ADHD - Here to Stay

Some People Think ADHD Isn’t Real - What Are the Facts?

?In recent years, the amount of people being diagnosed with ADHD has increased, with Dr Tony Lloyd, chief executive of the ADHD foundation , saying that there could be as much as a 400% increase in the number of adults seeking a diagnosis since 2020. This number, while already high, doesn’t take into account the number of people who may require a diagnosis but can’t access support in their area due to cuts or a lack of services or who self identify. Simply put, while there are many more people being diagnosed with ADHD than there were in previous decades, there actually may be many, many more people who are unable to access diagnosis.

Despite that, many outlets have run moral panic-style stories about the increase in ADHD diagnoses, asserting that either the condition isn’t real or there can’t possibly be so many people who have it. A recent scaremongering piece on the Daily Mail reads: “NHS 'can't cope' with surge in Brits self-diagnosing with ADHD and autism, expert warns”. The Times (which seems to run a piece of ADHD not being real every week) published a piece with the headline “ADHD nation: are too many of us being diagnosed?” and another that read “In school and on medication — the truth about ADHD in children”. The Mail in particular have run several pieces on the dangers of ADHD medication recently. We have also had a recent run of Z list celebrities with no education around the subject telling us that its not real or that screens cause ADHD.

?This kind of moral panic gets clicks (and angry attention) but how much truth is there to it? Most people pursuing ADHD diagnoses are people who have had difficulty for their entire lives, but who may have struggled to fit in or have been punished by traditional education and employment. For many, realising that they may have ADHD–and that there could be a treatment or management plan for them–is a huge relief. Shaming people about the “burden” on the NHS is only going to further pre-existing stigma.

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What is ADHD and how does it show up?

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ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (What a horrible name, lets re brand this ASAP!) is characterized by many different behaviors. Traditionally thought of as a difficulty in focusing or moving around too much and almost exclusively just boys having it. However over recent years as we have started to understood ADHD better we have understood its not just the stereotypical behaviors that define the Neurotype. In my book “The pocket guide to Neurodiversity” I describe it as “In some ways it can be too much concentration on the “wrong” thing…for example a young person who is passionate about Star Wars might be able to focus for hours on learning everything about that universe but would struggle to concentrate with routine school tasks”.

?Other ways the ADHD Neurotype might manifest is with a difficulty with dopamine seeking or emotional regulation. Studies show that ADHD could be linked to a dysfunction in dopamine, and that people with this neurotype have a defective DRD2 gene, making it difficult for their neurons to respond to dopamine. That means that they need more stimulation than other people, and may struggle, with their memory or impulse control. While there could be other genetic, biological or cultural factors affecting someone’s ability to focus or predisposition to ADHD, a complicated relationship with dopamine characterizes the condition.?

?Everyone is different, and many people, particularly women, might not be stereotypically hyperactive at all. This means that many of the struggles of ADHD take place inside someone’s own head, so from the outside, it’s hard to see just how much it might be affecting them. For this reason, a child with ADHD might be misidentified as badly behaved, or an adult might be seen as lazy.

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Why are so many people being diagnosed?

Many people, particularly women and global majority groups, have long gone undiagnosed, as ADHD has continued to be considered a neurotype that affects white boys. Other factors, like access to healthcare or expensive diagnosis pathways, make it even more difficult to access support. For those who went overlooked in childhood, they may find themselves struggling as adults with relationships, work, education, and all of the other things that we need to do. Speaking to the Guardian, Dr Tony Lloyd said “Dismissing ADHD as a cultural construct and undeserving drain on finite NHS resources only adds to the enduring stigma and stereotyping of those with ADHD.”

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What can you do to help?

While it is true that there are some cultural factors (like smartphones) that are affecting everyone’s ability to focus, the rise in ADHD diagnoses does not appear to be a case of thousands of people wanting stimulants or excuses. Instead, it shows that there has been a shift in education and awareness around ADHD. That, and a shift in the stigma. More people realising that they need help and pursuing it can only be a good thing, and scaremongering Z list celebs and inaccurate articles do more harm than good. If someone in your life thinks that they may have ADHD, what they need is your support, not skepticism and dismissal. They’ve spent a ton of time thinking about this and educating themselves, and all they need is for you to be on their side. Services are struggling for many reasons, most of them to do with funding, but the general public are not to blame for needing help.

Contact Adjust for more information about how you can start the Neurodiversity Conversation in your workplace to help create a psychologically safe workplace for those with ADHD.

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