If the test of who has ADHD is checking who is more productive and focused after they take stimulants… then a very, very large percent of the population would quality.
>New research finds ADHD medications like Adderall don’t improve cognition in healthy college students and may even impair the memory of those who abuse the drugs.
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>But how do these drugs respond differently to the brains of people with and without ADHD? Weyandt said that she believes the human brain might need to be at a deficit of some kind for drugs like these to work. If not, they could have a detrimental effect.
>She said that neuroimaging research with people who have ADHD has found reduced activity — think blood flow — in parts of the brain associated with the condition’s symptoms when off medication.
>Once given the proper medication, the activity increases in these regions of the brain, and ADHD symptoms go down. So a person with ADHD has an improved ability to pay attention, and shows improved memory, planning, and response inhibition, she said.
>“Since we found the drug did not improve neurocognition and may negatively influence working memory, this may suggest a deficit is needed to benefit from the medication,” she added. “Furthermore, we have found in other studies that students who report significant ADHD symptoms are more likely to misuse stimulants.”
The test for ADHD, at least in Uk, is figuring out how much your life has been impacted by your executive function disorder. Whether your anxiety and depression are a result of being chronically unable to direct your mind to your goals. If that's the case, you might have ADHD.
It's not a productivity test. It's a disability test.