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Myths and Facts about ADHD

Myths and facts icon

Myths about ADHD are harmful stories that perpetuate stigma and pain.

Click the myth below to see to see a short fact, a link to the full article written by experts in the field, and a useful infographic.

MYTH: ADHD doesn’t exist

FACT: There are more than 100,000 articles in science journals on ADHD and references to it in medical textbooks going back to 1775.

Read more here: Read it here | Printable article |Infographic as Image or PDF

MYTH: People with ADHD just can’t concentrate

FACT:  Individuals with ADHD can concentrate when they are interested in or intrigued by what they are doing.

Read more here: Read it here | Printable article| Infographic as Image or PDF

MYTH: ADHD is overdiagnosed

FACT: The rates with which ADHD is diagnosed vary so much primarily due to diagnostic criteria and measurement methods used.

Read more here: Read it here | Printable article| Infographic as Image or PDF

MYTH: Only boys have ADHD

FACT: Boys are diagnosed two to three times as often as girls, but about 4.2% of girls have received a diagnosis of ADHD at some point in their life (and that’s not none!).

Read more here: Read it here | Printable article | Infographic: image or PDF

MYTH: ADHD meds are addictive

FACT: The therapeutic use of stimulant medications for ADHD prevents addiction

Read more here: Read it here | Printable article | Infographic as Image or PDF

MYTH: ADHD is caused by bad parenting

FACT: Parents do not cause ADHD. The disorder comes from the accumulation of many environmental and genetic risk factors.

Read more here: Read it here | Printable article | Infographic as image or PDF

MYTH: ADHD is caused by bad parenting (Part 2)

FACT: Brain-imaging studies show that differences in brain structure and wiring cause problems with attention, impulse control and motivation.

Read more here: Read it here | Printable article | Infographic image or PDF

MYTH: ADHD is just an excuse for laziness

FACT: ADHD is really a problem with the chemical dynamics of the brain and it’s not under voluntary control.

Read more here: Read it here | Printable article |  Infographic as Image or PDF

MYTH: All children grow out of ADHD

FACT: Significant symptoms and impairments persist in 50-86% of people with ADHD.

Read more here: Read it here | Printable article | Infographic as Image or PDF

MYTH: Everyone has a little ADHD

FACT: Everyone does not have a physical difference in their brain.

Read more here: Read it here | Printable article| Infographic as Image or PDF

MYTH: Children with ADHD just need more discipline

FACT: Discipline and relationship problems are the consequences of ADHD behavior problems in the children, not the cause.

Read more here: Read it here | Printable article| Infographic as Image or PDF