How Scientific is the DSM Process that Setup ADHD Diagnosis Criteria?

ByPrimary Researcher

Executive Summary

  • The vast majority of people who receive an ADHD diagnosis have no idea how weak the evidence is for how people are categorized as having ADHD.

Introduction

ADHD diagnosis is often made in roughly 10 minutes, and a prescription is written immediately after this 10-minute consultation.

We have no financial conflicts or other connections to drug companies or medical establishments. We will use our independence to review some of the information from these websites.

From The CDC

The following quotes are from the website of the CDC.

CDC Claim #1: ADHD Symptoms are Properly Diagnosed Due to Following the DSM?

Healthcare providers use the guidelines in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth edition (DSM-5), to help diagnose ADHD. This diagnostic standard helps ensure that people are appropriately diagnosed and treated for ADHD.

Using the same standard across communities can also help determine how many children have ADHD, and how public health is impacted by this condition.

This is the first third of an ADHD checklist which you can see here.

The entire process of diagnosis and the ADHD checklist is not scientific.