When talking about sensitive issues, it's easy to make mistakes – especially when you're discussing neurodivergence or mental illness. This is certainly true for ADHD; ADHD is a complex disorder with many different presentations, and much of the information about ADHD that's spread around has been subject to biases and inaccuracies.

This blog seeks to educate about the myths many people believe about ADHD. By reading this, you can help the ADHD community on a far deeper level and begin to spread awareness about the struggles of people with ADHD.

'ADHD is only found in ___'

In the past, people diagnosed with ADHD were most often those who had been socialized as boys, and they likely got diagnosed before the age of twelve. This has led to the common myth that it is only people raised as boys between the ages of five and nine who have ADHD – and that is wholly untrue.

In reality, womxn (people raised as women) and adults with ADHD simply tend to be better at “hiding” their symptoms. Both groups are far more likely to mask their symptoms – or pretend to function 'normally' so as not to go against societal constraints.

As one might imagine, having to hide parts of yourself to 'fit in' can have an incredible mental and physical toll. Masking can lead to increased stress, lack of self-confidence, and even burnout. For this reason, it is imperative to fight against this assumption, as it can help people with ADHD to feel more comfortable being themselves and allow them to take off their 'mask.'

ADHD in Adults

As recently as the 1990s, professionals believed that ADHD was outgrown as people with ADHD got older. However, while people with ADHD might appear to grow out of their symptoms, research has found that the effects of ADHD remain in a part of the brain known as the caudate nucleus. This section of the brain is much larger in people with ADHD compared to others and, despite what was previously believed, this section of the brain never shrinks in people with ADHD, even if the individual no longer fits all of the diagnostic criteria.

This is often because adults with ADHD have created systems that allow them to function in ways similar to neurotypical people. However, it can also be because adults have learned how to mask their ADHD – and, as mentioned, that can have an incredibly negative impact on their mental health.

ADHD in Women

Women will generally display different ADHD symptoms – far more women with ADHD present themselves as being inattentive or more talkative than average. This is because womxn are generally pressured to show more 'feminine' behaviors, such as organization and obedience – and following these societal constraints often means that things such as hyperactivity and disorganization are masked. Masking these symptoms means that outside sources are far less likely to notice them, which then leads to lower numbers of women diagnosed with ADHD.

This can lead to many negative effects in women with ADHD, including increased anxiety, feelings of inadequacy, and even depression. For many womxn, this means that an ADHD diagnosis is a huge relief – but the difficulties of getting diagnosed lead many womxn to struggle with these symptoms alone for years.

'ADHD only causes ___'

In the general population, there is very little knowledge about what causes you to get diagnosed with ADHD. Because of this lack of knowledge, the most visible symptoms of ADHD are often seen as the only symptoms – fidgeting, distractibility, and forgetfulness are commonly among those that fill in the blank above. However, none of these symptoms describe the full experience of ADHD. In truth, ADHD is diagnosed by a mix of inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms.

Inattentive symptoms include distractibility and forgetfulness, but can also include struggling to pay attention in class, a reluctance to focus on work for extended periods, and a tendency to make small mistakes in detail-oriented work. Each of these things can have an incredible toll on the minds of people with ADHD, as they often can't understand why they're struggling with things that seem easy for everyone else.

Similarly, hyperactive/impulsive symptoms can include fidgeting, but also often involve standing up or running around when it's not socially acceptable, difficulty being quiet, and having a hard time waiting their turn. These symptoms can lead people with ADHD to be reprimanded more than their peers, which often leads to low self-esteem and a lack of confidence in themselves.

The misconception that ADHD only causes one symptom or type of symptoms makes it so that other symptoms go unrecognized, which means that people with ADHD will often feel as though they're lying to themselves when they have a hard time with something that seems easy for their peers. It also leads to the effects described in each of the above paragraphs, as it means that there is less understanding of people with ADHD and what they might be struggling with.

'People with ADHD are just lazy'

Something challenging for people with ADHD is executive dysfunction, which is a symptom that makes it incredibly difficult for people with ADHD to get things done. In short, differences in certain parts of the ADHD brain keep people with ADHD from beginning tasks. This may look like “laziness” to others, as most people only see that the person with ADHD isn't doing work, rather than the executive dysfunction they're struggling with.

However, executive dysfunction goes much deeper than simple laziness. Whereas someone who's neurotypical might avoid starting a task because they don't want to do it, a person with ADHD will avoid a task because they feel that they cannot start it. This lack of ability to begin a task stems from the difficulty many people with ADHD have in formulating a plan to get things done. Without a plan, simple things such as writing an email or taking the trash out can feel insurmountable, and a person with ADHD will often have extreme difficulty getting around how overwhelming a task feels. This can cause something known as ADHD paralysis; in short, lacking the ability to make a plan means that people with ADHD don't know where to start. Because people with ADHD don't know where to start, they can't begin an action – which often leads them to appear as though they're not doing anything.

Assuming that people with ADHD are 'just lazy' can increase the difficulty ADHD people have with completing tasks or seeking help as it invalidates their struggles. It also decreases the confidence people with ADHD have in their abilities over time, because it leads them to believe they should be able to do things they can't make themselves do.

'Everyone's a little bit ADHD'

This myth about ADHD has its roots in the assumption that ADHD symptoms are far less severe than they are. This largely originates from a lack of general knowledge about what the majority of symptoms of ADHD are and how they affect people with ADHD. Essentially, the earlier-described misconception that ADHD only causes symptoms such as forgetfulness, distractability, and hyperactivity leads people to believe that if they experience each of these things, they have ADHD. Then, through social media, these misconceptions are circulated to the point that people believe they are the truth – and that ADHD is something everyone has in part. However, as mentioned, there's far more that goes into an ADHD diagnosis than just these symptoms.

One major part of an ADHD diagnosis that many people don't know about is that there must be 'clear evidence that the [ADHD] symptoms interfere with, or reduce the quality of, social, school, or work functioning.' (CDC). This is largely where the misconception that everyone has ADHD gets invalidated. If someone experiences ADHD symptoms at times but isn't often massively affected by these symptoms, there is a clear distinction between them and someone who's diagnosed with ADHD. It also shows the harm this myth about ADHD can cause; when this misconception is spread around, it can minimize the very real struggles that people with ADHD experience every day. By minimizing the struggles people have with ADHD, this misconception can lead those who struggle with ADHD to believe that they're overdramatizing the things they have a hard time with. This feeling will often result in people with ADHD believing that the things they have difficulties with aren't things that anyone else is struggling with, which can be incredibly isolating.

How To Fight Misconceptions

There are several things you can do that are especially helpful, both for keeping yourself from using these myths about ADHD and helping people understand the harm that these misconceptions can cause.

Correcting Your Own Mistakes

First, you can call yourself out when you try to justify something using these misconceptions about ADHD. For instance, if you find yourself thinking: "I'm just as ADHD as that person because I sometimes forget things when I'm tired," try to remind yourself that your struggles are very different (though no less valid) compared to those of people with ADHD. Additionally, if you accidentally end up referring to one of these misconceptions in a conversation, you can say something along the lines of: "I'm so sorry; that was offensive. I didn't mean that." This lets the other people in the conversation know that you understand you're in the wrong, which can ultimately make them feel far safer around you.

Correcting Others' Mistakes

You can also work to correct people's myths about ADHD when you notice them. What's most important in this type of conversation is making people feel as though they're learning instead of being corrected, because many people can feel defensive when called out. Anger prevents people from actually taking in what you're saying, which then keeps them from working to correct their misconceptions. For this reason, it's better to keep your replies more positive – keeping the conversation light is often the best way to prevent it from turning into a heated debate, which is the last thing you want when trying to bring up a topic like this.

Further Research on ADHD

If you want to learn more about ADHD, many resources describe everything from the symptoms of ADHD to the current hypotheses on the brain chemistry of ADHD. For instance, the CDC has an article that comprehensively summarizes the symptoms of ADHD – and organizations such as CHADD have many well-researched articles about ADHD and its outcomes. Additionally, Trust Mental Health has a recent post on ADHD, which includes information about what ADHD is, the science of it, and the potential harm having ADHD can cause. If you complete this research and find that you connect strongly with the definitions of ADHD, you may want to discuss this with a therapist. A therapist can help you understand and navigate your symptoms better.

Trust Mental Health – an organization for therapy in California – has a BIPOC team of therapists that offers support in 18 different languages and specializes in ADHD therapy and services. If you want to connect with therapists who share your language and culture and make you feel seen, you can book a session through our website. By searching for a therapist through Trust Mental Health, you can connect with someone within 48 hours – whether you're searching to better your life, work with your brain, or anything else. In case your ADHD symptoms are taking a toll on your relationship, Trust Mental Health also has programs for couples therapy in California, which can help you work with your ADHD to create a healthy relationship with your partner.

3 Key Points:

Myths about ADHD are incredibly common, and they largely incorporate beliefs that ADHD is not as severe as it is.
The continuation of misconceptions about ADHD causes much harm to the ADHD community.
To help fight against this harm, you can work to correct both the myths that you believe about ADHD and the ones those around you believe.

FAQs:

Are there any other common misconceptions about ADHD?

These are all generalizations of the most common myths about ADHD, meaning that the vast majority of misassumptions will tie into these in some way. For instance, some people will misunderstand that medications for ADHD (such as Adderall) have a drastically different effect on people with ADHD than themselves. Even though this is outside of any idea expressed in this blog, it can still fit under the idea that ADHD is just laziness, as people will believe that laziness doesn't create the necessary changes in brain chemistry for stimulants to help with ADHD.

What misconceptions do people make about other mental disorders and forms of neurodivergence?

Generally, the misconceptions that people have surrounding other mental differences are very similar to those assumptions they make about ADHD. This is because the general population usually only knows a small part of what makes up any given disorder. For instance, due to a lack of knowledge about depression and OCD, people may say that they have "a little bit" of either one even though both can have incredibly severe symptoms.

Is ADHD often misdiagnosed?

Yes; ADHD can be misdiagnosed as a multitude of other disorders. For instance, bipolar disorder is a common misdiagnosis because both it and ADHD can result in major shifts in mood, impatience, and outbursts. In other cases, ADHD can be misdiagnosed as autism because autistic people and people with ADHD can often have similar presentations of hyperactivity and difficulty developing socially.

Four Common Misconceptions About ADHD