Do I have ADHD?

Google can’t tell if you have ADHD or not.

If you search “Do I have...” on Google, the first suggested phrase you’ll see is “Do I have ADHD?” And it’s easy to see why. The quizzes and self-diagnosing tests (I’ve gone through a few of them) are extremely relatable — especially when you do them while putting off chores. But here’s the thing: ADHD can easily be misdiagnosed.

There are two sides to this argument. Are there too many people being diagnosed with ADHD? Or too few? First, we spoke to Dr. Allen Frances, who believes ADHD is being overdiagnosed. He pointed to the number of studies done in the US, Taiwan, Iceland, and Canada showing that the youngest kid in a classroom was consistently more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than the oldest kid. He says this problem is also due to time constraints faced by doctors.

On the other hand, Dr. David Goodman argues that ADHD is being underdiagnosed — especially for women. ADHD is harder to diagnose in women because while hyperactivity is common in men and boys, inattentiveness is more common for women and girls. He also argues that there is a pattern in psychiatry where mental disorders are dismissed before being taken seriously.

One thing’s for sure: A professional evaluation will always be better than Googling for self-diagnosing tests for ADHD, because misdiagnosis happens often and can be dangerous. For more information, check out the video above.

[Emily-ymbv]

I have ADHD myself, and when I was younger I used to think it was spelled 80HD.

[jamielo]

I think that ADHD is both over and under-diagnosed. Overdiagnosed in young kids and underdiagnosed in adults, especially females, who previously did not have this diagnosis on their chart.

[amyjensen]

Do I have ADHD? **immediately starts scrolling through comments**

[amor]

Over-diagnosing young boys and under-diagnosing adult women

[Eggmancan]

Can we diagnose the real problem? The fact that society expects children (hell, even adults) to sit still and focus on boring, abstract material for 6+ hours a day.

[noextracharge]

*When you have ADD and start reading the graphs and realize you haven’t been paying attention for 30 seconds so you have to play back the video*

[smokinghorsey]

The problem is ADHD is so misunderstood. It's so misunderstood that the name itself misunderstands it. It is not a problem with attention or hyperactivity. Those are just two common symptoms. It is primarily a problem of having a very low sensitivity to reward. To a person with ADHD, if a task has no immediate reward it feels like a punishment. The darker side of ADHD that is never touched upon in the stereotypical representations is what is sometimes referred to by people as an "addictive personality". People with ADHD are at a much higher risk of becoming drug addicts or alcoholics if the condition is untreated. ADHD also very often causes ups in downs in a persons mood all throughout the day. You can range from feeling depressed to feeling super happy. This is what is sometimes colloquially called "bipolar". I say colloquially because it is. This isn't bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is where the individual experiences long periods of depression (weeks or months) followed by long periods of mania.

So the stereotype of a fidgety person who gets distracted mid-sentence is really just what fidgety people who get distracted easily are like. Sure, many people with ADHD might display traits like that at times, but those traits aren't what the condition is really about. ADHD is highly co-morbid, meaning that the condition normally produces other mental health problems if untreated. So if you wonder if you have ADHD, it might be worth asking yourself if you have mental health problems. Have you ever experienced panic attacks? Do you have issues with depression? These are two problems commonly experienced by individuals with untreated ADHD.

People with ADHD also don't often fit in well with others. They experience over-focusing problems. This sounds contradictory but it isn't at all. Due to always seeking reward, people with ADHD can't take their mind away from stimulating things. You may be stressed as hell to the point of feeling ill because you haven't started any of your essays that are due, but have sat for hours researching string theory online. The issue is not about attention. It is about a lack of executive function, meaning tasks are not prioritised properly and decisions are made on impulse, and an issue of low reward sensitivity.

The list goes on. This is in no way a full description of the condition.

[akamiguelsanchez]

Getting misdiagnosed with depression when you have ADHD is really rough

[xfinity]

Vox: “Do I have ADHD?”

Me: “Wouldn’t you like to know weather boy?”

[elliemccarthy]

I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 16 years old. Looking back at my childhood, I️ still had a super short attention span, hyper focused on stimulating topics (at 9 years old, it was the Black Death of all things) for hours, and couldn’t hold a rational conversation with anyone (what I thought was relevant was actually ten thoughts ahead of what would make sense to reply). But my grades were always perfect in school and it was so easy that I didn’t need to focus to do well. So no one suspected anything Then when high school started and school got harder and I started learning to drive, all hell broke loose. I couldn’t understand how people would be able to do school work for 10 minutes straight without getting up to walk around, sing, make noises, etc. I️ just thought these things were normal. Until I️ found out that math homework isn’t supposed to take 3 hours. Now, if I try to drive more than 5 minutes without meds, I get so distracted by signs and buildings that I have almost caused accidents. It’s bad. My biggest problem though is that I️ hyper focus on irrelevant topics when I am supposed to be doing homework. I will read for hours about supplements for my horse when I have a paper due the next day. Or I will spend the whole afternoon researching the effects of gun laws on gun violence. These are hi stimulating, high reward topics for me and my brain gets sucked in.

[AngelLopez-ivjv]

Wow, my life did a 180 when I got treatment. For the longest I thought I was dumb because I struggled. With some coaching and medicine. I got the chance to go back to school for something I love to do, I'm not depressed because I like to go to work, made friends with similar goals, got paid better which in terms got me off government aid. It really hurts to see that people don't believe it to be a true problem.

[Danigirlrocks]

As a member of the black community, I feel like ADHD is EXTREMELY under-diagnosed. There would be kids in my class that displayed all the signs of hyperactivity ADHD but instead of being evaluated they were suspended, called trouble makers, told they wouldn't be successful because they were struggling in classes and being disruptive. Most of them ended up dropping out of school. As for myself, I'm going to be getting tested next week for inattentive ADHD. My family used to say it was just an excuse for white people not to discipline their kids... and so when I was younger they never believed in getting me tested even though I showed all the signs.
***EDIT**
So I ended up being officially diagnosed with ADHD and I was prescribed Adderall (I combine it with therapy which really helps).
I graduated my last semester of college with all A's and I'm currently studying for the law exam. So to all my fellow neurodivergents, it's possible! You got this!

[MrCMPUTR]

I was diagnosed with ADD and they put me in special math classes. It was the worst thing they could have done to me. I'm now a software engineer. University was a HUGE struggle to catch up in all the math I didn't get in highschool.

[imjustsomeguy]

Having adhd (inattentive) and having school online is the worst. There are so many things around you to distract you. Also, I have to get out off my chair and walk around every 5 minutes when doing homework. I miss going to my university's library. I don't walk every 5 minutes or else I will annoy people

[donggii]

I have a lot of the symptoms and my moms like:

“Lol it’s a phase”

[jacquelinel.]

I believe that ADHD is being overdiagnosed in the wrong age group. ADHD is usually diagnosed at a young age, usually when a child is in elementary school. The problem with diagnosing at a young age is that children are usually being held inside a classroom, required to do work, and only given a few minutes off for recess and lunch. It would make sense if an elementary-aged child would be more distracted and energetic as they've stayed inside for a good majority of the day. I feel like the correct age group to diagnose ADHD is in middle school or high school, 4th, or 5th grade at the very earliest.

Note/Edit: Just a heads up, this is coming from someone who has ADHD and was diagnosed in first grade.

[yodelrekishi]

The question still remains: Does she have ADHD?

[mx.sinister]

Me: * forgets where phone is*
Me: * remembers*
Also me: * forgets what I needed to find *
*walks back to room where I thought of what I forgot *
me: *remembers and actually finds phone*

[Dawnkey]

I am a woman who is amost 40 seeking a ADHD diagnosis. It's something I have struggled with my entire life. My brother was diagnosed at age of 6. My son was diagnosed at the age of 8. Yet, here I am at nearly 40 still struggling. It's frustrating and completely overlooked just as many medical conditions are overlooked in women.

[nurahiyon_dyl]

1:20 How tf am I supposed to remember anything from when I was 12 if I have ADHD?