The reason places like WebMD tell you that you might have cancer is so you go see a real doctor. It’s not because it thinks you probably have cancer, but because you shouldn’t rely on WebMD if there’s even a small chance you might.
So if lists like these create false positives, I’m okay with it. It means some people with ADHD will finally get help and live their best lives. It means people with some signs of ADHD, but not enough for a full diagnosis, might still find value in the techniques people with ADHD use to deal with those symptoms. And even in the case of people with no issue whatsoever, it’s just good to take your mental health seriously.
And hey, even if none of that mattered, there’s still a huge stigma around mental health and neurodiversity. If it helps people understand what ADHD people are going through (“It’s like this common experience, but to a high level on a frequent basis”), that’s good too.
The reason places like WebMD tell you that you might have cancer is so you go see a real doctor. It’s not because it thinks you probably have cancer, but because you shouldn’t rely on WebMD if there’s even a small chance you might.
So if lists like these create false positives, I’m okay with it. It means some people with ADHD will finally get help and live their best lives. It means people with some signs of ADHD, but not enough for a full diagnosis, might still find value in the techniques people with ADHD use to deal with those symptoms. And even in the case of people with no issue whatsoever, it’s just good to take your mental health seriously.
And hey, even if none of that mattered, there’s still a huge stigma around mental health and neurodiversity. If it helps people understand what ADHD people are going through (“It’s like this common experience, but to a high level on a frequent basis”), that’s good too.