"In recent years, awareness of ADHD has spread dramatically-CDC estimates from 2020 to 2022 showed that roughly 11 percent of American children aged 5 to 17 had received a diagnosis. Now many Americans in midlife and beyond have started to question whether their cognitive chaos really is just a symptom of aging."
"Historically, ADHD was closely associated with overactive boys. But global studies suggest that roughly 3 percent of people older than 50-which would translate to about 3.6 million Americans-are expected to have ADHD, David Goodman, an expert on adult ADHD at Johns Hopkins University, told me."
"The CDC reports that prescriptions for stimulants increased "substantially" among people in midlife from 2020 to 2021. Midlife can complicate the already tricky process of diagnosing ADHD, though. Adult ADHD was directly addressed in the DSM-5, the American Psychiatric Association's handbook of diagnoses, only in 2013."
As Americans age, cognitive changes like forgetfulness and attention difficulties prompt questions about whether symptoms reflect normal aging or undiagnosed ADHD. Increased awareness of ADHD has expanded beyond children to midlife and older populations, with CDC data showing roughly 11 percent of American children aged 5-17 diagnosed with ADHD. Approximately 3 percent of people over 50—about 3.6 million Americans—are expected to have ADHD, though historically the condition was associated with overactive boys. Stimulant prescriptions increased substantially among midlife adults from 2020 to 2021. Diagnosing adult ADHD remains complicated, particularly in midlife, as the condition was only formally addressed in the DSM-5 diagnostic manual in 2013.
#adult-adhd-diagnosis #aging-and-cognitive-decline #adhd-awareness #midlife-health #stimulant-prescriptions
Read at The Atlantic
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