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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Ok, I'll take the other view.

I think it is BS. I'm sorry, but if you did well in school, did well socially, got through grad school, and got through the first 10 years of a career in a tough field like law or medicine, all without an ADHD diagnosis or any medication, you don't have ADHD.

I actually think what is happening here is that people who have always achieved and been successful hit their 30s or 40s and struggle with something. Anything. Maybe they have a job where they aren't the top worker. Or they just get burned out. Maybe they have a hard time with dating. Maybe it's infertility or postpartum depression. And as people who have always succeeded at everything they do, in part because they are smart and capable and also often in part because they've had a lot of support from family and good financial situations, they cast about looking for an external reason why they aren't nailing it. And ADHD is an extremely convenient scapegoat.

I also think the medical community collaborates in this by constantly suggesting ADHD as a possible cause to any mental health problem they can't fix. I know several woman for whom ADHD was suggested to them as a diagnosis by doctors and others who don't specialize in it (GPs, therapists) when these women came to them complaining of symptoms that could be a lot of things -- anxiety, trouble sleeping, difficulty in relationships, etc.

I think it's total BS. I think they are just struggling with what a lot of us struggle with. Juggling kids and work, midlife malaise, social anxiety that sometimes gets worse as you age, etc.

And yes, ADHD meds will help you focus even if you don't have ADHD. This is why there is a black market for ADHD meds on college campuses that spikes during exam periods or when papers are due and then goes away. But as with people who actually have ADHD, the benefits also decline over time.

Looking forward to getting yelled at here. Just want to say in advance that the reason my post made you so mad is that you are worried it's true.[/quote]

Not mad here. I actually understand why people think it could all be bs.  It does seem like diagnoses are increasing in women. But it's hard to understand unless you are actually in it. Be grateful you're not experiencing it, PP. If you were, you would be able to see it's not bs.  It's really, truly, much worse than just struggling with the day-to-day and midlife issues. [/quote]

You still have not explained how a person who has clearly been extremely high functioning for their entire life with absolutely no academic, career, or social issues would suddenly have a diagnosis that is supposed to present in childhood and where the diagnostic criteria include difficulties in those areas.

How can someone who has clearly demonstrated a high level of executive functioning for several decades suddenly have a disorder that is defined by a lack of executive functioning? Explain it.[/quote]

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