ADD is real it's not your faulttreating ADD works ;   supporting information :

It's not your fault

It's not your fault. [18]

If you think ADD is just an excuse for people who are lazy, please:

cartoon with … My ADHD diagnosis … 'upgraded' my life story … everything became clear. For more info, see https://totallyadd.com
But there is hope — in 🏛 education and 💊︎ treatment …

💊︎ Treatment

cartoon with … I don't need medication meme. For more info, see https://totallyadd.com.
Sorry, it looks like if you decide to treat your ADD, you are going to need:
    regular exercise;
  💊︎ medication [24] [25] (scroll down and select chart);
    mindfulness or yoga;
    organization techniques, perhaps including bullet journaling; and
    more.

But given the outcomes above, who would choose to not treat?

More options are coming out all the time — if nothing worked for you 3 years ago, you should make an appointment for another workup.

Don't want to think of yourself as 💊︎ pro-medication?
  Rebrand your thinking as anti-suffering.

For a more nuanced-view, look into  ▶︎  neurodiversity, or …

When you are offered a test or intervention,
BRAN reminds you to ask about and consider the
  Benefits,
  Risks and
  Alternatives, and to also consider the effects of doing
  Nothing in this situation.


    — Sarah J Buckley, MD, Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering:  A Doctor's Guide to Natural Childbirth and Gentle Early Parenting Choices

Results of this thinking include:

  • If a particular 💊︎ treatment has negative side-effects larger than the positive intended-effects, modify or abandon this treatment in favor of a different treatment. [26]
  • But keep in mind the Risks of not treating.

What about abuse?  Aren't some 💊︎ treatments — the stimulants — listed in the 🇺🇸 USA as Schedule II drugs?
  Yes. [27]   But:

  1. These stimulants don't meet any of the three criteria for inclusion on that list. [27]
  2. ADDers who sell their medication to others, should be using it to make each day of their own lives easier and better.
  3. Those who buy it from ADDers don't get any of their desired effects. [28]
    Presumably, those who get the desired effects have ADD themselves;  in which case they should get themselves tested and titrated for their own prescriptions.

A very-low-cost pharmacy/​drug store/​chemist shop > scroll down.  When Medication Costs Too Much:  Prescription Assistance.

If the 💊︎ treatment method you worked out with your ⚕︎ doctor includes extended-release methylphenidate (Ritalin) (Concerta), ensure that your product actually works — is made by a man­u­fac­tur­er that uses OROS technology (or maybe DELEXIS®;  don't know yet):  Effectiveness of 💊︎ Concerta (extended-release methylphenidate) and its imitators.  Adobe Acrobat Reader file   "Once-a-day Concerta methylphenidate versus three-times-daily methylphenidate in laboratory and natural settings."  Pediatrics.  . DOI: 10.1542/​peds.107.6.e105 accessed 2023-09-26.

Pick any ADHD symptom and consider how it might undermine one's career.
  Or one's marriage.
  Or how it would sabotage goals, friendships, and consistent parenting.
  And impact health, finances, and eventually one's self-esteem.
It's a Holistic disorder.
So it demands a Holistic approach.
[35]

References

[1]  To see the ADHD full criteria exactly:


   Not as exact, but perhaps more actionable are ▦🛠 several mental health screening tools, including ADHD accessed , and ▦🛠 more mental health screening tools.

[2]  Personal communication by RT to EP.

[3]  "Teen drivers with ADD a problem on the road."  CNN.  .   Accessed .

[4]  According to 📱︎ calculations on [3] p31, based on numbers from Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. [21]

[99]  "Mortality in children, adolescents, and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a nationwide cohort study."  The Lancet.  . DOI: 10.1016/​S0140-6736(14)61684-6   Accessed .

[5]  "Risk of Traumatic Brain Injury among Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults with ADHD in Taiwan."  Journal of Adolescent Health.  .   Accessed .

[6]  "ADHD and Injuries:  Accidental and Self-Inflicted."  The ADHD Report.  . DOI: 10.1521/​adhd.2014.22.2.1   Accessed .

[7]  "Risk of unintentional injuries in children and adolescents with ADHD and the impact of ADHD medications:  A systematic review and meta-analysis."  Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews.  . DOI: 10.1016/​j.neubiorev.2017.11.007   Accessed .

[8]  "Wear Your Helmet!  ADHD Raises Risk of Head Injury."  National Resource Center on ADHD.  .   Accessed .

[9]  "Young Adult Outcome of Hyperactive Children: Adaptive Functioning in Major Life Activities."  J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry.  .
       DOI: 10.1097/​01.chi.0000189134.97436.e2   Accessed .

[10]  "Sexually Transmitted Infection among Adolescents and Young Adults with ADHD:  A Nationwide Longitudinal Study."  J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry.  .   Accessed .

[11]  "Association of ADHD with Teenage Birth among Women and Girls in Sweden."  Journal of the American Medical Association.  .
       DOI: 10.1001/​jamanetworkopen.2019.12463   Accessed .

[12]  "Genetic Overlap Discovered for ADHD, Educational Struggles."  American Journal of Managed Care.  .   Accessed .

[13]  "ADHD and Crime.  21% to 45% of Prisoners have ADHD 15 Peer Reviewed Studies Show.  Crime & Jail are Costly, Treatment is Cheap." Adult ADD Strengths.   Accessed .

[14]  "A prospective 4-year follow-up study of attention-deficit hyperactivity and related disorders."  Arch Gen Psychiatry.  .  53(5):437-46.
       DOI: 10.1001/​archpsyc.1996.01830050073012   Accessed .

[15]  "ADHD and Long-Term Outcomes."  CHADD.
       "Young adult educational and vocational outcomes of children diagnosed with ADHD."  Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.  .
       DOI: 10.1007/​s10802-012-9658-z   Accessed .

[16]  "Hyperactive Child Syndrome and Estimated Life Expectancy at Young Adult Follow-Up:  The Role of ADHD Persistence and Other Potential Predictors."  J Atten Disord.  . DOI: 10.1177/​1087054718816164   Accessed .

[17]  "Academic and educational outcomes of children with ADHD."  Ambulatory Pediatrics.  . DOI: 10.1016/​j.ambp.2006.05.005   Accessed .

[18]  "Why Do Some People Get ADHD?  Researchers Link 27 Genetic Variants."  SciTechDaily.  .
       DOI: 10.1038/​s41588-022-01285-8   Accessed .

[19]  "Revisiting ADHD and Ritalin."  Los Angeles Times.  .   Accessed .

[20]  "Does Stimulant Therapy of ADHD Beget Later Substance Abuse?  A Meta-analytic Review of the Literature."  American Academy of Pediatrics.  .   Accessed .

[21]  "What We Know About ADHD and Driving Risk:  A Literature Review, Meta-Analysis and Critique."  J Can Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry.  .   Accessed .

[22]  "Association Between Medication Use for ADHD and Risk of Motor Vehicle Crashes."  JAMA Psychiatry.  . DOI: 10.1001/​jamapsychiatry.2017.0659   Accessed .

[23]  "Adults with ADHD commit fewer crimes when on medication."  Karolinska Institutet.  .   Accessed .
       "Medication for ADHD and Criminality."  New England Journal of Medicine.  Adobe Acrobat Reader file DOI: 10.1056/​NEJMoa1203241   Accessed .

[24]  "Nonpharmacologic treatments for ADHD lack evidence base."  Contemporary Pediatrics.  .   Accessed .

[25]  "A 14-Month Randomized Clinical Trial of Treatment Strategies for ADHD."  JAMA Psychiatry.  .   Accessed .

[26]  You can report negative side-effects at MedWatch:  The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program and 📱︎☎ 1-800-FDA-1088.   Accessed .

[27]  "Controlled Substances Act."  Wikipedia.   Accessed .

[28]  "Without ADHD, 'Study Drugs' may only make you feel smarter."  Brown University.  . DOI: 10.3390/​pharmacy6030058   Accessed .

[29]  "Examining The Nature Of The Comorbidity Between Pediatric ADHD And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder."  Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavia.  .
       DOI: 10.1111/​acps.12011   Accessed .

[30]  "Impact of Methylphenidate Delivery Profiles on Driving Performance of Adolescents With ADHD:  A Pilot Study."  J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry.  .   Accessed .

[31]  "How ADHD Shortens Life Expectancy:  What Parents and Doctors Need to Know to Take Action."  ADDitude Magazine.  .   Accessed .

[32]  "Psychologist Barkley says Life Expectancy Slashed in Worst Cases for those with ADHD."  American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders.  .   Accessed .

[33]  "Your Attention, Please:  A Call to Improve Access to Care for ADHD Patients."  British Columbia Medical Association.  Adobe Acrobat Reader file   Accessed .
       Update accessed .

[34]  "Make Memories with ADHD."  ADHD Weekly.  .   Accessed .

[35]  Artwork promoting video described in "My ADHD is a 'Holistic' Disorder."  Rick Green.  TotallyADD.   Accessed .