Gonna have to disagree with this. Not having a diagnosis gives people the false impression that ADHD is a state of being, a minor hindrance like having an “off day.” It makes it seem less distinct and thus taken less seriously. When that happens and someone seeks an accommodation at work or school they are much less likely to be taken seriously — which inhibits their ability to function in society.
Taking any prescription medication for a condition you do not have is fucking stupid and/or dangerous.
TLDR: Self-diagnosing is foolish and misinformation harms people that truly require equitable accommodations.
I have OCD and after the T.V show “Monk”, tons of people thought they had OCD for being very organized, etc. Media DOES greatly impact people’s notions of things and all the TikTok stuff can be very misleading and outright dangerous.
That second tweet is a bit concerning, though. Let’s not forget that many ADHD meds are addicting to non-ADHD brains.
Imagine gatekeeping a disability.
Science is gatekeeping my imagination.
So many of us are undiagnosed. My mom said I never got treatment because I wasn’t disruptive in class. 🤷
ADHD is both overdiagnosed and underdiagnosed at the same time for me… I blame misinformation and overall confusion regarding ADHD… When I talked about my symptoms to others, a common answer I would get is “common among people” - if my pratically extreme executive dysfunction and lower leg muscle destroying hyperactivity was actually common among people than the global society wouldn’t last a week
It’d be easy to diagnose if we were a little more lax with our prescriptions.
Here, take this Ritalin. Did it make you hyper? Yeah, you’re normal. Did it make you fold laundry the same day you washed it? ADHD.
I take meds and I will never fold. Best I can do is actually doing the laundry.
