Crushing Myths About ADHD

Kids with ADHD can’t focus on anything for a long time.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not merely a deficit of attention. People with ADHD experience hyperfocus around tasks that interest them and struggle to transition away from those tasks. Therefore, it is not that they cannot focus at all, but that it is more challenging focusing time, energy and resources on a different, less interesting task.

If kids are not hyperactive, then it is not ADHD.

There are three presentations of ADHD: inattentive, hyperactive and combined. People can have inattentive symptoms, hyperactive symptoms, or a combination of both at any given time. The presentation type listed on a diagnosis is the criteria met at that specific moment in time. It does not mean that other symptoms are not experienced, simply that those were the symptoms present during the diagnostic process. The presentations are not different types of the disorder.

 Only boys have ADHD.

Twice as many boys are diagnosed with ADHD (DIAGNOSTIC AND (5TH ED)., 2013, p. 63). This is in part because boys present as hyperactive than girls. This presentation tends to be more “disruptive” and therefore garners more notice and leads to a diagnosis. Girls are more likely to present inattentively and experience more emotional liability. They have difficulty inhibiting their emotional response and express big feelings, something often dismissed as regular female behavior.

 ADHD can be outgrown.

Symptoms can change over time and people can become more successful at managing them. Additionally, there is a decrease in impulsivity as one ages which can also look like someone is “outgrowing” their diagnosis.

ADHD is “just kids being kids.”

All symptoms seen in ADHD can be present in most kids, however, people with ADHD have symptoms to a more severe degree that causes dysfunction and impairment.

ADHD is caused by poor parenting.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a strong genetic component. Additionally, imaging has revealed that there are structural differences in the brain of those with ADHD, including that certain regions are smaller (by 3-7%), less active (by 10-25%) and that functional connectivity is highly variable. This leads to a 2-3 year delay in gray and white matter maturation and connectivity. The delays are most apparent in the prefrontal cortex. There are no statistically significant results that indicate any social environmental cause for ADHD.

 ADHD medication is addictive and/or increases the risk of addiction to other substances.

The safety of ADHD medication is very well established, and non-addictive if taken as prescribed. People with ADHD who are unmedicated are at an increased risk for substance use due to increased impulsivity, difficulty focusing and hyperactivity and how substance use can curb those symptoms.

 Medication is a cure.

Medication helps manage symptoms and reduce dysfunction and impairment, however, it is not a cure; similar to how insulin works for a person with diabetes. There are recent studies that have shown that the longer one uses a medication the more neuroprotective effects are present. This includes brain growth in smaller regions of the brain. Seventy to ninety percent of people report improvement of symptoms, and 50-60% of people experience normalization of symptoms.

 ADHD is overdiagnosed.

Only about 10% of people that have ADHD are diagnosed. There are several reasons that we are seeing more about ADHD: increased public awareness, improved detection tools, increased expectations placed on young kids, increased recognition of the disorder in adults who were not previously diagnosed, and increased recognition of girls having ADHD.

People with ADHD “just need to try harder.”

ADHD is not laziness or an attitude problem. It is a deficit in executive functioning and memory. As previously mentioned, there is a difference in brain structure and brain function present in those with ADHD

If you have more questions about ADHD and its presentation, impacts, or prevalence, please reach out. We are happy to answer questions and help you learn more. ADHD is normal, about [insert stat] of people in the United States experience it, and knowing what it is can help you find the best ways to manage symptoms in yourself or for someone you know.

Source:

DIAGNOSTIC AND (5TH ED). (2013).