- ADHD is severely over diagnosed
- ADHD is a trait that was adaptive in the past, and is only pathologically maladaptive in modern life
- ADHD the trait is caused by some aspect of modern life (this seems least likely to me)
(saying this as diagnosed, with the usual problems)
- Nicotine helps mitigate the negative symptoms of ADHD, but US society has seen a major drop in tobacco usage
- Having access to a secretary greatly compensates for workplace related tasks that are difficult for those with ADHD. I have had a few conversations with people at my company much older than myself about how the number of secretaries has vastly shrunk. My boss’ secretary used to reach out to me about a meeting she had scheduled for us. Now my boss doesn’t have a secretary, and I have to schedule those meetings, update them, and communicate this with multiple parties while also having a full plate of my own dev work.
- ADHD was severely underdiagnosed in the past and got more accurately diagnosed in recent years
That is, if ADHD is accurately diagnosed, and never had an evolutionary advantage, and isn't caused by some modern factor, then why would ADHD be so highly diagnosed today? Which is an interesting thought in my view
Whether over or underdiagnosed now, it was underdiagnosed in the past.