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The Real Myths Of ADHD Search

By Kelly Babcock

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AllPsych Blog
There are still people who believe that ADHD is a myth. The sad truth
is that there are a few people who have managed to acquire some The Ingredients of an Addictive
credibility and are now using that credibility to perpetuate the myth Video Game
that ADHD has been manufactured. Every month, a new article Are Extraverts Happier?
surfaces suggesting that ADHD is a fabrication. Often it is suggested Whos the Best at Reading Minds?
that big pharma, or the pharmaceutical industry is behind this so Do Standing Desks In uence
called made up disorder. Productivity?
What Does Unemployment in
Additionally, main stream media reports on these few so called Young Adulthood Mean for
authorities as if they are a valid alternate opinion in an evenly divided Mental Health?
medical community. The truth is that millions of mental health Is Procrastination Ever Good?
professionals the world over are in agreement that ADHD is a fact Does Becoming a Mother A ect
based diagnosis with valid, readily de nable and recognizable Self-Esteem?
symptoms, while only a handful of questionable authorities are The Psychology of an Economic
denying its validity. Reporting that there is a split in the medical Recession
community is like reporting that the world is divided evenly on Alcohol Can Enhance Some Kinds
whether or not the earth is at or round. of Creativity
The Psychology of Beer Tasting
Furthering this myth would seem to be the purpose of conspiracy
theorists who, for some reason, need to have a cause to rally round.
They manage to gather together and magnify a few bits of Sections
misconstrued and misrepresented statistics into a body of rhetoric,
using cyclical citations that refer back to other similar collections of About AllPsych
non facts that possibly cite back to the false articles that cited them. Books
Crossword Puzzles
There are myths involved in ADHD, and the myth that ADHD isnt real Custom Feed
is the rst one. The second one is that ADHD is caused by diet or food Dictionary
additives. ADHD is a developmental disorder. There is no doubt that Disorders
diet a ects the symptoms of ADHD, most context does. But ADHD is Disorder Category
not *caused* by diet. Adjustment Disorders
Alphabetical Index of Disorders
The third myth about ADHD is that it is caused by poor parenting. Anxiety Disorders
ADHD is highly heritable. That means it is often an inherited disorder. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
The genetic predisposition for ADHD can come from either parent, of Mental Disorders, Fourth
but the parent from which it came will often be diagnosed when they Edition (DSM-IV)
recognize themselves in the details they hear of the diagnosis that Dissociative Disorders
their child has been given. DSM-IV Code
Eating Disorders
There is the possibility that the parents of a person with ADHD do not Impulse Control Disorders
seem to engage in the process of parenting in the same way that Index of Psychiatric Disorders
others do generally, but since they have a high likelihood of at least Mood Disorders
one of them having ADHD, a unique approach to child raising is to be Neurodevelopmental Disorders
expected. In truth, however, adopted children who develop ADHD Attention De cit Hyperactivity

within a family where no one else, including other siblings, adopted Disorder (ADHD)

or not, proves that ADHD occurs where it will, regardless of parenting ADHD & The Burden Of Stigma

skills. ADHD Helpful Activities

ADHD Medication

It should be noted that, like food, parenting can exacerbate ADHD Symptoms

symptoms. But it should also be noted that parenting, carried out by ADHD Treatment

a parent with ADHD, can also teach coping skills and aid in increased ADHD: The Stimulant Paradox

functionality for the child with ADHD. ADHDs Symptom-Like Oddities

An ADHD Diagnosis: What To

The fourth myth is that everyone has ADHD. While everyone has Expect

experienced the symptoms of ADHD, an ADHD diagnosis requires Attention De cit Hyperactive

more than just that. An ADHD diagnosis requires symptoms to be Disorder (ADHD): An Overview

present and pervasive in life across more than one aspect, like work, The Real Myths Of ADHD

school, home life, social life. The symptoms also must show a What Causes ADHD?

negative e ect on the subjects life and must have been present in the Paraphilias
subjects life from before the age of twelve. The di erence between Personality Disorders
the symptoms experienced by the general population and those with Psychotic Disorders (including
ADHD is in both frequency and intensity. Nearly everyone has Schizophrenia)
experienced entering a room and wondering what they came to that Sexual Disorders and
room to do or get, but for most, thats a rare occurrence. For the Dysfunctions
person with ADHD this is a situation that occurs daily, multiple times Sleep Disorders
each day. Somatoform Disorders
Substance Related Disorders

The fth myth about ADHD is that everyone with ADHD will grow out Education
of it. Usually the e ects of ADHD will change as ones development Fun & Games
becomes complete. But it is likely that those e ects will not go away. Guide to Online Psychology
If symptoms are accepted as part of the singular make up of the History of Psychology (387 BC to
persons character, and are compensated for by learned behaviors, it Present)
may seem that ADHD has gone into remission. This would be the Home
result that treatment seeks to accomplish. The only caveat would be
Journal
to watch for relapse (for want of a better term) in situations of high
Medication and Drug Guide
and/or prolonged stress.
Optical Illusions
Personality Synopsis
Someone with ADHD is someone whos brain developed di erently
Psychology 101
from those of the population that do not experience ADHD. While the
brain of a human continues to develop well into the third decade of Psychology Biographies

life, the di erences in that development that occur for those with Psychology in the News
ADHD are not likely to be compensated for later in life by remedial Psychology Reference Section
development. Psychology Resources
Psychotherapy Facts
The sixth myth is that people with ADHD are lazy, or that people with Psychotropic Medication Guide
ADHD do not accomplish the things they need to accomplish because Research
of laziness. Research Methods
Stats
Nothing could be farther from the truth. Being lazy would imply that Tests
they do little or nothing. In reality, trying to keep up with all the things
Texts
that many people with ADHD do, will soon bring about the realization
that laziness is not the issue. The person with ADHD whose subtype is
primarily inattentive may appear lazy, but the distractions that are
going on in such a mind are likely so complete that they are incapable
of focusing on their required duties. The mind, however is racing. The
appearance of laziness in this case may seem to be valid, but it is not.
And there is no appearance of laziness in those with combined or
hyperactive subtypes of ADHD.

The seventh myth of ADHD is that people with ADHD are of lower
intelligence. This is a common misconception that is often held
regarding people who have one or more of many di erent mental
health disorders. In truth, people with ADHD have an intelligence that
is comparable to the general population. In addition, there is
anecdotal evidence that would suggest that many people with ADHD, advertisement
possibly more than half of them, have a higher than average
intelligence.

Certainly people who have ADHD are generally smart enough to

know that these myths are just that, myths.

ADHD is one of the more misunderstood disorders, and the truth is

that that need not be the case. There is a wealth of information
available here on All Psych, and in general libraries and those
dedicated to mental health. There is still a pervasiveness of
misconceptions, but slowly they are being weeded out.

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