ADHD Awareness Month: Latest News

On TikTok, #adhd is the seventh most popular health hashtag, which demonstrates the popularity and ubiquity of health content on social media.1However, Likes and Shares are not an indicator of accuracy, according to a recent study in PLOS ONE. For example, less than half of the information shared in immensely popular ADHD TikTok videos (which have garnered nearly half a billion views) aligns with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).2 Most ADHD TikToks perpetuate lies or half-truths.ADHD inaccuracies don’t just permeate social channels; they also appear in podcasts, newspapers, TV shows, and beyond.

Do stimulant medications cause brain damage? It’s a frequent concern among people who avoid stimulant treatment for ADHD, both adults and parents of children with the condition.Science shows that prescription stimulants do not cause brain damage. In fact, research suggests that stimulants have a protective effect on the ADHD brain.Perhaps people who fear stimulants assume the medication’s potency exerts too strong a force on the brain after prolonged use.

October 22, 2025Stephen Faraone, Ph.D., author, researcher, and architect of The ADHD Evidence Project, whose mission is to evaluate and translate the latest scientific findings about ADHD, is setting the tone for how ADHD is understood and treated worldwide. Here, Faraone shares the insights, discoveries, and challenges most likely to impact ADHD care in the coming years.For decades, we thought that genes played a central role in causing ADHD because ADHD runs in families.

Just about every mainstream medical, psychological, and educational organization in the U.S. long ago concluded that ADHD is real, and that children and adults with attention deficit disorder benefit from appropriate ADHD treatment.Yet, somehow, the world still seems to be filled with self-appointed ADHD “experts” — some well-meaning, some sanctimonious — who insist on burdening us with their ill-informed opinions and asking repeatedly, What is ADHD?We’ve all heard the ADHD skeptics’ comments: “ADHD is bunk!” “Can’t people take responsibility for their own actions anymore?” “All that so-called ADHD kids really need is discipline!” “Drug companies invented ADHD so they could sell stimulants.” Blah, blah, blah.We expect to hear such nonsense about ADHD and LD from misinformed movie stars ranting on talk shows.

ADHD is distributed across individuals of all intellectual levels, and some of those individuals have high IQs. There is significant overlap of characteristics among people with ADHD, high IQ, and creativity — like curiosity, impatience, high energy, low tolerance for boredom, charisma, nonconformity, risk-taking, and resistance to authority.High-IQ people with attention deficit often excel at tasks requiring divergent thinking, which is spontaneous and non-linear — “out of the box” thinking.

On a hot summer day in my new office, my client and I were shivering cold. “The air conditioning is hyperactive, maybe?” I jokingly wondered as we pulled on sweaters. I turned the thermostat up to 76 degrees, then 80, but the cold air wouldn’t stop.“Our HVAC system seems overactive,” I explained later to my husband.

“Twenty-five years ago, ADHD was seen as our fault, not a treatable condition. Today, I feel comfortable talking about ADHD with anyone.” — Sean, Texas“The understanding and acceptance of neurodiversity grows every year.

October 7, 2025 Despite decades of reputable, illuminating research on ADHD and its treatments, misinformation and stigma are making a comeback. A widely read New York Times Magazine article published earlier this year titled "Have We Been Thinking About ADHD All Wrong?" is a prime example.The article, which generated a lot of controversy and response from clinicians and advocacy groups, suggested that ADHD treatment need only address daytime challenges for school children, minimized the benefits of multimodal care, and understated the harms of untreated ADHD.

Misconceptions about ADHD’s treatments – medication, in particular – persist, despite decades of research proving their safety and efficacy. The benefits of medication, to be clear, extend beyond the classroom and workplace; ADHD medication reduces the risk of “dire consequences” and saves lives.But there is so much more to treating ADHD.

ADHD is an inaccurate — and potentially corrosive — name. The term “deficit disorder” places ADHD in the realm of pathology, or disease.

In August, the ADHD community lost a fierce advocate and brilliant mind with the passing of Thomas E. Brown, Ph.D. His legacy persists this ADHD Awareness Month, and his messages are perhaps more important than ever. Learn more.

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“A lightbulb moment,” is how Natalie, an ADDitude reader in Pennsylvania, describes her experience of learning that hyperfocus often accompanies ADHD.“I used to think I couldn't possibly have ADHD because I could study for eight hours at a shot. A deficit of attention was clearly not my problem,” she explains.

ADHD stereotypes – about what the condition’s presentations, causes, duration, and more – are stigmatizing, harmful, and even dangerous. Myths and misconceptions minimize the lived experiences of neurodivergent people and often prevent them from seeking and accessing the care they need.Here, ADDitude readers share the ADHD myths and misperceptions they would eradicate – false beliefs that profoundly affect them and their families.“People who don't believe ADHD is real think we medicate our children because we don't want to parent. When a child needs medication and you allow them to take it (along with tools/strategies for struggles), you are giving them a chance to actually succeed and excel in life.” – Abby, Iowa“Everyone blames the parent for the child's behavior. They have NO idea how much love we pour over our children, and still they do what they do.

by Penn and Kim Holderness Grade level: preschool-1stFor nearly a decade, Penn and Kim Holderness have documented what it’s like living with — or loving someone who has — ADHD. Their honest, relatable, and often humorous depictions of everyday attention deficit have attracted millions of YouTube followers, and their book ADHD Is Awesome: A Guide to (Mostly) Thriving with ADHD (#CommissionsEarned) was a bestseller in 2024. Now, younger audiences will benefit from the couple’s signature wit and playfulness with All You Can Be with ADHD (release date: October 15).

Not available October 1? Don’t worry. Register now and we’ll send you the replay link to watch at your convenience.ADHD has been misunderstood since the early 1900s, when children with the condition were described as having a “defect in moral control.” Through the decades, the name for ADHD evolved, but the condition continued to be dismissed or questioned, and the treatment remained maligned.

Wisdom is the hard-won result of experience; there are no shortcuts. But if you could time travel back to speak with your childhood self, what advice would you offer that tiny, still unformed version of yourself? What lessons about living and thriving with ADHD — school, work, relationships, self-love — would you impart? What words do you most wish you’d heard to avoid some headache and heartbreak, and to find more fulfillment and acceptance?Here, ADDitude readers reflect on ADHD life lessons learned and offer everything from practical hacks to tender compassion. Threaded together, these words form a brilliant tapestry of self-advocacy, self-empowerment, and, above all, self-love.“Oh, love, hi there! It’s me, your 34-year-old self. I just want you to know that you are wonderful. Absolutely wonderful! I know you feel like people don’t get you and that you have to be perfect to be liked.

Not available October 1? Don’t worry. Register now and we’ll send you the replay link to watch at your convenience.To kick off ADHD Acceptance month, ADDitude asked you (our readers) to tell us how you define ADHD and its impact.