ADHD is a broad spectrum of developmental delay issues that present as different behaviours but can be observed in ECGs. There is no "cure". Anyone who says otherwise has no idea what they're talking about. There are only strategies for minimising the unwanted effects that cause disruption to your life.

The large portion of people taking stimulant ADHD medication to "study" are not by and large getting the same effect as those with ADHD get. For someone with ADHD the medication balances attention dysregulation, that is curbing hyper-focus, and attention "drift" while on a task. It doesn't temporarily turn you into some superhuman memoriser or Ernest Hemingway. It's not some magical potion buff. For those using it to stay awake to cram more low quality hours of memorisation in, they most likely have good memories to begin with, that's how they got there in the first place, it doesn't enhance their abilities.

The only advantage those with ADHD get is that they finally get to play on a level playing field. That's like saying those who wear glasses are at an unfair advantage in a "spot the difference" exam. Give me a break.

So we'll treat a broad spectrum of issues with amphetamines in order to level to playing field... got it.

My point is that we don't really know what this disorder is, or its root causes. An ECG can reveal its presence in the same way an EKG can reveal certain arrhythmia. However, in the case of EKG, you can't truly determine the cause of arrhythmia; is it cardiomyopathy, fibrosis, stenosis, a combination, etc. Now imagine trying to make the same leap of faith with the brain which is infinitely more complex, less studied, and less understood. Follow that up with a draconian treatment such as amphetamine prescription. Yikes

My prediction is that ADHD as a term will either be scrapped or used an umbrella as we learn more about the nuance and complexity of attention disorders. Making broad claims about what ADHD is and how medications can potentially treat it, at this point in time, is totally ridiculous.

Are we really going to pretend that the millions of Americans prescribed these drugs are actually suffering from ADHD to the point that pharmacology is a necessary intervention?

We treat a broad spectrum of issues linked to the developmental delay of the central nervous system and underperformance of the prefrontal cortex with rigorously studied drugs with proven benefits to patients. Just checking, you have no problem with Methylphenidates, just the one that sounds like "meth" but actually isn't? Any powerful drug can be abused. It's up to professionals to prescribe accordingly. I guess this is another case of where the US medical system gives everyone else a bad name (just not those outside the US who have good medical systems and don't suffer from the same issues).

Trying to make the case that ADHD is not well studied is plain wrong. It is incredibly well studied. The assumption that we can't possibly understand it because "it's the brain" is just wrong, there is a huge amount we know about the brain. I don't know what you're getting at with this ECG business but we've been doing EEGs on people to diagnose epilepsy for 60+ years.

ADHD is already understood as a incredibly nuanced and complex set of issues, the fact that so many people continually reduce ADHD to just "attention" or "focus" shows how little is known or understood about it by people who want to draw some tenuous observational links to... what ends... I don't know? Why do you care? A tiny number of people who actually suffer ADHD would agree with anything you are saying, forgetting the just plain false statements and leaving the opinions they were trying to reverse some support for. ADHD is about dysregulation of emotion, impulse and yes, attention but much more than that, it's about how those fundamental differences effect every damn facet of your life in the most pernicious way and require you to spend more effort and energy to keep up, or fit in, or look normal or to remove you and protect you.

I can't talk to the American system (remember there's a whole world with decent healthcare out there) but just because one country has an issue with misdiagnosis and overprescription, doesn't change anything. What's your point. There are also plenty of non pharmacological interventions. Many that I can claim back through my national health care.

You're conflating to many associated but not actually linked issues and it's unsubstantiated rants like these that perpetuate the stigmatisation of those living with ADHD. You're not helping anyone.

Diagnosing people with ADHD can still yield them treatment beyond medication. The existence of the opioid epidemic doesn't negate the very real pains and ailments that led to people getting overprescribed with painkillers, either.

Other treatments would be great, yet between the ages 6-17, of those diagnosed with ADHD, over 2/3 are prescribed meds while less than half receive behavioral treatment.

My point is that unfortunately these medications are still used as primary treatment.

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html

Edited for context.

Is that accurate? I thought the moral panic over ADD over-diagnosis has been around since the 90s, where the narrative was too many rambunctious boys were being given medication. "The Ritalin Generation." Are you saying this situation really hasn't improved in nearly three decades?

I'm curious about this - what's informing your belief that ADHD is treated only with medication?

When talking to people diagnosed with ADHD, the diagnosis was accompanied by a mix of behavioral therapy, medication, lifestyle changes, and external support from teachers/friends/family.

Drug-seeking behavior is something else altogether, which I agree is a net-negative on both society AND people with ADHD. Regulations around ADHD medication make the medication ironically very difficult to obtain for anyone with an executive function disorder. People without an executive function disorder have no problem jumping through the extra regulatory hoops.

Surely there are other treatments for ADHD beyond the simple pharmaceutical cures, and it would be salutary to diagnose people so they can try those strategies and get the help they need.

There are. Heaps. And you try them all

Talk therapy is incredibly important. People with ADHD can often suffer from rejection dysphoria and depending on how long until they realise, or how self aware they are, they end up internalising a lot of negative opinions and shame about themselves that needs to be unwound. There are a lot of issues around the pain of "never fitting in" or being understood. Some of these are a result of behaviours that aren't the social norm and so they become marginalised. Others are where differences in processing and learning information are labeled as "stupid" at a young age, when the child probably has a similar IQ to their peers.

Neurofeedback can be used with good success to help "rewire" particular issues with emotion dysregulation for instance. It can be expensive and requires a lot of time to train the brain to a different mode of operation.

Coaching, specifically around time-management and task-management. A lot of people with ADHD suffer from time-blindness. Their perception and relationship with time can be.... complicated. Calendars, specifically having a rigid system for what goes on them, regularly reviewing them, keeping them and a large easy to read clock visible at all times etc can really help.

A good water bottle with a straw. No one really knows why but there are a lot of hypotheses. - One thing that never gets mentioned is the relationship between ADHD and food. Generally the nervous system does a pretty terrible job at letting an ADHD person know, when they are hungry, when they are thirsty, when they need the bathroom. Combined with time-blindness, maybe some stress induced hyper-focus because you're falling behind on whatever you need to do, ADHDers will suddenly realise they've missed lunch and binge eat simple food that doesn't require preparation. Preparing a meal would be akin to telling someone with a deadline to just go run a quick marathon first. It'll feel like one or the other, and in some cases, depending on energy levels it will be. - but back to the water bottle. Using the straw means you don't divert your gaze from what you are doing. Your brain doesn't have to judge how full it is and tilt the glass accordingly, if it's big you don't have to get up to refill it. Frictionless hydration.

I think ADHD could be related to overconsumption of sugar.

The question would be: Which one would be the cause and which one is the effect?

I am diagnosed with ADHD and I consume unhealthy amounts of sugar in form of chocolate, gummy bears and ice cream. I wonder if...

A) all that sugar creates a gut microbiome that facilitate ADHD symptoms or if

B) the general impulsiveness and higher-than-usual glucose demand from the brain create the sugar cravings, or if

C) it's some kind of feedback loop and bad habits get reinforced to the point of addiction

Sugar helps fuel a nervous system that is lacking energy from constant stress and overwhelm.

Chocolate will release serotonin but you need to binge quite a lot of it.