ADHD is very real, but just because someone struggles to focus or plan doesn't mean ADHD is the explanation. ADHD's impact is wide-ranging and nuanced, with possible symptoms like "emotional impermanence" (you forget or disbelieve how someone feels about you if they haven't told you very recently), or having "time blindness" (a poor sense of time, where it's hard to process anything more nuanced than "now" and "not now"). And ADHD doesn't always mean you outright "can't" function normally; sometimes you can but it'll just much more draining than for a normal person.
Here's an article I found fascinating about how ADHD brains behave differently at a physical level: https://www.additudemag.com/current-research-on-adhd-breakdo...
The Translating ADHD podcast is pretty good at discussing the lifestyle impact side of ADHD. That's an angle that neurodiversity research literature broadly doesn't cover much.
Asking how it is measured, what kind of effect it has, whether the effects are meaningful, how it can be explained, whether there are more appropriate labels, what kind of alternative explanations exist, etc.
Asking whether something is "real" fails even when talking about fundamental physical phenomena like gravity, math or consciousness. So, this is almost always the wrong question.
You'll also discover that you have innate strengths and creativity that will be way above your peers who do not have ADHD and you should and can harness those strengths and creativity to further your career or passions in life.
Now that you know a bit more about yourself, you have an exciting journey ahead of you to discover your true potential.
I'm not downplaying how hard having ADHD can be with regards to certain aspects of your life, but try not to focus on the negatives that people are posting; you'll have a great road ahead!
People that specialize in mental health, psychiatry and brain research have concluded that ADHD is a diagnosable mental disorder. I'm glad they're doing that instead of trying to write books on rust or go.
More to your question, I think a lot of the common hesitance and skepticism is the result of stigma in the vein of anti-vax ideas. Some lay people think they know better than the medical community and won't hesitate to tell you their unqualified opinion. Consider them nuts. Try some treatments, read some books, work on your systems of support, and always remember it's REAL, don't be ashamed to struggle. You're not making it up. You're not faking it. You're not bad.
It might not be obvious to other people, but you just need a little help, like when someone breaks their leg or gets the flu. It's no one's business anyway, unless you decide to confide in them.
* My mind is silent without stimulus. I no longer desperately crave to cram every living second with input, I am OK with sitting down and doing nothing for a while.
* I now live up to my own standards: if I think that I should do something, I am way more likely to do it (tidying, running errands, making phone calls etc).
* Sloppiness and "I'll do that later"-isms are severely reduced, I tend to finish what I start.
* I no longer interject or interrupt people with tangential trivia when an idea pops into my head.
* I can listen to other people for longer, even if I find the subject boring.
For the first time in my life, I am able to function like other people without having to rely on innate ability and motivation to do basic tasks.
Did you get the correct diagnosis? Well, no idea how even the best & brightest internet crowd could guess.
Do features of ADHD interact with one's way of life? Hell yeah! It goes both positively (e.g. providing much-needed stimulation) and negatively (modern media & marketing prey on the addiction to dopamine kicks).
Regardless if you have it or not (and since it is a spectrum, the answer is not binary) - try "How To ADHD" YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx13a2-unjE) and the book "Driven to Distraction" (https://www.amazon.com/Driven-Distraction-Revised-Recognizin...). It might help you in understanding yourself.
I’m slightly confused that person who provided you with diagnosis didn’t provide you with overview of how ADHD works.
The answer to the question not asked (based on this accounts posting history) is that if you want to learn to deal with it and your life successfully, you should see a therapist specializing in adhd. Many people are scared of therapy because it seems like an admission you’re broken or that their issues “aren’t that bad”. It’s not like that. Think of it like going to the gym to improve, not to a mechanic to be fixed.
See the comment from davzie, it can be a unique advantage for you and how you approach life and work.
But yes, it is very real and plenty of people have a specific set of characteristics and behaviors that are unique and associated with one another. That’s generally what disorders like that are. Some social media (esp TikTok I’ve found) tend to push a narrative and are often full of factually incorrect people trying to be “relatable” for likes/views. It’s good you’ve been diagnosed, hopefully by someone with true knowledge on the matter. There are tons of resources available online and offline that you can reference. Again, a therapist can be a great resource. They talk to lots of people who experience the same thing as you, and can provide insight into what works for others (eg to get through long video/content like another question you asked here). The solution is not always medication, but you shouldn’t be scared of it regardless.
I highly recommend you treat it as an actual disorder because the sooner you address it, the less it will affect important parts of your life, especially your relationships.
My partner and me both have ADHD & ADD. She likes working and being busy so medication is a valid choice for her to keep feeling active.
I on the other side don't care about being busy. My medication is being self employed and forming my schedule after my emotions and motivation thrives.
It doesn't change whatever we have ADHD or not. In the end it's just about making most out of every living moment.
ADHD is especially ambiguous because a lot of the behavioral treatments probably work for non-ADHD: prioritize your work, avoid distractions, have one clear calendar, set reminders on your phone, etc.
At the end of the day, if you follow both medical and non-medical treatment options, and your life improves, does it matter if it's "real" or not?
You can try therapy. Or not. You can try medication. Or not. The diagnosis is simply more information about your situation. Talk to professionals, explore your options, reflect back on what works for you.
It should only be "treated" if it affects one's life negatively (which it often does in the modern world, unless you are guerilla herding sheep / living a generally interesting life). So, people "born that way" can suffer more in modern world than they did say 20 or 200 years ago. There is evidence that medication helps.
There is an interesting book on the topic: _ADHD: A Hunter in a Farmer's World_
Disclosure: I am diagnosed as an adult with ADHD ("primarily innatentive" subtype).
There is a scientific debate still whether it is 'real' or not, you will run into psychotherapists and psychiatrists who tell you it isn't real - you will run into clinicians and specialists who have helped people immensely by treating it as real.
Whether or not they reach agreement, what is a fact is that there are people who have various problems with adapting to our modern structured life (distractability is only one of many issues connected to the complex) that benefit immensely from various approaches to the complex of issues we mean when we say ADHD.
Edit: I myself got diagnosed and tried Ritalin - but after a year switched to antidepressants because it was better for me to manage my anxiety to not fall into depression from burning out (anxiety that is basically conditioned coping due to distractability, hyperfocus and emotional disregulation).
If you diagnosed yourself (or by a friend) after consulting some articles on Internet then of course.
If you got diagnosed by a medical professional (and preferably by not a one) then there is a chance it is real.
But the biggest problem with ADD/ADHD is what even if someone can properly understand what there is a problem it is rare when someone could do something with it without external help.
Edit: i would also add that learning proper coping mechanisms is at least as important as taking medications in that the pills would have very little effect unless taken with the correct mindset.
The first step is the diagnosis, the next step is to actually learn how it affects you personally and where on the ADHD spectrum you are. Some people are horrible with concentration, some others have no issue with that but are very emotionally impulsive. Some people lose interest on things extremely quick and jump around hobbies they obsess, some can’t sit still, some are very emotionally sensitive to rejection and and and.
I can also recommend reading /r/ADHD on reddit and listening to talks by Dr.Berkley to understand what ADHD actually entails
Think about it like this: depression is real. Everyone can feel a bit "depressed" sometimes or grieve after experiencing emotional hardships, but that doesn't mean depression isn't real.
Also much like depression doesn't simply manifest in being sad all the time, ADHD doesn't simply manifest in being distracted all the time. I've heard ADHD described as an inability to control what your brain focuses on rather than a lack of focus, but it can vary between persons.
As to whether you in particular actually "have ADHD" (i.e. meet the formal diagnostic criteria of the DSM condition by that name) that's between you and your therapist to decide.
That’s a common problem of diagnosis, but you have the same problem with those you receive the diagnosis. Americans are often much more interested in finding labels to describe problems in life, and I’d be very careful not to consider any label ascribed to you as being a limiting factor for your own personal growth.
I'm classified closer to -PI because I'm not like a hyper woman friend, but I still have abour half of the symptoms in each area but not enough to be called -C.
My parents believed it was a psychiatry conspiracy theory, which only caused me more problems for years of non management.
My understanding is that the behaviors are real and actually do differ from typical behaviors, and that the general collection of behaviors are actually labeled ADHD. So in that sense it’s definitely real.
It seems like the question you really want to ask is what is the cause of those behaviors, and is it internal or external.
With disorders of the brain that lack an understood cause I find it useful to think of things in this way.
Is Alzheimer real or is that just wicked old farts abusing younger people patience?
Is ADHD real or is that just an excuse for lazy naughty kids?
Yes these are real conditions. And by the way adults can also have ADHD. One can even develop it later after graduating.
The fact many people or entire countries deny ADHD exists or believe it can only affect kids is a horror.
Although something you do want to ask your doctor is why you are getting this diagnosis. If it can be linked back to something satisfyingly physical or not that will give you more useful guidance than whether the label is consistently applied or not.
With diagnoses about mental function, you can never ever just make a simple binary statement. Many ailments come in degrees of severity. Others - come in episodes by time.
ADHD is a diagnosis given after other explanations have been eliminated. So if it seems to not fit that may be an accurate hunch.
You could have learned this in about five minutes of Google searching.
It rests like an eagle on the wind
An anxious eye triggers a thousand ideas
Driven by a single motion below
A twitching grass blade,
A shifting sparkle from the water's edge
No uncalled cure beckons my mind
No defect can I find
Fix me not you callous normal
And care for your own hollow cave
Yes, it does to me. I don’t want to pop pills all my life. Anywho, I am logging out and won’t be engaging with anyone further.
https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/12/28/adderall-risks-much-mo...
It's highly studied and *mostly* psychologically and physiologically understood, insofar that the main (theorized) issue - dopamine dysregulation in the brain that causes disorders of executive functions - is effectively treated with CBT, lifestyle changes, and stimulants (among other medications that target dopaminergic system or otherwise).
In those without ADHD, the same treatments are not helpful, i.e. their brain has plenty of dopamine, so something else is wrong. That's a gross oversimplification, but even the mere fact of having a diagnosis will help you and those close to you understand why your brain works the way it works, and begin your path in developing strategies to work around those "executive dysfunctions." It'll also give you the ability to work with your psychiatrist to try different medicines/dosages/therapies/lifestyle changes that will most certainly help.
The idea of it not being real comes from this idea that certain parents seek the diagnosis to "fix" or have a reason for their (mental) hyperactivity (bad grades, getting in trouble, etc). These are also parents who provide far too little stimulation, attention, exercise, and enrichment to their children. Some have turned it into a conspiracy or a societal flaw because the main treatment is stimulants. The irony is that because ADHD is genetic, there's a great likelihood that the parent themselves has undiagnosed ADHD and a result of their disorder was providing too little enrichment for their child, which (caveat: nature vs. nurture is up for debate) probably had a negative effect on the resident ADHD traits, exposing and possibly worsening them to the point of it being a problem. ADHD was not a diagnosed condition in the boomer/genX generation because, well, doctors sucked. Kid not paying attention? Yell at them. Kid having bad grades? Take away their fun. Kid getting into trouble? Spank them.
Yes, that stimulant is amphetamines. And one can abuse it, get high on it, and succumb to addiction. But the dosages in ADHD treatment are extremely low - just enough that there is a perceptible change in executive function that significantly diminish those hyperactive traits of the ADHD brain. To a person with ADHD, it's like putting glasses on for the first time. The brain does build up a tolerance, so if it's not properly administered under the care of a psychiatrist, it can become ineffective or the user can self-medicate beyond safe levels. That's why ADHD treatment must be a life-long, holistic approach where medicine plays an important role as much as diet, exercise, moderation, therapy, etc. But that's not to say it's a debilitating illness; ADHD people are extraordinary creative minds, are often incredible crisis, high-pressure environment workers (paramedics, dispatchers, ER surgeons, mission control operators lol), and are really really good at deeply focusing their passion on one thing in an almost superhuman way (lawyers, gamers (speed runners holy shit), writers, artists etc)
Now, that more people are getting ADHD diagnoses (and capitol punishment is abolished lol), it's normalized to the point where taking ADHD medications is almost no different than using glasses to correct blurry vision - as it should be. Documentaries on the subject are still overwhelmingly negative brainwashing attempts by crazy people (big pharma drugging our kids with adderall bad), and it's still got a long way to go (even the name Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder sucks, while the term Neurodiversity is making strides as a general replacement for labels of common mental disorders)...but think about how far we've come.
Note: I'm making some unscientific, unfounded claims here backed up only by way too much hyperfocused reading on the topic. I'm currently seeking an ADHD diagnosis myself, because so many of my traits (and my parents) are explained by it (that I always thought were just normal struggles), and some prescribed stimulant medication for weight loss (appetite suppression) unlocked a side of me I never thought probable.