This thread somehow brought out some of the most misinformed, boomer-brain takes imaginable and comes dangerously close to anti-intellectualism. We can all agree that labels can be reductive and unhelpful, but as someone with a neurological disability, seeing people debate whether a disorder that makes it incredibly hard to enjoy my life is even real or not is fucking horrible.
this post was submitted on 06 Mar 2026
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Why is there never any nuance in these discussions? We can both believe that under-diagnosis occurs, and that over-diagnosis occurs. 20% of all pupils in the UK are now classified as so disabled that they require specialised assistance. "SEND" assistance for this can range from free taxi services to and from school (which recently reached £1.2 billion), to support payments, to special assistants in school. The number of ECHP students (those with the highest needs) increasing by 71%, from 253,679 in 2018 to 434,354 in 2024. SEND spending is out of control.
So what happened, exactly? The average child disability rate in Europe is 4.6%. How did the UK end up with 20%? Did the UK suffer a catastrophic nuclear event? A war? Famine? None of the above. It is clear that categorisation has become EXTREMELY loose over time on average. This does not mean that there are not children who are struggling to get diagnosed with ADHD. However ADHD and autism are a spectrum disorder. It is not binary. The UK has drawn the line far closer to the normal side of the spectrum than any other nation on Earth. If costs continue to rise at this rate, it risks destabilising the entire health system. Public sentiment will shift, and we risk undermining children getting any diagnosis at all.
IMHO, this requires at least two tactics at the same time. 1) Invest sufficiently into diagnosis resources. Stringing parents and children along for years while they wait in the system can make the issue much worse than it needs to be. 2) Draw the diagnostic line closer to where the rest of Europe does it. This will mean far fewer children are diagnosed with disabilities, but those who genuinely have a disability are treated much faster and actually receive the resources they need.
This will mean far fewer children are diagnosed with disabilities, but those who genuinely have a disability
You're going to have to elaborate on what a genuine disability is there chief. Let me help you out:
- lead poisoning.
- microplastics
- plastics in general
- glyphosate (round up)
- air pollution
- mosquito spraying
- etc.
The moral panic of overdiagnosis comes from conservatism's obsession with hypernormalcy. Basically unless your really-really failed to be normal, you're not allowed to stray from it, and even then, it would be good if you were normal, because they like the virtue of normalcy, and also thinking is hard, and also also change is bad.
Yes this explains modern transphobia a lot. Some admitted, that it has to be "all undone", because people stopped trying to be normal first and foremost. This also partly explains gatekeeping in fandoms.
No shit. Think how many prisoners just had untreated ADHD, so many preventably ruined lives!
Why? Because the sadistic fucks realized they could easily get away with it, to feed on a prey that no one would or could defend, because ADHD does not easily show in brain scans.
We need objective tests, and to not do the test should be a crime that the parents should go to jail for!
parents should go to jail for!
To get my son's ASD and ADHD diagnosed I've spent over $5k, tens of hours of calls, interviews, meetings and sessions) just in diagnosis costs (and about $21k in occupational and psychological support) in order to prove the bleeding obvious to the state in order order to have him placed in a support school.
And that's whilst supporting his daily needs and working full time (and God knows how much OT).
It's not an easy road. The costs are prohibitive and I live in a country where neither private health nor the "universal" healthcare covers the cost of specialists and treatments.
It's no surprise it's underdiagnosed let alone treated.
And that's whilst dealing with my other kid suicide attempts and my partners chronic health condition (lots of neurological specialists).
It's a hard road
That is why I suggest it be a state-thing, where you are obligated (and covered).
EDIT: Also, how insensitive of me, sorry you had to go through all that, let's try and make sure no one has to go through it ever again.
tens of hours of calls, interviews, meetings and sessions)
Only tens? Luckyyy... I'd probably be able to clock hundreds just on transit and wait times alone.
If ADHD is common enough to be prelevant in 5% of population... Then to me it seems like its not something we should be drugging people for, but instead adjust the lives to it?
I mean we don't give "righ-handeness" drugs to left-handed people. We give them left-handed scissors.
10% of women have endometriosis. Would you take away their pain meds? You can make their work life easier (more sick leave) but then it still affects their personal life.
ADHD is so much more than "can't pay attention in class". It affects your personal life too. Usually that's a deciding factor for getting meds.
Well, the real problem is living in a capitalist society that expects everyone to be a good little capitalist and work a 9-5.
The problem isn't having adhd, its that society expects me to function in a certain way, and the fact that I don't makes them want to change how I act.
There are other traits I have from trauma that are considered positive by society, so they don't give a shit, and in fact encourage those behaviors.
Oh, Jesus fucking Christ fuck off with this take
My problem isn't my job, I am completely fine with that, it's the way I barely function in my personal life, and a lot of that isn't related to the structure of our society at all. There could be less friction in a few places yes but that wouldn't completely fix my issues either.
Sorry but no. 9-5 is hell, but even without that life isn't pretty. A huge one is rejection sensitivity, that pretty much only affects personal life. Can't really ask people to accommodate for that.
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No thanks, I'd like to be able to think with a clear head, and do something with my life, not be stuck in one of like 6 suitable work places.
It’s just speed, just stimulants. Caffeine is an example of legal self-titration. When done properly, the doses are not high and it can really help. IMO meth-heads are a symptom of disproportionate availability of the real thing (only sometimes coca-cola).
Having said that, I am not on board with widespread use in developing brains, much as with caffeine
It's the left-handedness chart all over again.
I spent most of my life undiagnosed, because it used to be believed that only boys could have ADHD. But I knew, and was formally diagnosed as an adult only at the insistence of my partner.
Like many adults I just got recently diagnosed in my mid 30s.
For me it was that I can't have adhd because I was good at school and uni. Then I completely fell apart when I entered work.
I had to go through depression and burn out and bore out and more. Eventually someone said I could have adhd and just been able to deal due to high IQ.
Turns out that's what it was. I'm really good at learning new stuff. So school and uni. I really suck at repeating the same shit all day. So work. Welp. Helps to know.
Wow, this could have been written by me. I got diagnosed last year in my early 50s after my 4th burnout. I'm currently assessing career options and try to work out what to do next. Unfortunately one has to make money to survive, I'm just trying to find something that won't break me again. Bonus points if it's interesting too.
This is where I am too, in my late 30s. Had a really bad year last year reaching burn out and ending up with panic disorder 😵 I wonder if changing to a job that's more systematic would help, but also the boredom kills me and I need money. I hope you figure it out!
To my understanding it shows up differently in women. What were your symptoms? Also some women get diagnosed with it during perimenopause.
Perimenipause is an absolute nightmare. It makes ADHD much much worse.
i don't what's sadder - missed diagnosis or the this thread.
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