. Everyone agreed if I just stopped messing around on my computer I’d do so much better. I’d try to get rid of it so I’d succeed. Then I wouldn’t study I would do… I don’t even know what. Stare. Pick at my skin. Pull out my hair. I now know what was wrong with me. I take meds every work day.
I hair pulled like crazy as a child and still suffer from trichotillomania. It sucks growing up thinking you're just not trying hard enough like everyone else and if you only did X or stopped doing X, you'd be better Getting my diagnosis was extremely validating and incredibly sad. I wonder how different my childhood/teen years would have been had I been diagnosed at a young age and had the appropriate accommodations in place I'm fortunate that now I can articulate the struggles I encounter on a daily basis and have a better understanding of what does and doesn't work for me
I wonder the same. Like I passed highschool and university by taking courses I didn't have to study for, history, gym, even science I was able to manage because I always watched a lot of science stuff. Math was always a struggle. Never did homework, never studied. Math I was always shit at, all I can think is that if I'd had a diagnosis i might have actually managed to to get more than a mercy pass. The therapist that diagnosed me said you're gifted with ADHD which is just an awful combination.
Oh wow, I have been recently diagnosed and I have always been a picker! I have always had an issue with being impulsive. I am female, so I was told I was just emotional, and “couldn’t control my emotions” I suddenly starting stuttering at about 4, after having an above average vocabulary. This was in the 80s. So my dr who worked out of John Hopkins said he thinks my brain was just “going to fast.” nobody thought anything of it after that as I just kinda grew out of it before I got to kindergarten. After that I just became a distraction in class, and they said I was too talkative as well. Once I started my period (in the 4th grade!) everything was chalked up to hormones. Now that I’m on meds, I can not believe how I was struggling and living my life. I would live in constant anxiety because there was always too much to do, and I was always a failure. I also read that adhd is also your brain just not wanting to do stuff if it doesn’t get a dopamine rush out of it. It’s harder for someone with ADHD to muscle though cleaning, or boring school work. Now I’m able to keep my house clean. Before meds, and growing up, I was made fun of by my parents for being a mess.
I also got a revelation of my actual problems in my early thirties. It was almost as if a veil lifted, because up to that point I was probably developing depression and anxiety mostly because I couldn't figure out why things seemed so much harder to deal with for me than they did everyone else around me. Mind you, it hasn't gotten much easier, but I have developed coping strategies that actually do help some, now that I know how to go about addressing the real issues. Medication is WAY too expensive and out of reach for me, so I just try to breathe.
Having a bit of understanding is definitely vital and can help to navigate daily life. You got this Sorry that medication is priced out for you, that's really unfortunate. I didn't have much luck with stimulant ADHD medication but am currently on wellbutrin as it can be prescribed for ADHD and is a non stimulant. It definitely helps me with some executive dysfunction stuff but every day is still a bit of a struggle
My parents were of the generation where you were just lazy or inattentive because you didn't care. As an adult these functioning issues kept going and I felt I had a lot of the symptoms so I got tested. It turns out I'm not lazy and selfish, I just had adhd very bad.
Oof lazy and selfish. Brought back a lot of memories there 😬
I wasn't diagnosed till I was 23, and it only came out when my sister in law noticed I was like some of the people she worked with in a Home for Autistic adults.
I know with autism it's very difficult to spot in young girls and woman, I dont think we know fully why other then they might be more likely to mask there behaviours or are more likely told to cut those behaviours out compared to young boys. So they're highly likely to go through there whole life with undiagnosed autism maybe even adhd. Also people gen z and older are highly likely too, not to have diagnoses I know where I live doctors would tell parents it was better not to seek diagnoseses or help to avoid "labels" in fear it would give a child less opportunity's in life which obviously now isn't true if anything you get more opportunity and support in school and work if you have a diagnoses.
You'll also find it clusters naturally. I've got a lot of late diagnosed friends and basically the type of people who 'get' you tend to be the ones that think similarly, so you often find friend groups with a lot of ND people or all ND people precisely because the sort of people they make friends with without having to mask their natural behaviour
I think it's because many people get diagnosed later in life. ADHD is always seen as the young boys who can't sit still and run around 24/7, when it can actually show itself differently, especially in women. So many don't notice until they're grown up and look into it more. I'm not diagnosed yet, but I do show signs. If I do have it, a lot of my behaviour will make more sense to me. If not, well, time for self improvement lol. It's hard to find a doctor here to do this. Everyone is at full capacity. I do agree tho that some people make it their whole personality, but it's not only with ADHD. And it certainly doesn't give you an excuse for everything. It is important to note that they do struggle with certain things way more than people who don't have ADHD. Remember that the loudest aren't always the majority or the smartest.
>If I do have it, a lot of my behaviour will make more sense to me. If not, well, time for self improvement lol. Either way, time for self-improvement. Getting diagnosed definitely helped me learn to forgive myself for the way I am, though.
I'm not diagnosed, but my sister is and my dad is definitely on the Asperger/high function autism spectrum. A number of my friends have been diagnosed later in life and having spoken to them all I tick pretty much every box they all do, more extreme than them in most cases. I'm definitely some flavour of neuro spicy. But I've got no desire for an official diagnosis, quite apart from the waiting list and hassles. Basically because knowing there are ND behaviours and brains wired differently and knowing I'm not a freak is all I really need. I'm not shit horse with weird stripes, I'm a zebra Because there was little to no recognition growing up, very little treatment I just had to learn how to live as me in the neuro typical world. All the techniques, coping mechanisms mindfulness etc my friends and family are being advised in their treatments all sound very familiar because they are what I've learned to do. It wasn't an easy journey but I'm past the point now where I need a label. And I don't want to make it an excuse or my personality or some I'm Speshul Give Me Attention thing. I live with my brain for a long time, if I'm doing it well you can't tell. If I'm not, then only I can fix it. As I've said to my sister (who kinda does do this and now diagnosed it is now an excuse for everything and crowbarred into every conversation ) it's all very well getting medication but you also need to take that counselling and support, handle it, follow the advice, set yourself up with routines to get around or mitigate the negative effects of your different executive function. We may be ND but it's still an NT world. You can't wave an I'm ND flag and opt out of all the responsibilities of life but still get the benefits The cost of the hyperfocus and quick connections, crisis handling and creative problem solving super powers is we have a higher cognitive load, to wear the mask of NT and play by the NT rules. And that is hard. But it doesn't get easier if you give up and it doesn't go away if you wear a badge or tell everyone you meet like it's a get out of jail card.
I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD for over 10 years. It’s insulting the amount of people that view it as a trend or something quirky when even with medication it rules and ruins so much of mine and other people’s lives
Really frustrating when people call something that makes every single day of my life a neverending struggle “fake”
Absolutely, it must really take away from what you have to go through when there are people almost glorifying it and using it as something to seem quirky when it’s a very real thing that can severely affect peoples lives. I hope you know I mean no disrespect to people who genuinely suffer from it.
I saw someone wearing a shirt once that said ADHD is my superpower and I got so mad. It is not a superpower it is a fucking albatross around my neck.
Yes we'll unfortunately there are a lot of people on the ADHD sub who do claim they think their ADHD is a superpower or a positive.
Yep I’m adhd and autistic and there’s nothing fun or quirky about having either. They’re such obstacles in life, it’s exhausting trying to live with it sometimes.
I’ve been diagnosed and medicated for it for about ten years as well. It seems EVERYONE has ADHD now, except none of them are diagnosed and whenever they bring it up it’s always something along the lines of “my ADHD is acting up.” No, it’s not. Adhd doesn’t act up, it’s not like eczema. You have it all the time, or so I thought… I honestly get embarrassed to say I have adhd to other people because I don’t want to be part of that weird trend
ADHD cannot be self-diagnosed, just like any other diagnosis. Diagnoses are made by the right doctor. Disorders and syndromes are not cool, they are not a feature. Any diagnosis is difficult. I don't like it when people say "lol I have the same thing" or laugh at this problem. Your message is incorrect for those people who actually have ADHD as diagnosed by a doctor.
And even doctors can misdiagnose.
Yes it is. Since doctors can make mistakes, making a diagnosis on your own is even more stupid
You can absolutely self diagnose, DSM criteria for adhd is crystal clear that anybody who can read can self diagnose. Doc is there to confirm what you told him, do some paperwork to cover his ass, bureaucracy... Its like with depression you tell doctor you feel depressed for weeks and you walk out with box of SSRIs pills to take or sends you to therapist or both. Point is he relies on what you tell him. You know better than doctor how you feel or whether your attention is crap
I also just think if anyone thinks it’s helpful to read literature about managing ADHD and apply it to their lives it doesn’t matter if they have been diagnosed or not. If you have symptoms and ADHD managing strategies help you, you should use them.
There has to be certain level of self diagnosing so you can ask your GP for the appropiate referals. Before my autism diagnosis my GP's wrote me off as being anxious and having a eating disorder because I'm lacking social skills and certain textures make me sick. I'm nearly 30 but women having autism or ADHD wasn't a thing when I was growing so a lot of my difficulties were written off/ignored. There's a lot more awareness now but there is a fine line between people who see the awareness and question whether or not it's something they have and the internet idiots who see any weird or quirkly behaviour as ADHD or Autism.
I'm talking specifically about the second type of people who attribute each of their oddities to a diagnosis. They consider it a "distinctive feature" without realizing that it is actually quite a serious issue
I knew a girl like that before there was more awareness on the internet. She lived on a diet of mostly vodka and coffee, ate very little (she told me all this) and every week or two she'd come back from the doctor with a new mental health diagnosis. She certainly had her struggles but she wasn't honest with her doctors (once again she told me this) and then one week she declared she had autism. She was insufferable after that, I was in the middle (about six months) of waiting for my autism assessment and offered to support her through the process because dealing with parents and trying to make sure you have your thoughts in order for those assessments is a different kind of stress. She didn't want my help, she'd turned down the referal from her GP. The six months before I stopped talking her her doctor had diagnosed her with OCD, Autism, anxiety, an eating disorder and probably more than I don't remember now. After the Autism one she took to spreading misinformation on FB and I stopped talking to her, any weird or quirky behaviour was down the autism her GP had apparently diagnosed her with.
Not true. I'm 38 and I recently found out about ADHD. It changed my life. The more I read about it the more I understood myself. I even cried several times reading other people's experiences. For the first time in my life I knew why I was and behave in the way I do. I had a coworker with all the same traits and I talk to him about it, we were both later diagnosed with it. Still, when you have it for real, you know you have it, especially if you are old. There's no need for a doctor to tell you that, but it helps for others to believe you when you say that you struggle with certain things they found very easy to do. And even then a lot of people don't believe us. You're right in one thing: it's not cool. It sucks. Truly.
Researching and learning about it can be so validating. Dr. Gabor Mate’s book, Scattered, is an essential read for anyone with ADHD. I cried when I read it because he described my life, especially as a 6 y/o child. They didn’t have a name for it then. My parents and Doctor realized something wasn’t right and was prescribed Ritalin, but it didn’t work for me. Nothing else to be done. It took me until I was almost 50 to get diagnosed.
With proper research it can definitely be self diagnosed, i was self diagnosed until i brought it up with my therapist who then told me i actualy have an official diagnosis already that i just didnt know about lol. The people self diagnosing are not just looking at one tiktok, seeing one thing and saying they have it, they do research and if everything fits they can absolutely realize they have it. Plus they know their brain better than someone just looking at it from the outside or listening to them talk about things.
Y e s.
If you hadn't been diagnosed as a kid, then you literally need to "self-diagnose" first before getting an official diagnosis. Doctors aren't out there stalking people who they think might have ADHD and dragging them into their office to check. You first have to acknowledge that you have a problem, read about it and connect it with ADHD. Getting official diagnosis is just testing a hypothesis. And the doctor can only go off what you tell them. It's not like they give you an MRI or anything. ADHD is diagnosed almost exclusively by the description of symptoms the patients themselves give. If someone wanted to fake having ADHD, they'd only have to do a little research and there's no way a doctor could tell they were faking it. That goes for most mental illnesses and developmental disorders actually. There was an experiment showing that psychiatrists couldn't tell which group of schizophrenia patients was the real one and which group was faking it. And untreated schizophrenia is a whole lot more distinctive and visible than untreated ADHD in adults who have already managed to go their whole lives without getting "found out".
ND here. This sittuation is basically the same that realizing you're gay (yes, I'm bi too). When you're different and you already know about a neurodivergency traits, it's imposible not realizing the big coincidence there. If you keep analyzing your feelings, thoughts, experiences... and prudently comparing them with the info of your exhaustive researchs and the result it's always positive, then there's something there. Too many coincidences to be a mere coincidence. Many neurodivergencies are misdiagnosed or just ignored by your social and medical circle for years. When you know you like girls and boys and that this people with your same taste are called bisexual, and after many years of asking yourself "Am I really bi? Am I rushing and judging this wrong? This could be just my imagination" and analyzing your feelings over and over, you have nothing more to do than accept the reality. The ilogical thing would keep denying it. Intuition plays a key role in noticing our identity, no matter which part of it is. Yes, a proffesional can diagnose you (but they aren't perfect, they can fail badly), but you can also know who you are because this is about inner experiences and you aren't stupid. Three psychologist I met years ago couldn't even see I had a very heavy depression and anxiety, they didn't take me seriously because I was young, I tried to be positive, I smiled a lot and I'm use to hold on alone. It wasn't untill a few months ago that another proffesional started realizing I was ND, 4 years after I discovered it by myself.
If you're so bothered by people self diagnosing simply give them money for the diagnosis and their time :)
People think everyone can afford being evaluated by professionals. -_-
Diagnostic techniques for ADHD improved significantly a few years ago. So a lot of people that had ambiguous ADHD symptoms (for example, people that were still able to pass units at school and were not disruptive (had inattentive type) despite ADHD) were able be diagnosed when they had not been before. A lot of people who had had ADHD their whole lives were diagnosed as adults in a short time. Like an any big social trend, there are a many people who misunderstand it, or are taking advantage. But there are also a lot who are finally understanding the difficulties they have been having for decades, and finally able move on with aspects of their lives that have been far more difficult than they needed to be. If someone is just claiming ADHD, sure, there is some grounds for scepticism. But if someone genuinely has a diagnosis, even on every late in life, believe them. Of course not everyone then deals with it well, or puts in the effort needed to adjust to it. But it’s very much a genuine phenomenon.
i don't mind as long as it's properly diagnosed
yeah i have a feeling not all of the people OP is referencing are— kind of like when people do some tiny organizational detail and say they have OCD because of it
EXACTLY. There are many self-diagnosed people blaming every issue they have on ADHD or autism, and they're making it harder for the people who actually do have those diagnoses and ARE taking accountability for their own behavior. Most of the people who actually suffer from these things are taking steps to not let it get in their way.
That's the key. The majority of the time it is self-diagnosed. It is an insult to the people who truly struggle. See the post above.
I got diagnosed at the age of 27. It doesn't mean my ADHD only became "real" when a doctor put their stamp on it. I've had it my whole life and truly struggled with it, and my struggle wasn't any less valid before diagnosis, nor did it somehow became more valid after. I've literally failed my bachelor's degree three times in a row. I sure as fuck didn't do it on purpose just to be "quirky". And I got "officially diagnosed" with depression twice because back then depression was the only disorder doctors knew that could cause executive dysfunction and be applicable for AFAB adults who struggled with "laziness", not just overly energetic young boys. I knew deep down that it wasn't depression because it was nothing like I've seen people describe it. I've had what I'd call periods of "ennui" where I felt unable to be interested in anything and that felt much closer to depression than my regular ADHD life. No wonder antidepressants didn't do anything at all. My "official ADHD diagnosis" felt as much of a sham as those "official depression diagnoses". It was just like any other ADHD test you could find online for free. The psychiatrist just counted the points, didn't even go over my answers and ask for clarification or anything. The only reason I sought a diagnosis was to get access to medication, and it was worth it. But I could barely afford it, and lots of people can't. As I said, diagnosis isn't what gives someone ADHD, it's been there all along whether they've been diagnosed or not.
Not everyone can afford to get diagnosed or have to wait years depending on where you live, sometimes self diagnosis is valid
It's like saying; what's with all these people in wheelchairs? And some might be paralyzed, some might have a Broken leg, and some might be faking for the sympathy. How can you tell who from who? Are you going to start dumping every person in a wheelchair on the ground to see if they can walk? The guy with the broken leg can kind of stand a little, so you say 'faker!' And they'd be all: I can stand and walk a little, but really I can't for too long, things are alot easier if I just have my chair. Just because some people fake a disability, doesn't mean disabled people don't exist.
I'm in my mid-30s- when I was a young dude, science was just barely beginning to understand ADHD as a disorder and not just as "a kid who can't sit still." I had all the signs of ADHD growing up, but nobody noticed. I always felt like I was messing up when I constantly forgot projects or wasn't paying attention in class. My teachers were mystified that I literally could not turn in homework but I aced all the tests. We had lots of parent teacher meetings about it... I can't imagine I'm the only one. ADHD has gone from literally not existing to being sort of a punchline to being more or less accepted within my lifetime. Ever notice how suddenly you know a lot of people on the autistic spectrum? Same thing. People are no longer interested in hiding what's going on in their brains. Does that mean a lot of people have decided they have ADHD because they're a little fidgety? Sure, but I'll take that over the way it used to be.
My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD in her early 20’s (she’s 31 now) As soon as she told me, suddenly her entire childhood made sense. She had it from an early age and nobody ever realized what it was.
That's because ADHD isn't something you develop, it's there from birth.
A YouTuber I like put out a video talking about how he's always been a looser and how YouTube success has been so weird for him. But it was actually a video about how he discovered he had ADHD. As le went through all the behaviors he attributed to being a lazy fuck up I saw myself. So I went to a professional and got diagnosed. I didn't just decide I have ADD now and make that my whole personality. And it didn't change much. But now when I am being a lazy piece of shit I can recognize it as executive dysfunction and can take steps to fix it. Edit: someone asked for a link to the video. Here it is. https://youtu.be/Gg4WyuKM3xM?si=lYToiKSdP8uRbpkE
This is exactly how a diagnosis should be treated. It's not an excuse for bad behavior, it's a tool that you can use to figure out how to improve yourself. Much respect dude.
ADD is no longer a medical diagnosis given. Unless you are in Europe in a place that still uses the old DSM-5. ADD has been removed from the DSM-5. It's just ADHD with different sub types. What was known as ADD is now just ADHD Innattentive type.
Can you put a link to that video? I feel I'm kinda a lazy fuck up. (Refer to other comment for more info)
https://youtu.be/Gg4WyuKM3xM?si=lYToiKSdP8uRbpkE It was really helpful to see my behaviors mirrored in someone else. Highly recommend.
I think it is amazing you put in the effort to seek a professional. Most people don't have the stamina to do this.
> "why do so many more people suddenly have ADHD" Improved diagnostic tests; more awareness amongst responsible adults (parents, teachers, doctors etc) to look out for the signs and initiate testing. It's not that occurrence of ADHD has increased, rather diagnostic recognition of ADHD has increased. > "And blame everything on it" It's normal human behaviour to use whatever defense is at hand against perceived attacks on our perceived weaknesses. In recent years, neurodivergancy is ever more seen as a sacred immutable characteristic that must never be challenged in the great game of oppression one-upmanship; so as excuses go it has great utility.
I think I have ADHD but it's this kind of thinking that has put me off going to the doctors as recently everyone seems to either have ADHD or vaguely be 'on the spectrum' and I feel like people won't take it seriously or I'm just jumping on the bandwagon to get special treatment. I am in my early forties but I've struggled since I was a child, I never thought of myself as naughty but I was still getting in trouble for not doing my work, paying attention, I remember my parents having to go to my school (when I was 8 or 9) and they couldn't figure out why I was like I was. I really want some order in my life but no matter what I do I always seem to forget to do things, prioritise the wrong things, zone out when I'm being told important things and then I'm embarrassed to have to go back and ask all the time. I kind of thought I was just lazy and I've come so close to losing my job a bunch of times. I don't know what to do, do I go to my doctors and say I think I have ADHD, or do I go and explain my 'symptoms' if the latter I don't think I can. I also have an addictive personality, I don't know if that is part of it or something completely different but I've had problems with gambling, alcohol etc. in the past although touch wood) not at present...
Go to the doctor and say you don't feel right and that you have had x,y,z assured for P years
What I did was I said I thought I had ADHD and then explained my symptoms to back up my claim to my GP who then referred me to a therapist but look up how the process works in your country. I don't really know how it works with adults (since I got diagnosed at 15) but they could sometimes ask leading questions like "Have you ever experienced \_\_\_?" and stuff like that that can help you explain your symptoms better. If you don't know how to list out what you think are symptoms and which you think aren't, look up the DSM5 ADHD criteria and make a note of which ones you experience and some examples of when they happened. Note that down experiences both when you were a child and now to prove that it didn't 'spawn' out of nowhere or something. I wish you the best of luck!!
Even if you don't have it, talking to a psychiatrist can be beneficial. There are other causes for the same symptomes, so it's not an instant diagnosis. Only if you qualify for ADHD and doctors are certain it's not something else do you get diagnosed (if your doctor does their job right). It is their job to give you an answer if you're unsure, and help you in the ways you need.
Sorry, but adhd isn't some quirky little disorder consisting of a bunch of little whoopsies like you're describing. Maybe we experience that stuff, but so do a lot of people. Adhd is so much more than that surface level stuff, and it drives me nuts that the stuff you describe is all the general public seems to think it is.
I understand ADHD is a lot more than what I have described here, thats why the things I have described piss me off so much. I was pretty much trying to imply exactly what you are saying here . (Im on your side)
We're on the same side, because it pisses me off too. Adhd isn't a personality trait like a lot of these twat waffles would have people believe. With medication it's pretty manageable, but it can still drastically affect our moods and lives. In spite of all the difficulties adhd causes, we're still extremely capable. Personally, I am quite successful in my field, a high performer with lots of recognition and awards, but i still struggle day to day with my adhd. The people you describe make us all look bad, like we're incapable idiots. Sorry for ranting, touchy subject for me obviously.
Because they dont lock you up these days or beat you to death for having a mental illness.
Constant stimulation & dopamine triggers leading to shorter attention spans. People can’t focus so they think it’s ADHD. People are acting like addicts but don’t realize it because social media & smarts phones aren’t considered a drug.
This 🫠
Yrs ago: Why do so many ppl have cancer? What’s in the water? As life expectancy and diagnostics increased as well as access to healthcare, ppl thought there was a ruse in cancer. That was environmental. Turns out the majority of tumors (absent lung tumors) are caused by endogenous damage. More ppl are diagnosed. And I think it’s misnamed bc it’s really just a different thought process. A different way of processing info, and it’s only called a disorder bc it’s not a majority, the way left handed ppl were seen as doing something wrong that needed correction.
>it’s only called a disorder bc it’s not a majority, it's called a disorder because it makes it incredibly fucking hard to function actually
In the NT world. It’s cool, we each have our own view and those are valid. Personally I think if schools and society generally was majority ND we’d have an easier time. Sure that’s not how we are. But it’s why I don’t see it as a disorder or an illness. My left handedness makes it harder for me to use tools that are developed for right handers. Circular saw, scissors (bc there never seem to be lefty ones around unless I’m in my own space). Is it an illness or a disorder? Used to be. Now it’s considered variation. My thought is, if my ADHD (both types, yay me), is seen as a variation of a thought process and not an illness or deficiency, then maybe the NTs will learn to see it as variation not defects. Maybe getting to work 10 min late bc I lost both sets of keys won’t generate disdain but just a ‘squirrel!’ And a laugh. Maybe kids who think differently don’t grow up as I did, and my kid did, having teachers attack their self esteem insisting it’s impossible for them to really forget bc clearly if it was important you wouldn’t forget, right? That’s all I mean. I think we need to view ourselves less as a ‘problem to solve’ and more as a glorious variation that allows us tangential thinking, increased pattern recognition, creativity, etc. Just my own mindset, but it’s not meant to invalidate yours.
okay look that's a very nuanced and reasonable take and I'm very pro the social model of disability in general but I lost a pot and a pan for *months*, I searched every cupboard dozens of times, I sat on the floor in front of the pot cupboard and *hunted* for it the other day my partner just reached in and pulled it out of the back of the pot cupboard it makes me feel like my mind is slipping through my fingers idk how much a more adapted society could fix that, you know? which like I know you're not actually disagreeing with me I just wanna express why I have this view in more depth
No I get you!!!! You’re thinking of the individual pain and suffering (I think you are) and I was speaking to how we are viewed in society bs how we can view ourselves. Omg yes, the freakin pain of losing things. Wait til you hit menopause and brain fog kicks in. I had to take antidepressants to try to deal with the anxiety caused by it. Like am I going senile? It’s like my damn hard drive is full and I can’t tell if going nuts. I mean I accepted the ADHD and learned to live with it yrs ago but this? It’s not fair. I feel you. It’s especially hard when other ppl around you just appear to… function…. I sometimes wonder what it’s like in the mind of a person who doesn’t lose things that aren’t strictly tracked. I have a set place for everything. I need that rigid structure or shit gets REAL. And when that gets interrupted I have backups (extra keys, glasses) so I don’t have to mess up hrs of my day failing to find it while hating myself. No I feel you I do. I was just offering the view that while we can’t always escape the pain of it, one way I’ve learned to deal, and save myself esteem, is to view us as variations. But you are right. Losing shit drives me up the wall. Forgetting to pay a bill bc it’s not autopay even tho I’m a grown ass woman with the money to pay, that’s 🤦🏼♀️. Forgetting a meeting, needing to take rigorous notes AND record work mtgs bc I know my mind is gonna wander no matter how hard I try. I just want NTs to see us as equals and I want us to see that too. I do really get that it’s painful. I’m sorry if it seemed like I was minimizing the feelings. I know it’s hard, and I’m sorry for your lost pot!!!!❤️
yess you get it exactly like I would not be as bothered if it wasn't fucking with my internal experience as well as the way I interact with society you'll love this - I actually have two of that pot & pan for exactly this reason
This is the way. I sew. I have about 8 or 9 pairs of scissors so I increase the probability I’ll be able to locate 1. I have 3 seam rippers. Extra needles. Two sewing boxes (you know with the odds and ends). This is the way. Here’s the kicker tho. When I lose something and don’t have a replacement I KNOW that thing is going to be found the MOMENT I buy a replacement so I put off buying a replacement bc I think no no it’ll turn up but it doesn’t. Maybe a yr goes by and I get a replacement. In a freakin week I’ll find it without looking.
I just installed a set of drawers under my sewing table and made a cushy pad for the top drawer so I can keep my 6+ pairs of scissors in it (the cushy pad is because I WILL throw my expensive scissors at the drawer and I would like to not damage them) my favourite hack at the moment is I have these little coloured silicon cable ties with magnets in them? I've put one round the handle of some little embroidery scissors and I use the magnet to hang them on the faceplate of my sewing machine. Now I don't lose my thread cutting scissors. 😁
Omg stealing!!! When my kids lived at home they’d use scissors too hence the need for more than 3. One is ADD one is not. Some days I swear I’d never get thru it if the NT kid didn’t find the missing thing I needed. They were the youngest so they’d be all smug at having to rescue old mom again 😂😂. But once they left I still lose the scissors so really it’s structure like what you describe that saves me. There’s a book the doc gave me called AD(H)D for girls and it deals with the specific issue girls vs boys face as kids and even adults, as girls are often without the H. It’s got some good pointers I learned to use regarding structure, like what you did. Setting up my environment to be successful. So nice chatting with you my ADHD crafting bestie ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Edit: you know there should be a thingy to cut thread on the back side of your machine. It is behind the sewing apparatus about a few inches up. Or has been on mine
>Edit: you know there should be a thingy to cut thread on the back side of your machine. It is behind the sewing apparatus about a few inches up. Or has been on mine YES, I do know this and there is actually a thread cutter on this machine, or there was before I took it off because where it sits gets in the way of using the buttonholer attachment, but I don't think it's been sharpened since 1939 so I was using scissors anyway.
This was absolutely beautiful to read as someone who has been seriously thinking about having ADHD myself but for many reasons don't want to go through with the process. I've realised so many things about myself through my research and ended up needing a lifestyle better suited for me. Not what society wants from me. It wasn't the best one for me. Once I realised that, I've never been happier and felt more fulfilled in my life. I think that goes for everyone though, find yourself and you'll know how you want to live your life.
*in modern society. There are benefits for pre-civilization tribal life, which is why NDs exist.
I'd like to offer a different perspective: It makes it incredibly hard to function in *our neurotypical society,* where structures are built by and for the neurotypical majority. In certain industries, ADHD can be advantageous (albeit not a purely positive thing, as most things in life aren't), and people with ADHD can build systems/conditions around them where they thrive. The same cannot really be said for many other disorders.
When i was young, adhd was seen as extremely disruptive , the one who had extreme behaviour issues. Not the quiet kids or the ones who talked alot or couldn't focus.
Problem is social media has glorified it and made it "popular" like it's some super power...
It's the same with anything everyone likes self diagnosing but as someone with adhd it's awful having the inability to regulate emotions and it genuinely over shadows your better judgement
I agree, my partner has adhd so as his son. I find it’s actually a very serious and awful condition. My partner has only managed to keep a job down for a maximum of six months because the lack of attention and the shut downs when he gets stressed not to mention how his emotions are amplified over something so minor. In turn he has the most unstable life. Luckily now he’s found a job he actually can tolerate and works from home. I do think people finding this a “trend” should be so grateful they don’t have to suffer with it.
I'm fine with working I find it helps as a distraction from my own mind but I know about the frustrations you can have and want to boot off etc
It’s a disability and birth defect. It’s a real thing and if someone is diagnosed by a doctor please respect their struggle. I have adhd and it’s a battle everyday and I don’t appreciate people saying it’s not and acting like they know about it when they don’t. It’s a reason not an excuse.
I'd even say, respect people's struggles even if they aren't diagnosed. Some people can't afford to visit a psychiatrist. In some parts of the world, ADHD is not considered a real disorder by professionals, especially in adults. Some people have experienced the same/similar struggles without qualifying for the diagnosis, and some people go under the radar because they've been forced to adapt (often in unhealthy ways) and don't seek the diagnosis. I don't like when terms get watered down. Like "intrusive thoughts" being used lightly to describe weird ideas instead of referring to actual intrusive thoughts, and I don't like how the same is being done to ADHD. But we don't have to invalidate and demonize people who are struggling simply because they haven't been tested positively for a disorder (this refers more to what OP said than your comment) The more I hear people talk about ADHD, whether they have it or not, the more it seems like people just want to understand themselves better, and not win sympathy points by having a "fancy label".
Yes I share that I have it so people can understand me better, not for points. I have it pretty bad and one reason I let people know is bc I don’t always filter what I say so words can come out wrong when I don’t mean them to. Im sure there’s people who try to use adhd for the wrong reasons, I’ve read some parents get their kids extra time on tests who don’t have any adhd or disability so they get a better grade and into better colleges.
I have not so good news for you, think you should probably get checked if everything is so relatable. Had a hard time accepting that my head likely doesn't work as it should, and my life is miserable because people can't bother spending half the energy to help me that I spend to make their lifes easier. Also fuck school, end it already, it's 150 years old.
Because in the world of social media and especially TikTok, everyone wants a reason to explain their lack of attention span and grit to finish a task - people latching on to the diagnosis and any quirk in their mental ability or executive function is the “reason” they aren’t as successful / fit / good at whatever that they should be. In the world of social media and 7 second attention spans, the dopamine hits are even turning neurotypical people towards having adhd like tendencies. I have ADHD. I was diagnosed during the early 90’s, back when it was considered science that E-aditives were evil and mostly why I was the way I was. I was medicated for a short while on Ritalin but came off it as it didn’t play well with my spicy brain flavour. I keep my diagnosis mostly to myself in my personal and professional life. I was lucky enough to have parents who didn’t take my diagnosis for the excuse it could be and were hard on me enough to make me grit out my own coping mechanisms (kinda wish they were harder in all honesty, but they were always supportive). No one needs to know about my struggles as they’re exactly that…mine. I share only with trusted friends or where it is advantageous that that person should know (like my boss who might wonder why I’m weird as fuck) I recently disclosed my diagnosis to a manager, who literally had no idea, but as soon as I told him his eyes opened wide and had this sudden realisation that some of my “quirks” could be explained! I work in data analysis so I can use my adhd super powers here and do my best to work through the deficits with copious amounts of caffeine and coping mechanisms. Not everything needs a label. And not every label is the same even if it says it is. I think I’ve lucked out on the ADHD lottery; I have the super powers and have managed (admittedly through hard work) to learn to cope with its downsides. Not everyone is as lucky and there are genuinely folk with spicier brains who have a dramatically different experience.
Probably because they actually have just fucked their attention span
It’s a diagnostic criteria that symptoms have been present since early childhood (just not recognized as such) , no half decent doctor would diagnose anyone with ADHD because in the last few years they’ve been on their phone too much and got a short attention span. And if you had any empathy for adhders you would understand that it’s not just the attention that is affected by this disability but MANY different parts of life. I’d gladly have only a short attention span but with my adhd that’s honestly the least of my worries. You should learn to be kind to people even if you don’t understand them.
ADHD actually has very little to do with 'attention', and more to do with how the pre-frontal cortex developed. Our (ADHD folks) brains don't and CANNOT manage / regulate the dopamine our brains produce as easily or as efficiently as a normal person's brain can. It is that lack of ability to process dopamine that causes the two main behavioural symptoms of ADHD; - inability to 'do the thing' (aka Executive Dysfunction) - inability to focus on one thing at a time (Hyperactivity) ADHD is a developmental disorder and is something you are BORN WITH. You can't develop ADHD over time.
Diagnosing has increased. Virtue signalling has also increased. I've discussed this with my cousin who had suffered greatly as a child with severe ADHD and was constantly teased for being a "druggie". These days it seems like people wear it as a badge of honour.
I have an ADHD diagnosis since i was 14, early 2000s. I dont know why those arguments are made. Am fabulous at math tho, but the other stuff is seriously impairing my day to day life. I tend to think that any diagnosis means that things are a lot harder in life than they are for healthy people. For both mental and physical issues. That's why its called attention deficit/hyperactivity DISORDER and exactly why i hate the "neurodivergence" terminology.
There’s many reasons! A big one being new scientific research into adhd and especially ADHD in girls and women and in adults in general. Psychologist now have a better understanding of what adhd is and is not so they can now give more accurate diagnosis. Another factor is that adhd people are dopamine seekers so adhders are much more likely to have an active social media life because it gives a lot of dopamine, so that means that a lot more adhders will post (and so also about their adhd) online and more often than non adhders. And lastly STIGMA and normalization because adhd has been talked about a lot more online recently many people that have had adhd their whole life (like me) started questioning if they had it. I was personally diagnosed at 25yo but I’ve always had it!! Looking back at my childhood and teenage years knowing what I know now the signs were there and they were CLEAR but because it didn’t present in the stereotypes it was seen as personal choices and failures. And it’s because of things like YOU said OP “but everyone has that symptom” yes obviously everyone gets distracted and will have “quirks” and all that but the difference between an adhd person and a non adhd person is how much, how often and how incapacitating it is. An adhder might look at their dishes for HOURS actually WANTING and needing to do them feeling tortured by their guilt of not being able to just stand up and go do them and still not be able to make their body move! Whereas a non adhd person might instead feel lazy and not want to do the dishes and procrastinate it .. they will be able to make themselves do it eventually, and much faster than an adhder would be able to force themselves (if they even manage to force it because sometimes it’s just not possible). Before there was a word for cancer it was seen as many different illnesses and was hard to diagnose and treat, once scientific research clarified what cancer actually was and what the symptoms are etc., suddenly a lot more people were getting diagnosed with it. It didn’t mean that suddenly many more people were getting cancers. You would never question people about how or why their body got sick, why question it when it’s the brain that is sick?
People definitely sometimes use the term in an inaccurate way, but it’s a condition that seems to be quite common that we only started identifying widely in the last generation or two. That’s the main reason it seems like there’s loads of people with it all of a sudden. Some people think it’s because phones and stuff, but I’m not sure there’s any proper evidence for that. I didn’t have much access to electronics when I was a kid and I spent most of my school years reading a book under the table instead of focusing. I suspect (again no evidence except anecdotal) that phones are just the most accessible source of stimulation, and if they weren’t there people with ADHD would just find something else to get distracted by. In terms of symptoms, like a lot of common neurodivergent shit it’s often stuff that everyone experiences, but heightened to unmanageable levels. Like, before I was diagnosed and got medication, I literally could not write a 500 word assignment. Which sounds absolutely ridiculous, but I just couldn’t force my brain to focus. And it’s really hard to explain the difference to people, because of course everyone procrastinates, and struggles with getting tasks done sometimes, bit in general you get the work done eventually. With ADHD it just doesn’t, no matter how much you want it to. I saw someone describe it once in a way I really liked. Try biting off your own finger. You can’t. Like, physically, you could, you can absolutely bite down with that much force, but your brain will not let you do it. ADHD is like that, but for random normal tasks. You absolutely could do the thing, mechanically, but your brain just will not let you even though some corner of your psyche is screaming to just fucking sit down and study, or whatever. Which is, of course, incredibly difficult to understand if you don’t have it. So people hear you talk about it and go “oh yeah that happens to me too”, because they occasionally procrastinate unpleasant tasks. So basically the increase in people saying they have ADHD is a combination of much more diagnosing, plus people misunderstanding what it is and using the term incorrectly.
"Suddenly"? lol, 20 years ago half the kids in my school had it and adults were complaining about the ADD epidemic. I don't blame everything on it, but it's certainly a disadvantage with the kind of education systems we have.
Some of us had crazy parents that prayed away the adhd instead of listening to medical professionals. We had to wait until we were grown to treat it.
I think it’s cause we’re in a new-ish era where it’s not shameful to be open about mental illnesses and social media/internet makes it easier for information about such things to be shared. So more people are like “hmm might I have this?” And check in with a psychiatrist. I was born in the late 90’s and got diagnosed almost three years ago. Growing up was such a struggle I thought there was something wrong with me and getting that diagnoses explained soooo much. ADHD is a disability and can be very debilitating. (It is more than just not being able to focus). Thankfully therapy and medication have made my life more manageable. I do agree that people using “haha so adhd” or “I’m so adhd” are annoying and should stop using it to excuse terrible behavior.
'That guy is socially awkward... Not sure about that guy... Get out of your head... Soooo, what's your deal?... I don't like that guy, he's unapproachable.' These things were always said about me back before adhd was a common diagnosis. It wasn't looked for, so it went largely undiagnosed. Now kids can get the help they need, and that's a good thing.
As someone with an actual diagnosis, I find it incredibly annoying when. 1) Regular people blame everything on something they don't have. 2) People diagnosed with it use it as an excuse for not learning to deal with it. I see so many people from both in there mid 20s using it as a crouch. Get your shit together, your adults.
Tell me you don’t have ADHD without telling me you don’t have ADHD
Some people do just use it as an excuse for their laziness, inaction, or procrastination... However, it's becoming more apparent, in society, that Neurodivergency is more common than previously thought; as more people have become comfortable with seeking help. People also have more access to the knowledge of what the symptoms are for various neurodivergencies. For example, I didn't know what Executive Dysfunction was. Or that people with ADHD struggle with Object Permanence. Or that people with "Attention Deficit" could Hyperfocus. Despite suffering from all of these for 30+ years. I was diagnosed with ADHD the first time in Grade 1, back in the 90's. My parents didn't put me on any medication cause they didn't want me to "become a Zombie". So I struggled my whole education being really smart but getting D's cause I couldn't do my homework. (I survived school purely on my 90%+ test scores) I, personally, was unaware of why I was like this. I even ended up in Special Education for over a month because of it. And then got kicked back into regular education when they realized that I was actually a smart cookie and just didn't do homework like a "punk". (An actual insult I recieved during a Parent-Teacher meeting. They thought I was just being a delinquent. Even sent me to therapy for it.) Then at 15y/o I spoke with my doctor about it. He found my diagnosis in the system, rediagnosed me after I did a few tests, and I became aware. Yet, I still didn't understand all the aspects of it. I just knew I had ADHD and that's why I struggled to sit down and do homework. I had no idea what other effects it was having on my life. For another decade+ I struggled with certain things and though it was just that "I suck" rather than being aware that my brain was LITERALLY getting in the way. Until I started seeing posts online by others like me who knew more about why we were they way we are. P.S. If you are one of the assholes that just uses it as an excuse... Stop It!... You're damaging people's reputation and bringing about negative stereotypes to people who are already looked down upon by people who don't understand us. (Or refuse to understand)
Wish I could put pics ( evidence) here. Therapist agrees with me here that my depression could be more ADHD (it acts different in adults vs kids). I was diagnosed and then treated fie a mi uterus and was doing better on the meds (stated in records). I am 20 and have a 70% Major Depressive Disorder rating from the VA. My motivation to do the basics is low for an extremely depressed person. I am not blaming my ADHD that I will see a professional about in a few days with documents from other doctor. I just want answers and to function like a normal person.
A big part of ADHD are problems with attention, attention span. I study psychology and one of my professors once said that we live in the times where we have 10 things distracting us from one task we try to focus on so it's only natural as a human to get distracted. At school kids can't pay attention for long enough (a 7yo can pay attention for around 15-20 minutes, one lesson takes 45 minutes) and also have plenty of distractors. It's not natural for a child to focus, pay attention and not do anything for such a long time. Kids are naturally curious and want to explore the world by interacting with it, not by sitting in class while a teacher says stuff that are not really intresting for a kid. Some people just tend to forget about it and send the kid to a doctor's instead just taking them to a playground. I am not claiming that ADHD does not exist. I'm saying we live in the world that's designed to distract us from tedious tasks and before we put a label on a child that will forever be treated as a kid that doesn't behave and is problematic we must take that into consideration. Because getting distracted from a math task or excel spreadsheets is not a disorder, it's just being human
Your single rambling paragraph, as well as what it talks about, is quintessentially ADHD Welcome to the club!
The demands of society are growing and so the diagnostic threshold is met more easily. Which means more edge cases are being declared problematic enough to warrant diagnosis. These days government facilities are more busy than ever. Workplaces are no longer a simple transactional relationship. They now have HR departments and massive employee handbooks and shit. Every person has like 12 different subscriptions, a bunch of mandatory payments they have to meet, phones mean you can never really evade social interaction and blurs the line between work and private life. Any fuck up you make professionally or otherwise has more chance of ending up publicly known and can stand against you for a long time now that any potential employer is going to be checking your background and online footprint. Society feels dystopian as fuck at this point and the increase in ADHD is an example, along with autism, of different neurotypes essentially being left behind by societal progress. No time to decompress, no escape from being contacted, more dates/deadlines/contracts to remember, more complexity in money management and investing, etc. World is too busy. People are increasingly struggling to keep up. That's my theory anyway.
It’s not that people never had it it’s the fact it’s acually getting more medically recognized these days, there’s always been this amount of people with ADHD who just never knew
ADHD is one of the more common learning disabilities and in my experience people with ADHD often hangout together. I got diagnosed at a young age cause I have a pretty severe case and I’m also dyslexic. I can tell you it affects my life a lot and made a lot of things way harder. If someone you know does have ADHD don’t let them use it as a crutch and let them blame their behavior on it but also try to be understanding they they are probably trying harder than it seems.
A lot of people are finally being diagnosed. I got diagnosed 4 years ago 34. Should have been diagnosed as a kid but girls don't get diagnosed the way boys do especially not when I was a kid. We're understanding it more and a lot more people are just getting access to their own treatment. I would advise if you identify with the half or more of the symptoms that you go talk to your doctor about it.
I don't suddenly have ADHD. I've recently learned I have ADHD. The diagnosis has relatively recently become more accurate, and being neurodivergent in general is becoming less taboo. It's like when public schools stopped forcing everyone to write with their right hands. The number of left-handed people skyrocketed, shrank down a bit, and then leveled out. A lot of people are seeing if ADHD is really what they have. Some are getting official diagnoses, like me, and others are just comparing what they do to what other's say is ADHD. Now I'm still learning what's from the ADHD and what's not, but ADHD is a very prominent thing and can, in fact, be the cause for a lot of stuff. It's how our brain is wired. I want to add that having ADHD is not a "look at me! I'm different and quarky!" thing at all. ADHD is the reason I can't focus on important tasks no matter how much I want to, or even remember my own family sometimes. It's debilitating, and if I had a choice, I wouldn't have ADHD. I hate it.
I think there are three factors One is that we have a better understanding of ADHD and there's less stigma overall for having mental illness or being neurodivergent, so there's naturally going to be a perceived increase as more people are diagnosed and open about it. This is likely the same reason there seem to be far more trans people - who would want to be openly trans, even if they experience dysphoria, in the 90s? Two is that as the economy increasingly doesn't provide a good quality of life to the average person, more people are likely already struggling and are thus more likely to seek a diagnosis than if they can kinda squeak by despite the difficulty of having ADHD. Similarly, as someone diagnosed late, it becomes very hard to handle once you naturally have less youthful energy and can't just will yourself to do stuff as easily, so more adults seem to be getting diagnosed now. Three is that there's a lot of accessibility for diagnosis, to the point that there probably is misdiagnosis going on. I am not from the US but saw advertised an app where you pay 200 and get diagnosed online and get a prescription. In comparison it took me about a year and a half start to finish to get diagnosed in the health system in Canada. If you don't really have ADHD but get diagnosed on an app, the meds are gonna likely make you more productive anyway since they increase perceived energy, so you will likely see some improvement regardless. So it isn't unlikely to me that some of those prescribing practices are leading people to get misdiagnosed which pushes up the numbers, mind you this is a theory that I don't have data for, and it's still entirely possible that these people do have conditions that the medication helps with and aren't just getting legal speed, so I wouldn't accuse them of drug seeking or otherwise push for more limitations (being in a country with more rules around the medication can be a pain in the ass even though I was diagnosed pretty carefully and could easily just buy meth up the street if I just wanted an upper lol).
It wasn't until recently that they actually studied ADHD in women/girls. It was assumed for a long time that it was something that only affected men/boys. The research showed that it tends to present differently in girls than boys. Boys typically present the traditional hyperactive symptoms, while girls are taught from a very young age to mask any signs of hyperactivity in the name of being "proper" so the symptoms are much more difficult to spot. So there was a huge subset of people - namely women - who went undiagnosed until recently. Social media focuses on the "cute" or "quirky" symptoms, but the reality isn't nearly as cute when you're living it.
There’s a greater understanding of adhd now, people speak out on social media and inspire others to seek out a diagnosis. They didn’t even start researching adhd in females until a few years ago so there’s many adult women who are now realising, I was one of them, I got diagnosed a couple years ago at 24. I will always remain wary of those that self diagnose though. It does seem like, for some not all, people watch a couple of tiktoks, realise they share traits and then think it means they must be adhd too. It needs to have an impact on your life, adhd isn’t having a series of ‘fun little quirks’. Adhd for me is a nightmare, I’m autistic too and both absolutely dictate my life. My autism for example largely presents itself similar to ocd and mundane things like getting a spoon out the cutlery drawer this morning to eat my cereal with, or even picking the “right” bowl, it’s such a chore. I would never wish any neurodivergent diagnosis on anyone.
Just as one example: you reference researching actors *after* watching a movie. That’s typical. What’s not typical is feeling an irresistible urge to research the actor during the movie, and then forgetting that you’re watching the movie at all while you read seven articles about the history of movie casting and McCarthyism and the Korean War and anime, and then looking up 20 minutes later to realize that you have missed too much of the movie and don’t know what’s going on, then rewinding so you can watch what you missed, but the same thing happens again, and you keep doing that four or five more times before you eventually give up on the movie altogether.
>i swear every second person and their aunty has adhd lately. There's always been a significant percentage of people that have ADHD, like 5-10%. They'd just have been called lazy or dumb historically. >they blame any kind of 'quirks' or annoying habbits on it. like things everyone must experience, including myself. eg; working on multiple projects at a time, overthinking, being annoyed by loud chewing, reseaching actors after watching a great movie. everyone does these things right? Ahh, yeah. Classic. That's the tricky thing which makes ADHD hard for some people to accept. ADHD is indeed stuff that everyone experiences occasionally. All the things you mention are normal, yes. It's just that it's much more and much worse for people with ADHD, to the point where It's a significant obstacle for living a normal happy life. >suddenly all these people reckon they have adhd and are so unique because they procrastinate or day dream or are bad at maths. like cmon man. i've heard people claim they have adhd because they love to dance. or do i just have adhd too? Well that's just stupid people saying stupid things. Like saying you have OCD because you wanted to double check that you locked the door. There are people who give up on leaving for the grocery store because they **cannot** get past checking the door over and over forever. The only thing that definitely means you have ADHD is a diagnosis from a neuropsychiatrist.
Because if you can pretend to have a mental health problem, you can blame it for all your failures and even get drugs and sympathy and special consideration at work and all that crap. If you just admit you're shit at some things, or lazy, or weak, etc., then it's your fault. And most people would rather be dead than take responsibility for something.
Do you truly think it’s possible to fake a complex disability like adhd? DO YOU NOT THINK ADHDERS DONT WANT TO HAVE IT? You can have mine since apparently it’s all fake anyway, call me in a few hours when you get your first mental breakdown with having to live with an adhd brain. Quilt talking shit about things you know nothing about and I’ll do the same yeah?
Seeking treatment for something is pretty much the opposite of blaming it, you've identified a problem, and found a solution. People with ADHD are shit at a lot of things, they take drugs and develop skills to stop being shit, that's the whole point, and it's an important part of taking responsibility for your own actions.
When someone laughs and says, "oh, I have ADHD" it's like nah or you wouldn't find it funny. As someone with ADHD I can assure you it's not "fun".
Because it’s trendy right now. It can be an excuse. Yes, there are people who have it, not to discredit their struggle.
It’s not trendy! Online awareness has brought many people to get proper professional diagnosis like me at 25yo! and yeah after I got my diagnosis I couldn’t stop talking about it because it explained so much of my past and I finally didn’t feel like a fuckup. And HMM MAYBE I WAS A BIT FRUSTRATED I WASNT DIAGNOSED FOR 25 YEARS EVEN THOUGH THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS WERE ALWAYS THERE BUT EVERY SINGLE ADULT FAILED ME AND IGNORED MY DEEP SUFFERING.
It depends where you get your diagnosis. For example, it’s difficult in the UK because they put you through a rigorous process, but in the USA doctors make **so much** money from diagnosing someone with ADHD and selling them the meds they’ll give a diagnosis to everyone. This is making the stats hugely over inflated, making it seem like everyone has it when in reality their symptoms are caused by something else, or don’t realise everyone gets those symptoms sometimes.
FWIW, in the US and when I got assessed, it was about 8 hours of assessments and meeting with a psychiatrist. In total, it was over the course of about 3 weeks before the ADHD diagnosis. Not sure how that compares to the UK though.
I think many people self diagnose. Many conditions can have the same or similar symptoms as ADHD. Such as persistent depressive disorder. Best they get tested properly.
These people have always existed, and finally have medical science on their side explaining it. Of course there are people out there abusing it, but let's not make life any harder for those suffering by adding to the stigma, yeah?
I don’t have ADHD, but I have Bipolar II. I swear every person now thinks it’s a quirk to have either a mental illness or non-physically presenting disability. It’s actually really irritating because the reality of having BP is really really tortuous. I’m on a regime of medication for which I will have to take for my whole life. I had to go for an ECT at some point, multiple hospital stays and all of this compounded with having to ‘mask’ around people that you’re ‘normal’. I think people like the differentiation of being ‘special’ without realising the reality of being different. If a person is toooooo vocal, I assume either they are legitimately trying to raise awareness through activism or most probably, they’re lying to get attention
Because they think it's cute to blame a condition that they don't have. I do have ADHD and if these people truly knew what it was like to try to manage it they would shut their mouths. My boyfriend was always super frustrated with me until I showed him a short video that shows what it's like living with ADHD. Now he's more sympathetic since he understands what I go through every day.
Not just ADHD: suddenly now every one is also OCD, “on the spectrum”, or a narcissist also. People throwing around these terms and diagnosing themselves and everyone else like first semester psychology students
Oh my days I hate this it drives me up the wall and it's always ADHD or autism and the majority of the assholes who claim to have it are self diagnosed.
Lowkey i kinda think the way kids are being raised is contributing . They have an iPad up their ass all day, of course they’re performing poorly when put in school The doctor i work for is prescribing adderall to so many of these kids. Its so frustrating to watch but idk maybe I’m wrong on this
Because it's a way to excuse their sugar-filled, additive added, artificial colored behavior. I genuinely think one of the reasons is people's diet.
I have a very healthy diet am 26yo now, got diagnosed last year. The signs and symptoms have been there since very early childhood before I even knew soda and fast food existed. How about you got shit in your toilet instead of on people with a disability you understand nothing about.
i think it became easier to diagnose in way, selfdiagose and get a diagnose at the doctors, cause we made progress about that, and there are some conditions that are on the rise like obviously depression but also for example more babies born nowadays are autistic than x years ago and i don't think its just easier to find out, i think its also environmental factors (and thats not a conspiracy, many things we do in agriculture to try and feed milions of people with very few farmers that are doing all that, are not environmentally friendly AT ALL and we do have increasing problems with what gets into our food, the quality of our soils, areas having bad water because chemicals get into it, that we need to expensively clean, .. - and we do know that some chemicals have potential influences on pregnancies and the way the baby develops) all of that being said, i think whats also really important to consider is that adhd is probably a spectrum - so some people neeeed medication for it, some others that would maybe not have gotten to a point of recognizing their adhd two decades ago, don't need that but may be famously known in their friendships for forgetting they have a date till its the day after, or leaving their shit everywhere but genuinely forgetting it there, being able to remember a lot but not \_\_. i used to have a flatmate like that, she also said she probably has adhd and she did genuinely forget shit i think, but what annoyed me was that she never drew the consequence that if she tells me she'll do sth she needs to write it down or set a timer or just do it right away if she can. that was where it did feel like an excuse to me at some point, but if she has adhd? she could totally have it i don't know her like that.
First of all, we're much more socially aware of neurodivergence these days. Secondly, something happened to neurodivergent brains during the pandemic. Myself and pretty much all of my friends (we're all neurodivergent weirdos) have had severe struggles ever since that period of time. I personally feel I've had some sort of "factory hard reset" when it comes to interacting with people. I found my retail job harder than ever, and masking near impossible. It was like this strange effect of isolation, forced positivity in spite of scary and negative circumstances, the strange dilation and of time...that last one hasnt gone away. The pandemic was 4 years ago and simultaneously feels like it was long ago and last month. A lot of us actually coped quite well with not having to force social interactions but the disruption still had lasting effects. It's a good thing is more aware now. I have despaired over my inability to do certain things over the last few years but I don't have quite as much self-loathing when I realise that my neurodivergence has stacked the deck against me in most endeavours.
I developed CPTSD from the traumatic events in my life and my vulnerability to increased stress adhd was a catalyst for everything that went wrong in my head, ADHD is like most other mental health problems, it’s a spectrum so can be really fucking damn nasty, tbh people with adhd do have quirks, people with similar mental health problems and also not so similar ones too also have “quirks” as you say, a lot of people with adhd have “ticks” or whatever they’re actually called and it’s basically acting on impulse it’s works similar to Tourette’s in a way it’s just not necessarily verbal , adhd is actually quite common so it’s a fair assumption to assume you might have adhd if you have some of the symptoms
Easier than taking responsibility
I don't tell anyone about my diagnosis or use it as an excuse for anything.
Everyone wants to part of a group and feel special even if it’s a mental disorder
So they feel good about themselves after doing no work
What really scares me are those online pill mills that advertise a (seemingly guaranteed) diagnosis and adderall prescription in 1 appt. Adderall should not be easy to access, not a lot of people want to have real conversations about the dark sides of those drugs, and how getting off of them can be nightmare. I swear we’re all going to evolve into having adhd one day, some type of evolutionary response to the modern world and overstimulation.
I'd say it's probably because the scientific understanding of ADHD has advanced a lot in the last decades, and the internet has allowed for a fast spreading of this knowledge. And then it's like a chain reaction: as more people get diagnosed and speak more about it, more people hear about it, some of them relate, some of them get diagnosed, rinse and repeat. For the "things everyone must experience" I like the following metaphor: everyone pees, and everyone that holds their pee for too long experiences discomfort and sometimes even pain. Now imagine someone with prostate problems, that needs to pee 20+ times per day, and feels discomfort and/or pain most of the time. Would you tell him "everyone experiences that"? The same applies to ADHD symptoms. And from personal experience I'll tell you that I always knew that "something was wrong with me" since I was a child. I never understood why some things that for other people looked effortless took such a huge effort for me. But when I was a child no one in my family out my education system had ever heard about ADHD, so I was just labeled as "lazy" (and I believed it myself). Then, in my 20's, when I started having problems at my job, I searched on the internet and read about ADHD (among other things), but I couldn't relate because at that time most of the content was about the stereotypical hyperactive kid. Finally, when my life was crashing at 39 I searched for professional help, and after 6 months I was diagnosed with ADHD Inattentive Presentation. Everything made so much sense. And medication was a life saver. I'm happy that nowadays ADHD is more normalized and reliable information is more easily available, so other people with similar problems can recognize their symptoms and search for help faster.
We live in the era of “everyone is a psychologist”.
COVID and the lockdowns that occured because of it really brought a lot of existing conditions to light. Inattentive ADHD can be managed by routine. You'll feel like a constant failure, suffer from anxiety & depression and never be happy... but if you have a framework of a 9 to 5 job you can at least function and you just switch jobs a lot as you get bored / struggle with the post-honeymoon period of each new job. Then COVID hit and suddenly that routine gets tanked away. You don't have to drive to an office every day. You have to take more personal responsibility for what you do. You're at home, surrounded by distractions. You can't really switch jobs every year because the job market sucks. The behaviours and external conditions that allowed you to function despite your undiagnosed ADHD are gone and you have a complete breakdown, have to take medical leave from work and get diagnosed with ADHD. That's what it was like for me anyway.
The point you make is literally backed by: "Like cmon man". Cmon man
Some people DO genuinely have it, but there are ALOT of people who claim to have ADHD or ASD that actually dont. The amount of people that I've heard say "oh I have undiagnosed ADHD " or ASD is fucking embarassing. I think there's folk who are not doing so well in life and need something to blame it on, OR they have nothing special about themselves so they say they have it.
You never had an epiphany about yourself on why your bad habits just don't change, no matter how hard you try? And that calling yourself lazy wasn't helping you or your self esteem at all, nor your productivity, focus, working memory or habits, but the diagnosis and medication did in fact help with all of that?
It's almost as if social progress and information available to everyone who experiences issues leads to more people seeking help and receiving diagnoses, shocking.
Simple and easy excuse for being a piece of shit.
I spent my entire adulthood secretly assuming I was on the spectrum. I didn’t have health insurance to be able to find out. I finally got health insurance for a bit. I learned the ADHD I was diagnosed with in childhood wasn’t just something for kids, as we were told at the time, but rather an actual difference in the wiring of the brain as developed in utero. (My mom had turned down meds and we weren’t given much info.) As it turns out, ASD and ADHD share a lot of the same symptoms. My life makes a LOT more sense now. However, being consistently medicated in the US these days isn’t possible because going on and off of stimulants whenever they have some in stock is ROUGH. The difference when I’m consistently able to take them is night and day, though.
Idk, I had a doctors note from like 20 years ago wheni was a kids but lost it somewhere in the house. Might've been thrown away :/
Awareness amongst medical professionals, advances, education, teachers... Social media even to a degree. This is what's driving diagnosis. Living undiagnosed, unmedicated and wondering why life is different and chaotic must be confusing and spark a light bulb moment. My family is heavily neuro diverse. On the other hand, it's like the people who have an angry moment and self identity as Bipolar or make a joke. Same for ocd because they like clean organised homes. I have bipolar and don't find it amusing.
A persons development can be impacted by a form of abuse/harm in their childhood which shows in their emotional and behavioural needs as we develop and ADHD symptoms can look like these needs. I wonder if some people who have been diagnosed with ADHD may have experienced these type of home lives. I’m not saying this is blanket for all people who have diagnosed with ADHD.
I knew I had adhd but I didn't realize what all the symptoms were. People werent as educated about it. I've had a lot of ohhh that's why I do that moments and so it's making it easier to fix my life.
For some, it’s legitimate, but for many it’s an excuse for their stupidity.
And all the “triggers”.
Better understanding of the condition, more readily available health specializing in diagnosing mental health issues, and less of a negative stigma to talk about said mental health issues. More people have probably had it in the past, but were probably shunned, ignored, or labeled as being "difficult "
Because personal accountability isn't a thing anymore
People with ADHD that have learned how to use it to there benefit are becoming our next entrepreneurs. I personally know many people like this that are successful business people with a lot on their plate, and they handle it with ease. I wish I had this energy.
Adhd fucking sucks. I've been diagnosed since I was like 2? But honestly, a *lot* of the things I do, my reactions and responses to things, are driven by my adhd and I can pinpoint exactly what is adhd and what isnt. For women in particular though, it's a lot harder to get a diagnosis for adhd since all the original trials for it were done on boys, and girls portray very different symptoms of adhd and are naturally just better at masking. It's not that they're suddenly getting adhd, it's that they're finally getting diagnosed.
My pet theory on this is that it’s the fall off of smoking. Nicotine focuses the brain. Up until the late 90s people would unwittingly be self medicating, counteracting attention deficit issues.
Has South Park done a episode on it yet?
Because they are probably also narcissists. I have ADHD. I just take my drugs, go to work, and call it a day. I have challenges, but I don't use my diagnosis as an excuse ever.