I worry about all of this labelling that we apply to various ends of the "normal" spectrum. Where does it lead us? Is it actually helping?
I easily score as ADHD, but I'm in my 60s now and have never been diagnosed or treated. I have muddled through all my life. Yes, I often self-medicated unhealthily (cigarettes, various over-the-counter uppers), but also relatively healthily (I've been practicing meditation for decades). I managed to have two, long, fruitful careers (20 years of journalism, coming up to 20 years of software engineering) that (I'm betting) was at least partly attributable to me being on the outer edges of normal.
I think that's OK. I'm not looking to be "treated" because I'm a bit different.
On the other hand for me, these discussions help me to frame my challenges in a productive way that gives me a chance to make useful changes to my life to accomodate them, instead of blaming myself when I struggle to do something that seems like it should be easy. So I guess the answer is, YMMV.
My gripe with some of these simple questions is that they do not provide a framework to answer the questions within.
"How often do you feel X?" With answers as "very often" means very different things to different people. For one person once a month could be very often since they expect this to never happen, while for another person a few times a day might be expected.
The problem here is that if people think that they might have a condition or be sick, it has been shown time and time again that this might emphasize the symptoms and make a person "sicker".
In addition these general questions that a lot of people can relate to will cause a lot of people to get unneeded screening, thereby straining an overloaded health service (it might be different in the US, I'm in Europe).
> it has been shown time and time again that this might emphasize the symptoms and make a person "sicker".
While that's true, for ADHD self description it's common to under estimate the impact. That's why you typically get asked for someone who knows you to join the diagnosis visit - because they're likely to say you're actually doing worse than you think.
Yes, it's even worse when you're diagnosing a child, as you will have to answer these questions for them, which puts your parental expectations into the mix. In the end however, people get diagnosed, get medication and start to feel a little better, so maybe it's all worth it.
> In addition these general questions that a lot of people can relate to will cause a lot of people to get unneeded screening
Yes, a lot of people have ADHD. I link to the study that shows high specificity in the general population. Empirically, the tool works. You gotta start getting concerned about your symptoms from somewhere.
This might depend on the country for EU. In France especially if you're an adult, getting an appointment for a diagnosis is either extremely long (public health sector delays regularly exceed one year), very expensive (over a 100€ out-of-pocket) or downright impossible (if you're in a big city you're fine, some places don't have anyone available at all). Sometimes it's a combination of those (yay).
And then if you're getting medicated, another whole world of fun begins (restricted prescriptions, shortages, etc)
That - or a very similar one that is used where I live - was the very first screener I took. It's basically just part of the initial assessment with your GP, before you see a specialist. The interview you have with your GP should also be taken into consideration.
I sometimes wonder if I have ADHD or something, but I’d only score myself 1 / 6 on this test. “Trouble wrapping up the final details of a project” describes me perfectly, but I wouldn’t say I’m in the grey for any of the others.
Maybe that’s because I’ve developed coping mechanisms though. I don’t miss appointments because I scrupulously write everything down, and I don’t fidget with things sitting down because I don’t put myself in positions where I can’t get up and walk around.
You say that like it’s a joke, but the huge wall of text did that for me. Unless I was being forced to take the test, I’d just have given up on doing it.
Am I missing something, or do they not actually say how to score the test? From playing with another version [1], any answer in a grey box counts for 1 point.
unless I misunderstood what little I know of ADHD, shouldn't these symptoms have been there all your life, not just 6 months prior? I score 4/6 on the scale without question, but I wasn't functioning like this before (maybe 2/6), only these last few years, with no change in environment or routine
6 months is a reasonable cutoff for a screening tool because it allows for the change in the environment. E.g. you might cope well in high school, but you move to university and suddenly your old strategies don't work anymore.
For the full assessment with a psychiatrist, they look at one's entire life history.
I scored 7... Sorry, joking but yes - I can relate to all the questions there. Some of those (like appointments) I learned to cope with. I just schedule everything in my phone and have 20 alarms throughout the day, which I enable to remind be about certain events. I wonder however, how many people would pass this test in this world of distractions.
When I was young I used to look at the watch compulsively to check what time it is and I never went late to an appointment. Is this ADHD too? Or maybe just depression that I procrastinate everything nowadays? Or maybe effect of extensive usage of technology?
It could very well be ADHD. Depression is certainly another possibility, but if your symptoms are more or less consistent throughout life, then it makes ADHD much more likely.
It's definitely a bit tricky. Depression can cause problems with attention. But also: ADHD people have depression at much higher rate.
> When I was young I used to look at the watch compulsively to check what time it is and I never went late to an appointment.
Lots of ADHDers come up with all sorts of coping mechanisms. It's one of the reasons the test misses a significant chunk of ADHD population.
I scored 6 out of 6 although I highly doubt I have ADHD. Those are pretty normal things. You learn to deal with it and try again. Technology, alarms, calendar events come to your aid. Or I unplug something to force myself to deal with a thing. One thing I'm bad with those is locking things, I leave the key in the ignition, leave doors open...
I'm old enough to remember when ADHD was invented. To sell meds.
Granted some people have difficulty concentrating, I'm one of them. But I've only heard of people in the US getting medications for something which is basically a lack of discipline.
ADHD was not "invented". It is a neurodevelopmental disorder. The stimulant medications are effective at treating the symptoms when compared to placebo.
I easily score as ADHD, but I'm in my 60s now and have never been diagnosed or treated. I have muddled through all my life. Yes, I often self-medicated unhealthily (cigarettes, various over-the-counter uppers), but also relatively healthily (I've been practicing meditation for decades). I managed to have two, long, fruitful careers (20 years of journalism, coming up to 20 years of software engineering) that (I'm betting) was at least partly attributable to me being on the outer edges of normal.
I think that's OK. I'm not looking to be "treated" because I'm a bit different.
"How often do you feel X?" With answers as "very often" means very different things to different people. For one person once a month could be very often since they expect this to never happen, while for another person a few times a day might be expected.
The problem here is that if people think that they might have a condition or be sick, it has been shown time and time again that this might emphasize the symptoms and make a person "sicker".
In addition these general questions that a lot of people can relate to will cause a lot of people to get unneeded screening, thereby straining an overloaded health service (it might be different in the US, I'm in Europe).
While that's true, for ADHD self description it's common to under estimate the impact. That's why you typically get asked for someone who knows you to join the diagnosis visit - because they're likely to say you're actually doing worse than you think.
Agree, I think it's certainly a problem and I too wish it was more defined, but alas. Related, Literal Banana on surveys: https://carcinisation.com/2020/12/11/survey-chicken/
> In addition these general questions that a lot of people can relate to will cause a lot of people to get unneeded screening
Yes, a lot of people have ADHD. I link to the study that shows high specificity in the general population. Empirically, the tool works. You gotta start getting concerned about your symptoms from somewhere.
And then if you're getting medicated, another whole world of fun begins (restricted prescriptions, shortages, etc)
Maybe that’s because I’ve developed coping mechanisms though. I don’t miss appointments because I scrupulously write everything down, and I don’t fidget with things sitting down because I don’t put myself in positions where I can’t get up and walk around.
[1] https://psychology-tools.com/test/adult-adhd-self-report-sca...
For the full assessment with a psychiatrist, they look at one's entire life history.
When I was young I used to look at the watch compulsively to check what time it is and I never went late to an appointment. Is this ADHD too? Or maybe just depression that I procrastinate everything nowadays? Or maybe effect of extensive usage of technology?
It's definitely a bit tricky. Depression can cause problems with attention. But also: ADHD people have depression at much higher rate.
> When I was young I used to look at the watch compulsively to check what time it is and I never went late to an appointment.
Lots of ADHDers come up with all sorts of coping mechanisms. It's one of the reasons the test misses a significant chunk of ADHD population.
I'm old enough to remember when ADHD was invented. To sell meds.
Granted some people have difficulty concentrating, I'm one of them. But I've only heard of people in the US getting medications for something which is basically a lack of discipline.