More and more people are being diagnosed with ADHD. Is this developmental disorder becoming more common? Or has the definition of ADHD simply broadened?
In 2014, sociologists from Brandeis University (USA) conducted extensive research on the global rise of ADHD. Sociologists? Indeed. Rather than having a medical cause, the ADHD rise seems to stem from a combination of societal factors.
Due to more info, acceptance, and incentives more diagnoses
For example, the scientists saw how a broadening of the definition of ADHD in the early 1990s led to a sharp increase in the number of diagnoses. But not only that. The Internet also had an impact, the researchers argue. Because nowadays much medical information can be found online, including all kinds of self-tests, reliable or not, there is more understanding and acceptance. As a result, people with complaints are more likely to see a doctor for a real diagnosis.
Several psychologists and psychiatrists add that today, more than in the past, we tend to label people who are "different. A busy boy used to be a busy boy, but now he is diagnosed with ADHD.
Finally, there is the fact that our current society is very "stimulating. If you are sensitive to this, as ADHD sufferers are, then you are confronted with your symptoms much more strongly than before. And you are more likely to go to the doctor.