I get asked this a lot, is ADHD the new normal?
Alongside this question is another: Is ADHD different in men and women?
Recently, I saw a post from someone newly diagnosed with ADHD.
He shared that part of him hoped he didn’t have ADHD. He said it felt like “everyone has it now”, and he likes to be different.
For decades, ADHD was understood through a narrow lens: the disruptive, hyperactive young boy in a classroom (aka me).
Large bodies of research show ADHD is a neurodevelopmental difference affecting how the brain regulates attention, motivation, emotional intensity, and impulse control, across the lifespan (Harvard Health Publishing).
That biology is real, measurable, and it’s not a trend.
Men and women often experience ADHD differently!
Research consistently shows that boys and men are more likely to present with external symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity and visible behavioural disruption.
This is why they’re often identified early.
Females more commonly present with internal symptoms - chronic overwhelm, emotional dysregulation, perfectionism, anxiety, shame and exhaustion. They cope and mask until they burn out.
While boys are diagnosed far more often in childhood, adult diagnosis rates between men and women are nearly equal, pointing to decades of missed identification (Current Psychiatry Reports, 2024).
Hormones add another critical layer. There is a well-documented interaction between oestrogen and dopamine, meaning ADHD symptoms in women can fluctuate. A factor historically absent from diagnostic models (Journal of Psychiatric Research / Monash University).
Many women were simply mislabelled.
So, is ADHD the new normal? Short answer: no.
Despite rising diagnosis rates, high-quality meta-analyses show no meaningful increase in true ADHD prevalence over time once diagnostic changes and methodology are accounted for (Molecular Psychiatry / Nature Group, 2025).
What has changed is the world we’re asking brains to function in. Modern environments:
🧠 Overload attention systems
🧠 Demand constant self-regulation
🧠 Remove recovery time
🧠 Reward speed over depth.
When the external structure disappeared, particularly during and after COVID, ADHD traits became impossible to hide.
Population-based studies show a sharp rise in adult diagnoses post-pandemic, not because people suddenly wanted ADHD, but because coping strategies collapsed (https://lnkd.in/eUdbk6Pe)).
Which brings me back to that man’s comment: “I didn’t want the diagnosis because everyone seems to have it now.”
A diagnosis doesn’t make you less unique. It simply explains why your uniqueness often came with extra weight.
We’re witnessing the end of decades of misunderstanding. For many people, that explanation is the beginning of understanding and self-compassion.
Understanding who we truly are and explaining a lot of the ‘why’ behind why we didn’t seem to ‘fit in’.
Let’s talk!
Is ADHD The New Normal?