Well, there is partial truth to this. Diagnosing especially preteens with mental health conditions almost always needs an asterisk, their brains are still heavily developing.

Remember that we know of no reliable genetic / physiological markers for ADHD, so when doctors diagnose it, they're really just saying that the amount of symptoms seems to be severe enough. Some kids are just naturally more energetic, intelligent, etc. and may appear like they have ADHD, but when they develop into adults that might not actually be the case.

If anything, it's more like 1/3 of kids were misdiagnosed as having ADHD, so they "grew" out of it because they didn't really have it. It's a lot less likely for an adult to be misdiagnosed because their brains aren't changing.

[–] PolarKraken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 day ago

Great reminders about the lack of physiological markers. The (or one?) elephant in the room, to me - I'd phrase it as - to what degree a kid's just naturally well- or poorly-suited to the public school environment itself.

A child that finds it difficult to sit in one place and listen to words about abstract material for hours every day...I mean does that sound divergent in any way?

One of the fundamental markers of childhood in my experience is a certain...animation, just this almost irresistible urge to move around, negotiate whatever activity is occurring and in what way, with whoever is nearby...switching activities and modes of play fluidly. Seems like the most normal shit ever to me lol.

I do recognize we need a standardized way to educate our kids in a modern society, but as we learn more about young brains, we gotta start developing a more diverse way to accomplish the learning and development of self-discipline. The one-size-fits-all approach just obviously leaves many underserved, and worse, leaves them internalizing a lot of frustration with self, not to mention taking all kinds of drugs to "treat those symptoms".

[–] SparrowHawk@feddit.it 9 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Man it got worse in ways i didn't think possible.

So convinced i understood myself and i actually masterminded my soul into stagnation...

..but a hand come out of the mud

[–] univers3man@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

[–] plyth@feddit.org 1 points 1 day ago

So far, what do you think ADHD is?

[–] ExtantHuman@lemm.ee 6 points 1 day ago

Well yeah, if they got better, they wouldn't be someone you know with ADHD. Obviously

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 3 points 23 hours ago

... when you are medicated

[–] Shiggles@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago (2 children)

…because if it got better, you don’t know about it?

[–] Nikelui@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Does learning how to deal with it, but still struggling more than an average person count as getting better?

[–] exasperation@lemm.ee 3 points 1 day ago

I've set up workarounds in my own life. Elsewhere in this thread there's people talking about forgetting to pay bills, versus bill pay. That's what I've done (and in some instances, have reminders on my phone set up to periodically remind me to do the things that can't be automated).

I've also steered my social relationships and my career to be more accommodating of my brain. I'm with a wife who doesn't mind (and in some ways finds it endearing), and can help me fill in some gaps. I have a career where jumping around from topic to topic helps me seem well rounded, and where occasionally showing how I've done a deep dive into something persuades my colleagues that I've got great attention to detail (I do, but only on some things).

My ADHD might be the same as it's always been, but my life has been set up so that it's all low consequences. The guardrails and safety nets are in place, and I can just be.

[–] fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Getting better doesn't mean it's fixed. It's just less bad.

[–] Suck_on_my_Presence@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Masking may come easier to someone who is fully an adult and had to adapt to be able to survive. One doesn't keep a customer service job by being unmasked. So perhaps that is "better"?

But on the flip side, growing up means more responsibility. Failing a final in high school says I get a C- for the year, big whoop. Failing a final in college means I get a C-, means the class doesn't count as a prerequisite, means I have to spend more money to retake the class.

Forgetting to hand in an assignment doesn't mean much in school. But forgetting to pay a bill has much bigger consequences (especially if you do that ADHD thing of stressing about it every night and day but being unable to actually do the damn thing that would fix it :) )

[–] 0x0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 1 day ago

Exactly. This sounds like selection bias in action. If you're sampling adults who have ADHD and asking if it's better from when they were kids, you've already skewed the results beyond repair. You need to follow kids with ADHD into adulthood and see if it gets better.

[+] anachrohack@lemmy.world -20 points 1 day ago (15 children)

Why does it seem like ADHD is the new Autism self-diagnosis? I've met a lot of people lately who have self-diagnosed themselves with ADHD.

[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Bcz people don't actually understand that ADHD is a debilitating condition that I wouldnt wish on my worst enemy. (I don't have any enemies tho bcz I'm an adult :P)

[–] ExtantHuman@lemm.ee 3 points 1 day ago

You got that backwards.

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