A commentary about "Do I have ADHD?" by Vox

Brief overview of This video by Vox: There's this debate on whether ADHD is being over diagnosed, and this video explores two expert opinions on that. On one end: how the diagnosis rate of ADHD went from 3% of the population to 15% after more medicines for the diagnosis hit the market. How studies done in many countries have found the youngest child in the classroom has consistently been diagnosed more with ADHD. But on the other, studies have also shown that women and girls are statistically under-diagnosed by about half, not because men and boys have the diagnosis more but because the diagnosis was codified by studying boys, and thus this demographic tends to have the more "obvious" aspects of the criteria of the diagnosis. Also because many people don't get diagnosed until adulthood/ Generally this is attributed to the DSM-5 specifically elaborating that symptoms are to have to first begin under the age of 12, so that is the age group most combed through and used to survey the rate of diagnosis.

But my feelings, from my day to day experiences as an ADHD person, and as a person who's just in general kept up with some amount of literature about the subject.

YOU BET IT'S BOTH.

Of course ADHD is over diagnosed and underdiagnosed. Because different demographics have different access to healthcare, and different demographics are gonna have their own stigmas attached to the diagnosis. Also because ADHD is a diagnosis that intersects with economic income and ethnicity, as well as gender. Not because it's really affected by those factors but because a bias in our culture has created those intersections.

A specific demographic is being over diagnosed, middle class, white, boys. Often the youngest in their class. Not elusively but looking at statistics, they are more likely the demographic to have access to care, and therefor fall to a false diagnosis in the right circumstances. Especially in an economy where there is an aspect of profit to diagnosing more kids, but only the kids who have access to begin with are going to be preyed on like that. Because of course an economy that places healthcare in the realm of profit is going to play with lives like that.

But on the other side of the coin, a big demographic of our population is being misrepresented by the fact that the model for ADHD doesn't look like poc or women. And not only that, there's also just the wide demographic that doesn't even have that access to care.

Of course it's created schrodinger's diagnoses. Both too many and too few get care because that's been our entire country's interaction with like every diagnosis. With every disease, illness, and disorder. Care matters, and care requires access to a diagnosis, which is impacted by many things but very importantly WHO was demographic codified the diagnosis.

And also, as always, it's also money.