I think it is worth mentioning that overdiagnosis/incorrect self-diagnosis can have costs in the way you describe, but at the same time, when you read the stories, I think there is a difference between that and the general human condition. Like, based on the stories here I don’t think I have adhd: I have trouble getting work done sometimes but my barriers seem very different to this.
Also seems worth saying that...as far as I can tell most ADHD interventions aren’t actually super harmful if given to people without ADHD? (in contrast to other medications). Like, stimulants are a controlled substance, but from what Lynette says in this post, the risks from a non-ADHD person taking them by mistake seem quite low, and they may even get increased focus anyway.
I think the point about the label is complicated. I’ve definitely been wary about whether I want to adopt psychological labels such as ‘depression’, ‘cptsd’, ‘autism’, because in pessimistic moods they can serve as focal points for negative thoughts like ‘I’m broken’, ‘I have this undeserved disadvantage is life’ ‘people will never understand me’, etc. At the same time, some of these interviewees report that when they labelled themselves as having ADHD, their self-narratives became more positive—previously they thought they were just lazy or not trying hard enough. And I think that can happen with other mental health or neurotype labels too: like better to see yourself as diseased than as morally depraved.
Seconding that the risk of harmful interventions is low. Based on Scott’s pages and the UpToDate page, the risks from taking stimulant medication as prescribed are pretty negligible—comparable to normal side effects from caffeine.
I think it is worth mentioning that overdiagnosis/incorrect self-diagnosis can have costs in the way you describe, but at the same time, when you read the stories, I think there is a difference between that and the general human condition. Like, based on the stories here I don’t think I have adhd: I have trouble getting work done sometimes but my barriers seem very different to this.
Also seems worth saying that...as far as I can tell most ADHD interventions aren’t actually super harmful if given to people without ADHD? (in contrast to other medications). Like, stimulants are a controlled substance, but from what Lynette says in this post, the risks from a non-ADHD person taking them by mistake seem quite low, and they may even get increased focus anyway.
I think the point about the label is complicated. I’ve definitely been wary about whether I want to adopt psychological labels such as ‘depression’, ‘cptsd’, ‘autism’, because in pessimistic moods they can serve as focal points for negative thoughts like ‘I’m broken’, ‘I have this undeserved disadvantage is life’ ‘people will never understand me’, etc. At the same time, some of these interviewees report that when they labelled themselves as having ADHD, their self-narratives became more positive—previously they thought they were just lazy or not trying hard enough. And I think that can happen with other mental health or neurotype labels too: like better to see yourself as diseased than as morally depraved.
Seconding that the risk of harmful interventions is low. Based on Scott’s pages and the UpToDate page, the risks from taking stimulant medication as prescribed are pretty negligible—comparable to normal side effects from caffeine.