ADHD Overdiagnosed, Underdiagnosed, or Both?

What might explain the increase in the diagnosis of ADHD over the past 30 years, especially in the last 10 years? Overdiagnosis or Underdiagnosis – is ADHD increasingly diagnosed inaccurately, is it just a “fad” diagnosis? Or is ADHD mis-diagnosed as another condition or missed entirely as the explanation for symptoms a person has, symptoms which reflect difficulty dealing with whatever is happening in that person’s life at that given time? Each of these possibilities has consequences, the more significant impact is upon a person’s life trajectory when the diagnosis of ADHD is missed. Helping me explore these important questions is my guest Mark Stein PhD, a Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Washington and the founder of the ADHD Clinic at Seattle Children’s Hospital. He also has a private practice for diagnosis and treatment of adolescents and adults with ADHD in Seattle. Mark brings the expertise of a clinician with 40 years of clinical and research experience in the field of ADHD to the show; years during which the knowledge about ADHD has increased exponentially, knowledge of what it is and also what it is not. Listen, and learn! Check out our video chat here! https://youtu.be/F3jlBFAbs2o