Over the past decade, more and more adults have started questioning their attention span, their executive function, and their levels of productivity—ending up with a diagnosis that was formerly only for hyperactive kids: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
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Social media, especially sites such as TikTok and Instagram, has significantly impacted this trend. But the newest wave of criticism follows an in-depth New York Times Magazine investigation that illuminates the changing science of ADHD, the explosive increase in adult diagnoses, and the booming pharma business. A viral tweet on has also fueled a hot public debate, with thousands chiming in on whether this rise in diagnoses is based in fact or something more complex.
The rise in adult ADHD diagnoses
Based on more recent information, adult ADHD diagnoses have skyrocketed over the past decade. From 2007 to 2016, diagnoses of adult ADHD doubled in the United States. The pandemic also accelerated this trend, as many adults, homebound and subject to increasing pressure to be productive, started noticing trouble with focus, organization, and time management.
But is this an undiagnosed epidemic—or a misunderstanding of contemporary stress?
In her New York Times Magazine article, reporter Ellen Barry examines how shifting perceptions of ADHD, combined with shifting lifestyles and medical standards, have influenced this new narrative. "The line between a disorder and a personality trait has become harder to define," writes Barry, noting that the diagnostic criteria for ADHD have become more elastic, particularly for adults.
What medical experts are saying
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Clinicians are more and more polarized. On the one side, ADHD is a valid neurodevelopmental disorder, adequately documented within medical literature and diagnosable according to guidelines set out in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).
Dr. Russell Barkley, one of the most respected experts on ADHD, believes that adult ADHD has never been recognized. "We now know that 60–70% of kids with ADHD still have symptoms into adulthood," he points out. "For many, the condition just appears differently—it's not necessarily about fidgeting or disrupting.