Despite it's benefits, an ADHD diagnosis can also be risky.

Question

"For adults, an ADHD diagnosis can be life-saving. But it can also carry risks."

The claim this BBC article highlights is that while life-saving, an ADHD diagnosis can have potential risks involved. This article from October 4th, 2024 by Christine Ro, explains that ADHD is largely under-diagnosed in adults and can be diagnosed late during a life crisis. These issues with under-diagnosis mean that adults with ADHD spend a lifetime masking their symptoms, which are further masked if they are diagnosed with other mental disorders that share comorbidity with ADHD. A diagnosis can be life saving, as adults with ADHD have a lower life expectancy due to suicide, substance abuse, accidents and other health complications ((Faraone et al.). However, the downsides of a diagnosis are outlined in this article as well, including social stigma, grief, over-diagnosis, medication overuse and shortages. Social stigma can prevent newly diagnosed patients from disclosing diagnosis to their employers (“‘ADHD Is Presented as a Quirky Thing… It’s Almost Become Entertainment’”). Additionally, late diagnosis can leave people with a lot of grief over lost opportunities and lack of confidence (French and Cassidy). This article also points to over-diagnosis as a potential risk. How can something be under-diagnosed and over-diagnosed at the same time, you may ask. Misdiagnosis is the key word here, due to long waiting lists for public practice diagnosis and differences in diagnostic approaches between public and private-funded clinics (Data on Adult ADHD Service Backlogs in the UK). Additionally, medication-focused treatment driven by insurance providers and pharmaceutical companies has caused ADHD medication shortages in some areas (“Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder”). Additionally, use of stimulant medication for ADHD showed elevated risk of mania or psychosis in adults (Moran). This article also mentions higher risk of mood destabilization due to stimulants (Henderson and Hartman). 

Based on the breadth of sources provided in this article, with a mixture of research papers and credible representative groups, I would identify the foremost claim in this article as true. There was a little instability in the later claim that stimulants increase risk for mood destabilization (Henderson and Hartman) as the medication referred to in the article cited is not classified as a central nervous system stimulant, but rather a noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (Garnock-Jones and Keating). The author, Christine Ro, is a freelance journalist for BBC and Nature, who attended UC Berkley for undergraduate and Oxford for a Masters. All of the photos included are credited to Getty Images but generally relevant to the information provided. The article is well balanced in terms of bias, scientific-leaning, and the content of the article aligns with the title. 

1. Faraone, Stephen V., et al. “The World Federation of ADHD International Consensus Statement: 208 Evidence-Based Conclusions about the Disorder.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, vol. 128, 2021, pp. 789–818, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.01.022.

2. “‘ADHD Is Presented as a Quirky Thing… It’s Almost Become Entertainment.’” BPS, August 2023. https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/adhd-presented-quirky-thing-its-almost-become-entertainment. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

3. French, Blandine, and Sarah Cassidy. “‘Going Through Life on Hard Mode’—The Experience of Late Diagnosis of Autism and/or ADHD: A Qualitative Study.” Autism in Adulthood, July 2024, p. aut.2024.0085. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2024.0085.

4. Data on Adult ADHD Service Backlogs in the UK. BBC. July 2024.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0dm20k491wo. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

5. Moran, Lauren V., et al. Risk of Incident Psychosis and Mania With Prescription Amphetamines. American Journal of Psychiatry, https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ajp.20230329.  vol. 181, no. 10, American Psychiatric Publishing, Oct. 2024, pp. 901–909. Accessed 14th Oct. 2024.

6. “Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Implications for Drug Development - Proceedings of a Workshop.” The National Academies Press: June 2024 - Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Implications for Drug Development - Proceedings of a Workshop, https://nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/27770/interactive/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

7. Henderson, Theodore A., and Keith Hartman. “Aggression, Mania, and Hypomania Induction Associated With Atomoxetine.” Pediatrics, vol. 114, no. 3, Sept. 2004, pp. 895–96. Silverchair, https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2004-1140.

8.  Garnock-Jones, Karly P, and Gillian M Keating. “Atomoxetine: a review of its use in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents.” Paediatric drugs vol. 11,3 (2009): 203-26. doi:10.2165/00148581-20091103000005.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19445548/. 

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Answer 1

This is superbly subjective and is different for every person. This claim is similar to claiming that there are are "risks" for every diagnosis on earth. Or any activity you partake in. This is true, but also not a fact. The idea that there are risks in things is once again subjective based on the person, and more of a philosophical discussion than a fact you claim.

Answer 2

The main idea of this article is in the title, “Why ADHD can be a mixed blessing.”. The article has a wide range of sources, from scientific and notable sources like BBC. The author also has seemingly run proper research that includes others specific encounters of ADHD. Yes, the article can be seen as subjective for each person, but the author Christine Ro goes into telling about real life experiences from people she interviewed. She also uses and cites from other articles as well, all of which are factual.