What is the Reality of Adult ADHD Symptoms and Diagnosing ADHD?

Executive Summary

• Adult ADHD diagnoses continue to rise.
• What tends to be undiscussed regarding the medical establishment of ADHD and Adult ADHD symptoms?

Introduction

If you search for the term adult ADHD symptoms, in most cases, you will be taken by Google to some of the biggest medical information websites. The problem is that all of these websites have undisclosed financial conflicts with pharmaceuticals that make ADHD medications. Reading these websites will promote the idea of adult ADHD symptoms, and following their advice will, in many cases, result in being prescribed ADHD medications.

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.

How Does Adult ADHD Differ from Childhood or Teen ADHD?

The following explanation of adult ADHD from an article at AdultADHD would greatly expand the number of adults diagnosed with the condition.

Adults with ADHD are likely to show more restraint due to their higher level of maturity and social conditioning, but the inner restlessness remains and may be re-channeled into activities like thrill-seeking behavior, alcohol, drug abuse, reckless driving, incursions with the law, overspending and other socially unacceptable behaviors.

Under this description, virtually any impulsive behavior could be related to ADHD. The explanation around adult ADHD is that it is nearly any performance issue, from poor organization to being forgetful.

Article Example #1: From Additude Magazine

The following quotes are from Additude.com.

False Claim #1: Researchers Have a Good Idea That a Gene Controls ADHD?

ADHD is a brain-based, biological disorder that, according to research, is likely genetic. Researchers suspect that a gene involved in the creation of dopamine, a chemical that controls the brain’s ability to maintain regular and consistent attention, may be traced back to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD). In other words, it is not caused by bad parenting, too much sugar, or too many video games.

Notice how this paragraph is written. Everything is related to “suspecting.”

This paragraph is written this way because there is no proof this is true. However, why are people being placed on drugs which claim to address the biological issue if it is only suspected?

The information on the growth in ADHD is better for children than for adults, so let us review the growth for children in the US.

Look at the growth in ADHD diagnosis and drug treatment in less than 20 years. If ADHD is being diagnosed broadly, why hasn’t research determined the reason for ADHD?  Adult ADHD diagnoses are also greatly increased in the past 20 years. 

False Claim #2: ADHD is a Proven Neurological Condition?

ADHD is a neurological condition defined by a consistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactive impulsivity that interferes with daily functioning in at least two settings – for example, at school and at home.

This is also not true.

Psychiatrists would like this to be true — however, the medical establishment has not been able to point to the neurological condition.

False Claim #3: ADHD Diagnoses and Determining ADHD Symptoms is a Complicated Process?

Pursuing an ADHD diagnosis can be a complicated process. ADHD is a nuanced neurological condition with three distinct subtypes — inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, and combined type — and there is no one test that determines whether ADHD is present in an adult or a child. A professional diagnosis usually follows symptom tests and interviews, a thorough medical history, and evaluations for conditions commonly diagnosed alongside ADD – including oppositional defiant disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, mood disorder, and autism spectrum disorder.

This is not true.

Children, often at the direction of teachers, can be placed on ADHD medications after a 10 minute visit with a GP or psychiatrist. The more ADHD prescriptions the MD writes the more money they make.

Article Example #2: From The CDC

The following quotes are from the website of the CDC.

False Claim #4: 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 the ADHD checklist.

The entire process of diagnosis is not scientific.

Article Example #3: From The VeryWellMind

The following quotes are from the website of the VeryWellMind.

False Claim #5: ADHD is Confused With Normal Rambunctiousness”

The condition is not always easy to diagnose, however, as many of the symptoms are commonly mistaken for “normal” childhood rambunctiousness. Even physicians can have difficulty with diagnosis given that there is no single test that can diagnose ADHD or similar behavioral or learning disorders.

Or is it the other way around, and is normal childhood rambunctiousness commonly mistaken for ADHD? How does anyone know if ADHD symptoms are ADHD or normal rambunctiousness or due to family problems, a lack of discipline from fathers, or a lack of exercise and overconsuming media? As the first thing that MDs do is prescribe ADHD drugs, there is no way of knowing. US medical reimbursement to general practitioners and psychiatrists does not allow these areas to be investigated. ADHD-producing pharma companies send pharma reps on rotation to compliment, flirt with, provide incentives to and track their ADHD prescriptions. No other rep comes to visit, say, from a company promoting the MDs to look into the issues that I just brought up.

Of course, the medical establishment claims that everything I just mentioned has nothing to do with the prescription written for ADHD medications, and the pharma reps visit the offices of MDs for their health, which pharma companies pay for discernable reason. 

What a Diagnosis of ADHD Means

Remember that a positive diagnosis for ADHD will, in the vast majority of cases, lead to amphetamines, Methylphenidate, and or an antidepressant, and often drugs to control the symptoms of these drugs, which include mood stabilizers and sleep aids.

Ultimately, to make the distinction, pediatricians will run through a checklist of characteristic symptoms to determine whether the child meets the criteria for ADHD as outlined in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).

You have seen part of the checklist already. Are you impressed with its scientific nature? Well, there is more to this that you probably do not know. This is because what VeryWellMind leaves out is that pharmaceutical companies have a high degree of influence over the American Psychiatric Association and the determination of the level of diagnosis of ADHD. There have been scandals related to professors at the most prestigious universities that influence the DSM and ADHD diagnosis levels for money, which I cover in the article What is the Problem With Medically Defined ADHD Symptoms? (Subscription required)

I never see any explanation of these scandals in these pharmaceutical-funded articles on ADHD.

Article Example #4: From The Mayo Clinic

The following quotes are from the website of the Mayo Clinic.

Jumping the Explanation: ADHD Just “Is” – Don’t Look Into It?

Some people with ADHD have fewer symptoms as they age, but some adults continue to have major symptoms that interfere with daily functioning. In adults, the main features of ADHD may include difficulty paying attention, impulsiveness and restlessness. Symptoms can range from mild to severe.

Many adults with ADHD aren’t aware they have it — they just know that everyday tasks can be a challenge. Adults with ADHD may find it difficult to focus and prioritize, leading to missed deadlines and forgotten meetings or social plans. The inability to control impulses can range from impatience waiting in line or driving in traffic to mood swings and outbursts of anger.

This article skips providing background on ADHD and jumps directly to the symptoms. Another article I found from WebMD does the same.

Article Example #5: From Johns Hopkins

The following quotes are from the website of Johns Hopkins.