Myths about ADHD

There are many myths, stereotypes, and misconceptions about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Misinformation is prevalent and it can be difficult to discern facts from misconceptions.

In this article, we look at ten myths and then explain the facts related to this area of ADHD.

1. Myth: ADHD is not a real condition; it’s just bad parenting.

  • Fact: ADHD is recognized by the CDC and other healthcare institutions and has over 10,000 clinical and scientific publications showing differences between individuals with and without ADHD (Roberts et al. 2015). ADHD is a heritable condition with approximately a 57% chance of inheritance between a parent and child (Barkley 2015). Additionally, brain imaging shows distinct differences between brain regions for individuals with and without ADHD (Matthews et al. 2014).

  • Fact: Twin studies where genetically identical individuals were raised in separate households have found high rates of ADHD between twins (showing high heritability) and are not related to parenting style or family environment. Thus, ADHD is not due to bad parenting, however, some parenting practices can worsen ADHD behaviors usually due to inconsistent parental discipline and low paternal involvement (Ellis and Nigg 2009).

2. Myth: ADHD is over diagnosed.

  • Fact: Although rates of diagnosis for ADHD have risen, this is due to many factors including:

  • Increased self-awareness regarding mental health during the Covid-19 lockdowns along with reductions in mental health stigmas have increased evaluations for ADHD and other neurodiverse conditions,

  • Increased awareness by medical professionals,

  • Improved diagnostic tools and criteria,

  • Improved diagnosis of adults with ADHD, and

  • Increased rates of diagnosis of girls, women, and minorities.

  • Fact: Due to the factors listed above, it is still thought that many adults are underdiagnosed (Ginsberg et al. 2014) primarily due to diagnostic criteria being developed for children and many adults with ADHD having co-occurring psychiatric disorders (anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, etc.) that mask ADHD symptoms (Geffen and Forster 2018).

3. Myth: ADHD is only a problem in the United States.

  • Fact: ADHD is found in all countries and cultures across the world. A meta-analysis of 175 studies of ADHD prevalence estimates the global prevalence of ADHD is 7.2% with the only significant difference between major regions occurring when comparing North American to Europe (Thomas et al. 2015). Thus, in most major regions, the rates of ADHD are similar.

4. Myth: People with ADHD are just lazy.

  • Fact: Individuals with ADHD have neurological differences that make focusing on mundane, repetitive, or boring tasks more difficult to manage, especially for sustained periods of time. Most people with ADHD can hyperfocus on tasks or topics that are of high interest to them. In fact, many individuals with ADHD are highly successful in areas that involve creativity and problem solving.

5. Myth: Only boys have ADHD.

  • Fact: Boys have higher rates of diagnosis and are more likely to have the hyperactive type of ADHD while girls are underdiagnosed especially if they have the inattentive type of ADHD (Siddiqui et al. 2024). Women are often diagnosed later in life.

6. Myth: All children with ADHD are hyperactive.

  • Fact: There are three types of ADHD: hyperactive type (ADHD-H), inattentive type (ADHD-I), and combined hyperactive/inattentive type (ADHD-C). The most common type is inattentive (ADHD-I) and the least common is the combined type (ADHD-C; Ayano et al. 2023).

7. Myth: Children with ADHD will grow out of it.

  • Fact: ADHD is a lifelong difference that often becomes harder to manage in adulthood due to less support and accommodation being available once an individual leaves primary education. Approximately 75% of children diagnosed with ADHD have the disorder as adults (Biederman et al. 2012).

8. Myth: Medications can cure ADHD.

  • Fact: ADHD is a neurological condition that does not have a cure. There are some medications available that help with treating symptoms of ADHD. These medications provided temporary reductions in symptoms which may allow for other interventions (therapy, communication techniques, etc.) to be enacted to help individuals better manage their ADHD (Peterson et al. 2024).

9. 1.      Myth: ADHD Medications are addictive.

  • Fact: Although any stimulant can be abused, most ADHD medications do not cause dependency when used at therapeutic doses. Research has shown a reduction in the risk of substance abuse for adolescents with ADHD due to reduced impulsivity and risk seeking behaviors when these individuals take ADHD medications (Sultan et al. 2025).

10. Myth: You can't have ADHD and other neurodiverse traits.

  • Fact: ADHD can co-occur with dyslexia, autism, and other types of neurodiversity and mental health issues. In fact, two-thirds (66%) of individuals have at least one other condition with anxiety (32.7%), depression (16.8%), autism (13.7%), and learning disabilities (45%) being the most common (DuPaul et al. 2013, Danielson et al. 2018).

References

  • Ayano, G., Demelash, S. Gizachew, Y, Tsegay, L, Alati, R. (2023). The global prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents: An umbrella review of meta-analyses. Journal of Affective Disorders 339:860-866.

  • Barkley, R.A. (2015). Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

  • Biederman, J., Retty, C., Woodworth, K. Y., Lomedico, A., Hyder, L., and Faraone, S. (2012). Adult Outcomes of Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A controlled 16-year follow-up study. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 73:941-950.

  • Danielson, M., Bitsko, R., Ghandour, R, Holbrook, J, Kogan, M., and Blumberg, S. (2018). Prevalence of Parent-reported ADHD diagnosis and associated treatment among U.S. children and adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology 47:199-212.

  • DuPaul, G., Gormley, M., and Laracy, S. (2013). Comorbidity of LD and ADHD: implication of DSM-5 for assessment and treatment. Journal of learning disabilities 46:43-51.

  • Ellis, B. and Nigg, J. (2009). Parenting practices and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: New findings suggest partial specificity of Effects. Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry 48:146-154.

  • Geffen, J., and Forster, K. (2018). Treatment of adult ADHD: a clinical perspective. Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology, 8:25-32.

  • Ginsberg, Y. Beusterien, K., Amos, K., Jousselin, C., and Asherson, P. (2014). The unmet needs of all adults with ADHD are not the same: a focus on Europe. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics 14: https://doi.org/10.1586/14737175.2014.926220.

  • Matthews, M., Nigg, J., Fair, D. (2014). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences 16:235-266.

  • Peterson, B., Trampush, J., Maglione, M., Bolshakova, M., Rozelle, M., Miles, J., Pakdaman, S., Brown, M., Yagyu, S., Motala, A., and Hempel, S. (2024). Treatments for ADHD in Children and Adolescents: A systematic review. Pediatrics 153: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2024-065787.

  • Roberts, W., Milich, R., and Barkley, R.A. (2015). Primary symptoms, diagnostic criteria, subtyping, and prevalence of ADHD. In Barkley, R. A (Ed.) Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment (pp. 51-80). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

  • Siddiqui, U., Conover, M., Voss, E., Kern, D., Litvak, M., and Antunes, J. (2024). Sex differences in diagnosis and treatment timing of comorbid depression/anxiety and disease subtypes in patients with ADHD: a database study. Journal of Attention Disorders.

  • Sultan, R., Saunders, D., and Veenstra-VanderWeele, J. (2025). Protective effects of ADHD medication on real-world outcomes. JAMA Psychiatry 82: doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2025.0918.

  • Thomas, R., Sanders, S. Doust, J., Beller, E., and Glasziou P. (2015). Prevalence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Pediatrics 135: 10.1542/peds.2014-3482.

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