Below are some common myths that have been said about ADHD. We explain where they come from and why they aren’t true.
Origin
When ADHD was first recognised it was portrayed as a condition that just affects children. It was 2000 before the NHS recognised it as a condition that affected children, but it would be eight years lately before it was finally recognised that people don’t just grow out of it. However, the characteristics that are used to diagnosed ADHD, still mainly apply to children, hence the confusion.
Why it’s not true
ADHD is all to do with brain chemistry and structure, that’s hard to simply grow out of. Though it’s noted that adults can do more to cope with their ADHD as individuals due to self-awareness and maturity. In fact some adults go their whole lives without realising they have ADHD, simply because they were encouraged to get on with it. While that can be good to help them live in the real world, it does nothing to address their struggles or help them to understand why they are so different.
Origin
ADHD has always been around, but it was only officially given it’s name and characteristics in 1989. Like with anything it takes a while for something new to be accepted by society, this is usually helped by the mainstream media and politics. However, coverage of ADHD in the mainstream media usually paints it in a negative light and politics around the condition continue to progress slowly as noted by the apparent defunct of the ADHD All Party Parlimentary Group (see here for more info).
Why it’s not true
While the research for ADHD has taken many years, there is now a lot of evidence that shows that ADHD appears on brain scans, further validating that is a genuine condition. A lot of the people, and even professionals who say ADHD doesn’t exist, are the ones who have rarely been affected by it or are simply very closed minded to anything that is new or different. The bottom line is the NHS and the American Psychiatrist Association, both of whom have experts working in the field of ADHD, say it’s a real condition that requires a diagnosis. Therefore ADHD is just as much a condition as any other, despite it being a complex one.
Origin
Unfortunately, because ADHD affects behaviour, this tends to fall back on the parents of children with ADHD. This comes from the theory that children are a reflection of their parents, and while this may be true to some degree, there are exceptions to this such as children with ADHD.
Why it’s not true
Parents can be doing everything they possibly can, pulling their hair out trying to deal with their child’s behaviour, while being made to feel like it’s their fault. Of course, there are differences between ADHD and a child whose displaying difficult behaviour.
Usually, when it is difficult behaviour, if this is challenged in the right way then the child will correct their behaviour. However, if it’s ADHD the child may continue to repeat the same mistakes due to the impulsiveness of ADHD. This is one of the reasons which makes ADHD so difficult to diagnose and while doctors usually wait until the age of seven before they will give a diagnosis.
Origin
Due to ADHD having a shared set of characteristics, people assume that every child with ADHD must present the characteristics in the same way.
Why it’s not true
If only this were true, it would make ADHD a much easier condition to spot and diagnose. However, the fact is that while there are shared characteristics for ADHD, these present different in individuals due to a variety of factors including home life, genetics etc.
Usually the biggest indicator of ADHD is a random scattered thought process presented through disorganised conversation, lack of focus and challenging behaviour. However, this is the biggest reason why only a doctor can diagnose ADHD because of how complex it is in terms of how it affects each individual.
Origin
For a long time, nobody had heard of ADHD or knew a lot about it. Now there is a lot more awareness because information is becoming accessible via the internet and word of mouth. This means more people are recognising they have it or their children have it leading to a higher amount people getting diagnosed.
Why it’s not true
There is no such thing as being over diagnosed. The whole point of a diagnosis is it comes from a qualified professional. While there is certainly a cause for scrutiny of the diagnostic process, once a person has received a diagnosis we must trust that the professional involved had the necessary evidence to diagnose. Of course, not everyone who is put forward for a referral of ADHD gets a diagnosis because not everyone has ADHD.
Origin
The reason while boys are more commonly diagnosed with ADHD, is that it is easier to recognise in them due to boys neurodevelopmentally being more direct and so theirs behaviours present as more straight forward in line with the characteristics
Why it’s not true
It’s more common that girls with ADHD tend to mask, which means they adapt their behaviour by simply copying those around them despite what they are feeling or thinking. The only issue with this is it doesn’t allow for individualised situations. So this can be more damaging in the long run when it comes to things such as having healthy friendships with the right kinds of people. There are now woman who are in their middle age or later, realising that they have ADHD because of how much they struggled at school. However, because ‘they just go on with everything’ they weren’t seen as ‘difficult’ enough to help.
