Is It Possible to Fake Having ADHD?
People might attempt to feign Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) for various reasons, such as accessing medications, accommodations, or financial benefits. However, successfully faking ADHD can be challenging, especially when a doctor is involved.
Common Attempts and Their Success Rates
Studies have been conducted where individuals try to fake ADHD symptoms to receive a diagnosis. These attempts often involve actors who study and exaggerate their symptoms. They may interrupt conversations, fidget, move a lot, and talk excessively to mimic the behaviors associated with ADHD. These behaviors, while exaggerated, can blend into everyday actions, making it difficult to detect fakery.
Research suggests that as many as 25% of adults and a decent number of teens seeking ADHD diagnoses are either faking or overstating their symptoms. The primary motive is usually to access medications. Other reasons include obtaining accommodations like extra time on exams or financial disability benefits.
How Doctors Detect Faked Symptoms
Doctors trained to diagnose ADHD have several tools at their disposal to detect fake symptoms. Here are a few:
Childhood Evidence Requirement
To be diagnosed with ADHD as an adult or teenager, there must be physical evidence of severe and impairing symptoms during childhood. Report cards, multiple suspensions or expulsions, and letters from teachers can provide this evidence.
Self-Report vs. Collaborative Evidence
ADHD cannot be diagnosed based solely on self-reporting. Doctors typically interview at least two other individuals from the patient's life, such as a spouse, boss, sibling, coach, or parent, to gather collaborative evidence.
Significant Life Impairment Criteria
ADHD can only be diagnosed if there is significant life impairment due to the symptoms. This means the doctor will look for evidence of how ADHD has affected the patient’s daily life, education, or work.
Unconscious Faking and Self-Diagnosis
Some individuals may unwittingly present ADHD symptoms, believing common traits they observe are indicative of the disorder. They might take online quizzes that diagnose most of the population with ADHD and mistakenly believe they fit the criteria. This can lead to cognitive biases where symptoms are exaggerated, and other conditions or normal behaviors are downplayed. By the time they see a doctor, they have convinced themselves of their diagnosis and gathered enough evidence to seem credible.
The College Student Scenario
In the college setting, the issue of fake ADHD diagnoses and medication abuse is pervasive. While only a small percentage of the adult population actually meets the criteria for ADHD, there is a common perception that a much higher percentage of students are feigning the disorder to access accommodations or drugs. Studies show that only 2.5% of adults actually meet the criteria for ADHD, and even this number is likely inflated due to telephone interviews and the inability to conduct comprehensive assessments.
Research also indicates that only 1 in 5 people with ADHD even attends college. Given that many ADHDers face significant school-related problems, it is not surprising that only a small fraction of those who are diagnosed in childhood continue to meet the criteria and choose to go to college. This means a minute fraction of college students, about 1 in 200, actually have ADHD.
The Impact of Self-Diagnosis
Self-diagnosis can be particularly problematic, especially when individuals with ADHD are undiagnosed and choose to self-diagnose due to a lack of proper diagnosis. Self-diagnosed individuals without the intention of seeking further help cannot truly have ADHD because the diagnosis lacks legitimacy and they won't have access to any supports like medications, accommodations, or therapy. If someone claims to have both a college degree and undiagnosed ADHD, it is possible but highly unlikely, and would need to be backed up with an IQ test.