Despite decades of articles on the science and research of ADHD, it never ceases to amaze me when I have a conversation with people who don’t believe in ADHD. While I understand concerns of “the label” and “bad medicine”, I have seen thousands of patients who, when treated for the first time in adulthood, say “If I had only known…” or “my parents didn’t believe in it when teachers raised the issue when I was a child”. Then there are the parents who apology to their adult child who gets treated for ADHD and functions at a higher level.

Myths of ADHD persist today despite overwhelming international research refuting non-believers. So, Reader’s Digest asked me to help develop an article looking at some myths that people continue to believe.

1. ADHD is not a real medical disorder.

2. There is no clear medical proof for ADHD.

3. If you weren’t diagnosed as a child, you can’t have ADHD as an adult.

4.”Bad parenting” produces ADHD in children.

5. ADHD just makes it hard to concentrate, it doesn’t cause serious problems.

6. ADHD is just an American disorder.

7. ADHD medications are toxic and turn kids into addicts.

8. People with ADHD are just lazy and disorganized.

I invite you to read the article and see how I offer medical research to answer these myths. As a famous astrophysicist likes to say, “Science exists whether you believe it or not.”