ADHD is confused with other disorders

The argument

The symptoms associated with ADHD are similar to other brain-based disorders. Since the symptoms are so similar, ADHD may be confused for other conditions. Symptoms include restlessness, difficulty concentrating on a task, and frequent mood swings. These are all closely related to other disorders as well, leaving the possibility to have a misdiagnosis. Research has also suggested that ADHD goes hand-in-hand with other disorders and illness. Those who are diagnosed with ADHD have a co-existing condition, such as mood disorders, anxiety disorders, learning disabilities, and even personality disorders. If these individuals diagnosed with ADHD already have a pre-existing condition, it would make sense that the symptoms associated with ADHD are from their original diagnosis alone. Why is it necessary to give multiple diagnoses? Millions of people are diagnosed with ADHD. With such shockingly high numbers, especially in children, many researchers and psychologists have presented the theory that ADHD does not exist. It is often confused with other disorders that have mirroring signs and symptoms.

Premises

Counter-arguments

Misdiagnoses happen quite often, as many symptoms of one disorder are sometimes closely related to another. For example, bipolar disorder is often mixed up with depression or anxiety disorders, causing bi-polar disorder to be under-diagnosed. The same goes for ADHD. Individuals who were previously diagnosed with an anxiety disorder are often diagnosed with ADHD later on. This mistake can often confuse the patient, as they did not previously receive the correct treatment. Unfortunately, these mix-ups occur quite often, as symptoms of one illness tend to overlap with others. This common mistake doesn’t mean that ADHD doesn’t exist at all. Yes, there are several misdiagnoses, and while many could argue that the disorder is under or over-diagnosed, the same could be right for several different conditions.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Symptom overlap is the ordinary condition of psychiatric classification rather than an argument against a particular category. Fever is shared by hundreds of illnesses without making any of them unreal, and the possibility of misdiagnosis is a claim about diagnostic practice, not about whether a condition exists. Diagnosis also requires more than the symptoms listed: onset in childhood, presence in more than one setting, and demonstrable impairment. [Rejecting P2] Co-occurrence does not establish redundancy, and the inference runs backwards. High rates of accompanying anxiety, mood and learning difficulties are what one expects when an untreated condition produces years of difficulty, and the alternative — that the other diagnosis explains everything — predicts that treating it would resolve the attention and hyperactivity symptoms, which is not what is observed. Nor does every diagnosed person carry a second condition. [Rejecting C] The conclusion moves from imprecise diagnosis to non-existence, a step far larger than the premises can carry. The evidence usually brought against it — persistence into adulthood, twin studies showing substantial heritability, group-level differences in brain imaging, and a distinctive response to stimulant medication — is nowhere addressed.