this post was submitted on 10 Jan 2025
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I see a lot of people blaming tiktok and "brain rot" content for the increasing ADHD diagnoses, but I think its a matter of better detection, similar to how OCD and autism diagnosis have increased too.

Also as someone with ADHD, it feels like shit that it could be "my fault" or that I have brainrot.

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[โ€“] triptrapper@lemmy.world 12 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

I'm a licensed mental health professional but I don't specialize in ADHD. I've been diagnosed with ADHD and take stimulants every day.

ADHD is mostly genetic, but IMO the increase in diagnoses is partly due to the information overload from the digital age we're living in. There are simply more things distracting us, more cognitive demands, such that even "normal" brains will struggle to keep up.

I want to point out, too, that the DSM has serious issues with validity and reliability. Some of the criteria are so subjective as to be useless, and two providers diagnosing the same person can arrive at very different disorders. Allen Frances, chair of the DSM-IV (we're on DSM-5 now) wrote a book called Saving Normal where he criticizes the APA's trend of pathologizing basic human experiences. With each DSM edition the diagnostic criteria get more broad, to the point that I can argue that any given person meets criteria for SOME disorder. If everyone is disordered, then what's normal anymore? How is that helpful?

Most of the diagnostic criteria for ADHD describe someone who isn't a "good student" or a "good employee." It doesn't consider context. If someone fucking hates their job, I'm not surprised they struggle to complete tasks that require sustained mental effort. Kids are reminded every day that the world is burning, so of course they're distracted from their math homework. I'm not saying people aren't suffering from what we call ADHD, I'm saying that it's a normal human response to the state of the world right now, so why are we calling it a disorder?

Edit: a word

[โ€“] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 3 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

It's not the first I've heard of professionals hating the DSM, the whole of scientific thought exists within capitalism and so its tendencies can't ever be entirely free of capitalistic slant. Being critical minded and well educated (as you appear to be, if I may say so) is perhaps the best we can do.