The rise of ADHD on elite campuses

[Anonymous]

By definition, ADHD must be present by age 12. Parents and doctors get around this by claiming it was always there, but undiagnosed. However, go back to OP’s original comment. The trends, demographics, and clustering in private schools is statistically significant, which suggests a pattern of manipulation, not late diagnosis. Let’s be honest: this is a scam.

[Anonymous]

This is NOT to take away from kids who have been diagnosed with ADHD from a young age and who have overcome a lot of hurdles to achieve what they have. However, let’s not forget the kids who face challenges and have to cope academically with things that don’t have a diagnosis and can’t be addressed with medication- poor schools, divorce, custody disputes, abuse, poverty, being new to this country, having parents who don’t speak English, having parents who aren’t present….where are their resources?

[Anonymous]

PP. It seems that some of the stubbornly skeptical poster(s) do not have a good understanding of ADHD, perhaps because they (fortunately) never had to deal with ADHD or other mental health issues. Perhaps you should count your blessings, instead of mocking those who are less fortunate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP. It seems that some of the stubbornly skeptical poster(s) do not have a good understanding of ADHD, perhaps because they (fortunately) never had to deal with ADHD or other mental health issues. Perhaps you should count your blessings, instead of mocking those who are less fortunate.

Point is, many kids are challenged differently. There’s a whole support system for kids who need and seek accommodations. There are few or no supports for kids facing other challenges that make academics challenging for them.

[Anonymous]

ADHD has become an industry. Things that used to be called stress, anxiety, or difficulty concentrating are all being swept into an ADHD diagnosis. That brings meds and accommodations. It's very lucrative for the drug industry.

And if you don't actually have ADHD, the extra time is very advantageous and drugs like Adderall are basically cocaine for a normal brain. You are amped and motivated and can write papers and create three start-ups when amped on Adderall. For normal people, these are performance drugs. And I think that's why a lot of college students strive to have an ADHD diagnosis. You get all this extra time and you feel like you have superpowers when on amphetamines.

Whereas for someone that actually has ADHD for real, these drugs allow them to basically function and put away the laundry and get to class on time. For the ADHD brain, stimulants are calming. They can drink four espressos after dinner and then sleep ten hours. It's a very unique brain.

ADHD is very real, but there is no chance 40 percent of Stanford students have it. These are students gaming things for their advantage - whether getting legal stimulants or forcing professors to give them extra time.

As an aside, for normal people, I wouldn't wish a dependency on stimulants like Adderall on anyone. It's effective for people that actually have ADHD. It allows them to function normally. But if your brain is not an ADHD brain, these stimulants aren't much different than meth or crack.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:By definition, ADHD must be present by age 12. Parents and doctors get around this by claiming it was always there, but undiagnosed. However, go back to OP’s original comment. The trends, demographics, and clustering in private schools is statistically significant, which suggests a pattern of manipulation, not late diagnosis. Let’s be honest: this is a scam.

That is a mischaracterization of adult ADHD diagnosis. According to criteria referenced in the Merck Manual (DSM-5): for an adult ADHD diagnosis, symptoms must have started before age 12, even if the diagnosis wasn't made then, with at least five persistent symptoms of inattention/hyperactivity-impulsivity causing impairment in two or more settings like work, school, or home. Your innuendo of a plot between parents and doctor is disingenuous at best.

Do you have ADHD or do you have DC with ADHD? If not, why would you post as if you have first hand experience? It does not appear that you are a mental health professional either, given the gross mischaracterizations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By definition, ADHD must be present by age 12. Parents and doctors get around this by claiming it was always there, but undiagnosed. However, go back to OP’s original comment. The trends, demographics, and clustering in private schools is statistically significant, which suggests a pattern of manipulation, not late diagnosis. Let’s be honest: this is a scam.

That is a mischaracterization of adult ADHD diagnosis. According to criteria referenced in the Merck Manual (DSM-5): for an adult ADHD diagnosis, symptoms must have started before age 12, even if the diagnosis wasn't made then, with at least five persistent symptoms of inattention/hyperactivity-impulsivity causing impairment in two or more settings like work, school, or home. Your innuendo of a plot between parents and doctor is disingenuous at best.

Do you have ADHD or do you have DC with ADHD? If not, why would you post as if you have first hand experience? It does not appear that you are a mental health professional either, given the gross mischaracterizations.

Sorry sweetie. Everyone knows your kid who somehow suddenly developed ADHD despite a long record of academic success is either lying or covering up a different issue.

[Anonymous]

I'm ancient so I had to go through medical school with ADHD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ADHD has become an industry. Things that used to be called stress, anxiety, or difficulty concentrating are all being swept into an ADHD diagnosis. That brings meds and accommodations. It's very lucrative for the drug industry.

And if you don't actually have ADHD, the extra time is very advantageous and drugs like Adderall are basically cocaine for a normal brain. You are amped and motivated and can write papers and create three start-ups when amped on Adderall. For normal people, these are performance drugs. And I think that's why a lot of college students strive to have an ADHD diagnosis. You get all this extra time and you feel like you have superpowers when on amphetamines.

Whereas for someone that actually has ADHD for real, these drugs allow them to basically function and put away the laundry and get to class on time. For the ADHD brain, stimulants are calming. They can drink four espressos after dinner and then sleep ten hours. It's a very unique brain.

ADHD is very real, but there is no chance 40 percent of Stanford students have it. These are students gaming things for their advantage - whether getting legal stimulants or forcing professors to give them extra time.

As an aside, for normal people, I wouldn't wish a dependency on stimulants like Adderall on anyone. It's effective for people that actually have ADHD. It allows them to function normally. But if your brain is not an ADHD brain, these stimulants aren't much different than meth or crack.

+1000

[Anonymous]

No ADHD is not analogous to cancer or needing glasses because those are quantifiable medical conditions.

You can take a blood test and it is black or white if your white blood count is elevated and doctors can see cancerous cells. If you need glasses you can look into a machine that can tell the curvature if your eyeball.

Absolutely anyone can look up symptoms of adhd. It takes under a minute to ask ChatGPT what to tell a doctor so you are diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed medication.

To be diagnosed:

symptoms were present before age 12

symptoms are persistent and significantly interfere with major life activities and/or result in significant suffering

Students at college realize it is easier to stay up later and concentrate longer with adhd meds so why wouldn’t they want to be on them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By definition, ADHD must be present by age 12. Parents and doctors get around this by claiming it was always there, but undiagnosed. However, go back to OP’s original comment. The trends, demographics, and clustering in private schools is statistically significant, which suggests a pattern of manipulation, not late diagnosis. Let’s be honest: this is a scam.

That is a mischaracterization of adult ADHD diagnosis. According to criteria referenced in the Merck Manual (DSM-5): for an adult ADHD diagnosis, symptoms must have started before age 12, even if the diagnosis wasn't made then, with at least five persistent symptoms of inattention/hyperactivity-impulsivity causing impairment in two or more settings like work, school, or home. Your innuendo of a plot between parents and doctor is disingenuous at best.

Do you have ADHD or do you have DC with ADHD? If not, why would you post as if you have first hand experience? It does not appear that you are a mental health professional either, given the gross mischaracterizations.

Consider the circumstances under which an UMC or wealthy person would have FIVE persistent symptoms of inattention/hyperactivity/impulsivity causing impairment in TWO or more settings prior to age 12, but not have even been seen by a doctor. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but you're talking about people with health insurance, plenty of access to doctors, and funds for additional testing.

Yes, there have historically been some biases against diagnosing girls, or misreading symptoms in girls. So yes, among those diagnosed later in life, you'd expect to see more girls/women among them.

But realistically, you would expect the vast majority of people diagnosed outside of childhood to be people who grew up in circumstances that made it less likely they would be tested despite exhibiting multiple symptoms in multiple settings to the degree that it impacted their academic, social, or other functioning. Children growing up in poverty, survivors of child abuse and neglect, immigrant kids, and other children whose childhoods were disrupted in ways that would have made it easier to overlook and ignore these issues.

What you would not expect is for a significant number of late diagnoses to apply to people of above average wealth and comfort with access to regular medical care, and who are often part of elite education systems (well funded publics or private schools) that are much more likely to identify social and academic problems early on.

And yet... that's not what is being discussed here.

Many of these people are purchasing diagnoses in order to get access to drugs and accommodations that will help them "excel" in a highly competitive academic environment, and they do not have ADHD and had no significant impairments before age 12.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By definition, ADHD must be present by age 12. Parents and doctors get around this by claiming it was always there, but undiagnosed. However, go back to OP’s original comment. The trends, demographics, and clustering in private schools is statistically significant, which suggests a pattern of manipulation, not late diagnosis. Let’s be honest: this is a scam.

That is a mischaracterization of adult ADHD diagnosis. According to criteria referenced in the Merck Manual (DSM-5): for an adult ADHD diagnosis, symptoms must have started before age 12, even if the diagnosis wasn't made then, with at least five persistent symptoms of inattention/hyperactivity-impulsivity causing impairment in two or more settings like work, school, or home. Your innuendo of a plot between parents and doctor is disingenuous at best.

Do you have ADHD or do you have DC with ADHD? If not, why would you post as if you have first hand experience? It does not appear that you are a mental health professional either, given the gross mischaracterizations.

Sorry sweetie. Everyone knows your kid who somehow suddenly developed ADHD despite a long record of academic success is either lying or covering up a different issue.

Stop the misogyny. You can make your point without belittling women.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ADHD has become an industry. Things that used to be called stress, anxiety, or difficulty concentrating are all being swept into an ADHD diagnosis. That brings meds and accommodations. It's very lucrative for the drug industry.

And if you don't actually have ADHD, the extra time is very advantageous and drugs like Adderall are basically cocaine for a normal brain. You are amped and motivated and can write papers and create three start-ups when amped on Adderall. For normal people, these are performance drugs. And I think that's why a lot of college students strive to have an ADHD diagnosis. You get all this extra time and you feel like you have superpowers when on amphetamines.

Whereas for someone that actually has ADHD for real, these drugs allow them to basically function and put away the laundry and get to class on time. For the ADHD brain, stimulants are calming. They can drink four espressos after dinner and then sleep ten hours. It's a very unique brain.

ADHD is very real, but there is no chance 40 percent of Stanford students have it. These are students gaming things for their advantage - whether getting legal stimulants or forcing professors to give them extra time.

As an aside, for normal people, I wouldn't wish a dependency on stimulants like Adderall on anyone. It's effective for people that actually have ADHD. It allows them to function normally. But if your brain is not an ADHD brain, these stimulants aren't much different than meth or crack.

Agree. In addition, for those with real ADHD, stimulants such as Adderall are not a cure all as it comes with unwanted side effects (intolerable for some). For that reason, many with ADHD do not take their medication on a regular basis, only if the symptoms are severe. Some seek relief from alternatives such as behavior therapy, or completely refuse to take medication despite the need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a ton of overlap among ADHD, high functioning autism, giftedness, anxiety and OCD. Kids who are brilliant often have brains that are wired a bit differently.

This my ADD (not hyper) needs double stimulation, reads while listening in class, how he processes, but is super quick reader and processor, never uses the extra time allowed. Just because they have a diagnosis doesn't mean they're using the accommodations provided.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was diagnosed with ADHD in second grade. By high school, he had mostly stopped medication because stimulants worsened his (severe) anxiety and difficulty eating and sleeping. He also worked to cancel the extra time accommodations for SAT and AP tests because sitting in a testing room without eating or moving around for 6 hours wasn’t practical for him. By college, he no longer had ADHD prescriptions, but still dealt with severe anxiety and difficulty sleeping (often went days without sleeping at all as a freshman, and when he’d come home for breaks, he looked awful).

I’m sure there are wealthy people who abuse diagnoses. There are also people who do have ADHD who make different choices (meds vs no meds, accommodations vs none). I tend to withhold judgement because I’m aware that sometimes people are choosing between multiple bad options.

FWIW, DC was a good student and a standout athlete in HS, attended an “elite” SLAC, graduated summa and with honors and is now applying to grad school. Being able to achieve stuff doesn’t mean kids aren’t dealing with real symptoms.

+ 1,000