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Why Are ADHD Rates So Much Higher in the U.S.?
11–20 of 43 posts
Re: Why Are ADHD Rates So Much Higher in the U.S.?
#12Re: Why Are ADHD Rates So Much Higher in the U.S.?
#13Likely a combination of isolation (small families, no outside time) combined with tech designed to over stimulate. To me ADHD is an adaptation to an overflowing amount of stimulation and information. The brain skips around very quickly until it finds something very valuable and then mines the hell out of it (hyper focus) i would be very curious to find out the rate of ADHD in the Amish. Theyre an American population…
You are incorrect.
ADHD is not caused by isolation or addictive tech. ADHD is passed down genetically and is caused by a difference dopamine regulation. People with ADHD have low baseline dopamine (A neurotransmitter that plays a role in reward, motivation, mood, etc.), that is why they hyper focus when they are in the zone. The brain is starved for dopamine and when there is spike in dopamine it causes an intense reaction.
ADHD may have been useful preindustrial societies, but today it is maladaptive.
Excessive use of addictive tech can mimic ADHD symptoms, but is not the same. People with ADHD are adversely affected by addictive tech.
The symptoms mimic “bad behavior” so some skeptics think you can just beat it out of them or yell at them to just stop. That might mitigate the problem for very short time (perhaps due to a short dopamine rush), but they fall back into a low dopamine state afterwards.
Re: Why Are ADHD Rates So Much Higher in the U.S.?
#14Over 10% of children? That sounds like a flawed testing method or toxic environment, not a disease.
Can you explain why it being over 10% of children would make it not a disease?
But really, if like more than 50% of children has ADHD, maybe it's not really a "defect" but rather a "trait" of some human.
Unless you're implying that half of the humanity that has ADHD are defective humans.
Just a thought
Re: Why Are ADHD Rates So Much Higher in the U.S.?
#15Likely a combination of isolation (small families, no outside time) combined with tech designed to over stimulate. To me ADHD is an adaptation to an overflowing amount of stimulation and information. The brain skips around very quickly until it finds something very valuable and then mines the hell out of it (hyper focus) i would be very curious to find out the rate of ADHD in the Amish. Theyre an American population…
You are incorrect. ADHD is not caused by isolation or addictive tech. ADHD is passed down genetically and is caused by a difference dopamine regulation. People with ADHD have low baseline dopamine (A neurotransmitter that plays a role in reward, motivation, mood, etc.), that is why they hyper focus when they are in the zone. The brain is starved for dopamine and when there is spike in dopamine it causes an intense re…
Funny that the rise of ADHD runs parallel to the advent of the Internet, and only evidently striking Americans.
Perhaps what you're describing is one form of it, and if so, we should develop a better naming convention to get rid of the ambiguity. Or go the cop-out approach and say it's a "spectrum" so you're never truly wrong, and never truly accurate.
Re: Why Are ADHD Rates So Much Higher in the U.S.?
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
You are incorrect. ADHD is not caused by isolation or addictive tech. ADHD is passed down genetically and is caused by a difference dopamine regulation. People with ADHD have low baseline dopamine (A neurotransmitter that plays a role in reward, motivation, mood, etc.), that is why they hyper focus when they are in the zone. The brain is starved for dopamine and when there is spike in dopamine it causes an intense re…
Funny that the rise of ADHD runs parallel to the advent of the Internet, and only evidently striking Americans. Perhaps what you're describing is one form of it, and if so, we should develop a better naming convention to get rid of the ambiguity. Or go the cop-out approach and say it's a "spectrum" so you're never truly wrong, and never truly accurate.
It could also be due to a better understanding of the causes, among other things. As always, correlation does not equal causation.
Re: Why Are ADHD Rates So Much Higher in the U.S.?
#17I have a slightly crazy theory that neurodivergent folk have historically been less inclined to “stay put”, and more likely to migrate, and the US - built out of immigrants - has selected for neurodivergence. (This assumes that neurodivergence is somewhat heritable.)
Re: Why Are ADHD Rates So Much Higher in the U.S.?
#18In comparison to other places in the world (especially Asia), there is somewhat lower stigma regarding ADHD in the U.S. I would add the UK to the stigma list as well. The UK government and NHS are pretty rabidly ADHD-denialist and make it incredibly difficult to get a diagnosis.
They literally pay for you to use a private clinic to ensure everyone can be assessed quickly. ADHD is legally protected and recognised. Lumping it in with most of Asia is ridiculous.
Where in the NHS is that? Maybe just an English thing. I had to go private on my own dime and thankfully my GP took over prescribing, which is uncommon and becoming increasingly so. They also put me on the NHS waiting list, back when you could still get on it without being severe, and it was only last week I had my appointment almost 4 years after being put on the list.
Re: Why Are ADHD Rates So Much Higher in the U.S.?
#19Likely a combination of isolation (small families, no outside time) combined with tech designed to over stimulate. To me ADHD is an adaptation to an overflowing amount of stimulation and information. The brain skips around very quickly until it finds something very valuable and then mines the hell out of it (hyper focus) i would be very curious to find out the rate of ADHD in the Amish. Theyre an American population…
You are incorrect. ADHD is not caused by isolation or addictive tech. ADHD is passed down genetically and is caused by a difference dopamine regulation. People with ADHD have low baseline dopamine (A neurotransmitter that plays a role in reward, motivation, mood, etc.), that is why they hyper focus when they are in the zone. The brain is starved for dopamine and when there is spike in dopamine it causes an intense re…
I learned something interesting from your comment, namely that psychology is a political tool.
Re: Why Are ADHD Rates So Much Higher in the U.S.?
#20There’s bound to be tons of ignorant stuff posted in this thread. Please support strong opinions or claims with scientific evidence. Personal anecdotes are not a license to spout vitriol one way or the other or to spread ignorance more generally. You don’t have to comment. Thanks!