So! What are some stigmas about ADHD in Singapore?

1: “ADHD isn’t real!” or “Everyone is a bit ADHD sometimes!”

2: If you can sit still, you definitely don’t have ADHD.

3: “But you’re smart! You can’t have ADHD!”

4: ADHD is an excuse or result of poor parenting

5: “You can’t have ADHD! You can focus on ___________!”

6. You shouldn’t be taking drugs (medicine) if you have ADHD. It will make your condition much worse!

7. ADHD is over-diagnosed.

8. But I’m a girl! Only boys are unfortunate enough to get ADHD.

9. ADHD isn’t even that much of a big deal.

10. People with ADHD are a danger to society, and they need to be isolated from the world.

In our next post, we’ll be moving onto debunking these myths. Find out the truth behind the various aspects of ADHD!

Sources:

1) saseye.com/2015/12/14/singapore-overcoming-stigmas-of-learning-disorders/(opens in a new tab)

2) https://psychcentral.com/blog/9-myths-misconceptions-and-stereotypes-about-adhd

3) youtube.com/watch?v=V5tLi1bYilA(opens in a new tab)

4) https://www.medicaldaily.com/11-biggest-myths-and-misconceptions-about-attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-356008

What is hyperfocusing?

Well, ever been so engrossed in something that you become unaware of your surroundings? Yeah it’s something like that but dialled up to 12.

“But how?” You may ask, “I thought that having ADHD makes it hard to focus?”

Well yes! And no.

You see, the thing about people with ADHD is that they don’t actually have a deficit(lack) of attention so much as have trouble regulating their attention.

Think of it as a dial. Most neurotypical people have dials that adjust their attention accordingly depending on what they’re doing.(e.g. 8 for something important like a meeting or a test. 4 for leisure activities etc)

For people with ADHD on the other hand, the dial is on random. It can be anywhere from 3 to 12. When the dial hits 12, that’s hyperfocusing. They become engrossed in what they’re doing. So much so that they may have trouble getting out of that activity!

Hope that helps to clear it up!

(Source)

A large misconception about ADHD is that: it isn’t real. It’s just an excuse for someone who can’t sit still, or who can’t focus. There’s nothing wrong with them.

Well, we’re here to disprove that. And the best way to start is just to show you some simple numbers about people with ADHD.

Though it’s a tiny country, some 5% of the child population in Singapore have been diagnosed with ADHD . That number may seem small, but it’s around 270,000 children who have ADHD.

Around the world, that number increases to 6.1 million children who have had ADHD, as of 2016. Still not convinced? Let’s break that data down a little more.

388,000 children from the ages of 2-5 years were diagnosed with ADHD. That number increases to 2.4 million, to the ages of 6-11 years, and to a staggering 3.3 million children from 12-17.

ADHD is also not just a children’s disorder. In many cases, children carry this disorder on to their adult lives. In fact, 4.4% of adults in the US have this disorder, and that’s only the people who seek a diagnosis.

So how many people even have ADHD in Singapore anyways?

Turns out about 17% of children have ADHD and though no studies on how many adults have ADHD in Singapore, but research overseas shows that about half of children with ADHD continue to meet criteria for ADHD as they age.

What about adults?

The estimated crude prevalence rate of current ADHD in Singapore was 5.8%. Adult ADHD was significantly associated with lower age, low educational level, unemployment, marital status (never married and divorced), and rural residency. The worldwide prevalence of people with ADHD was at between 5.29% and 7.1% in children and adolescents and at 3.4% (range 1.2–7.3%) in adults.

But its not the number of people with ADHD that is the issue. If it’s treated properly from a young age, symptoms of ADHD can be managed. Treatment for ADHD in clinics is being improved and criteria for proper treatment is already in place. ADHD only becomes an issue when it isn’t treated and the root cause of that is if children don’t tell anyone about their disorder or if the people they tell, shun them and and encourage these children not to seek treatment.

It would be great if everyone was brave enough to tell someone that they have a stigmatized mental disorder but sadly that isn’t the case. From a study done in 2008, turns out according to parent reports, there were higher rates of children internalising problems (12.2 percent) compared to externalising problems (4.9 percent).

Only about a third of children recover completely. Another third learn to cope with ADHD while the rest get worse if the condition is not identified.
Doctors estimate that 3 to 5 per cent of children here have ADHD. This means that at least 1,500 children in every cohort have the condition, with two-thirds remaining undiagnosed.

We hope that now you’re more clear about people with ADHD. Click on to the next post to find out about more misconceptions people have about ADHD!

Hey guys! Remember how we mentioned in this post that there are multiple types of ADHD? Well, I’m going to get more in depth about it here!

ADHD comes in 3 different types; Hyperactive/ Impulsive, Inattentive and a combination of both!

Hyperactive/ Impulsive

This is the most commonly recognisable type of ADHD as it is also the most visible. People with this kind of ADHD tend to be hyperactive physically. Having this type of ADHD is like having a strong motor but weak breaks! People with Hyperactive/ Impulsive ADHD tend to do things before thinking them through and have high energy levels but exhibit adequate control of their attention. This is also the type of ADHD that is most commonly portrayed in media. This type is more common in boys.

Inattentive

This type of ADHD is less common and people who do have this type of ADHD tend to be dismissed as it is less visible. People with Inattentive ADHD are still hyperactive, but instead of physically, it’s internally. It’s very hard for people with this type of ADHD to stay focused. Having Inattentive ADHD is like having a bouncy ball in your head! Your thoughts bounce from topic to topic and you have a harder time retaining information than neurotypical people. The constant jumping from topic to topic tends to make people with Inattentive ADHD more chatty. Moreover, these people often end up having to get their peers to repeat what they said directly after said peers have said it and often blurt out what they want say, often interrupting conversations while doing so, in case they forget. This type is more common in girls, which is also why less girls are diagnosed with ADHD even though anyone can have it.

Combined

This is a combination of the 2 types of ADHD mentioned above. This is the most common form of ADHD.

Remember that there are different types of ADHD and different people experience ADHD differently so be respectful!

(Source 1 & 2)