Did ADHD/autism REALLY get 'trendy'? Or is it just a natural consequence of the Information Age?

As late diagnosed neurodivergent person I'm a bit bored of of hearing people say 'oh everyone's getting diagnosed with ADHD/autism now'. And people with little/no knowledge of the subject bleating on about people diagnosing themselves on TikTok etc.

Because it does feel like they're overcomplicating - and not to mention sensationalising - things. When we're living through a technological revolution that has impacted on every aspect of the way we live (and continues to do so).

And what we may be seeing is far more mundane i.e. a group of people who have a smaller frontal cortex and/or other brain differences that make them pre-disposed to behaviours typically associated with ADHD/autism. Who were previously able to 'manage' - because they were living in an environment that better supported their needs - and now they're not.

A world where:

Shops weren’t open late - or on Sundays

There was a handful of TV channels and no internet to distract your attention every five seconds

Most of the food they ate was home-cooked - with natural, unprocessed ingredients (and consumed at home)

Children played outside and people were more physically active in general (which meant they slept better)

Going out to eat or shop or socialise didn’t feel like a sensory assault (with so many ‘steps’ to complete)

Case in point: I recently stopped at a Five Guys restaurant for lunch. Went inside to order food and was immediately assaulted by loud music. Queued, placed order, then had to queue again for drinks machine. Went outside to table - more (but different) loud music blaring out of speakers.

And then I’m trying to find the shadiest spot to sit (‘cos I can’t stand being hot/having direct sunlight in my eyes). And my daughter is panicking about wasps. And I can feel the stress rising in me…

I looked around the place and thought (as I often do) 'Is anyone enjoying this experience? Seriously, is everyone pretending they like going to a noisy restaurant and queueing up multiple times to eat a burger out of a tin foil wrapper.' Because I feel like I’m going to explode/cry any second.

In fact, I often feel my world is like The Truman Show. A world where everyone else seems to be comfortable/enjoying themselves. But I’m super stressed and irritated by everything that’s going on around me. Although you wouldn’t know it - 'cos it's not socially acceptable to say you fear the world isn't real and everyone in it may be actors ('cos people tend to think you're weird and/or 'too intense' when you say stuff like that!).

But we're all distracted now

I think we can all agree that we’re all more distractible nowadays.

But in that Five Guys example, the only ‘natural’ stressors are heat, sunlight and wasps.

The rest of it didn’t exist (or certainly not to this extent) even back in the 1980s, when I was growing up.

So if you’re someone who’s naturally more sensitive to external stimuli - it makes logical sense that the world would feel more difficult in 2023 than it did back in (say) the 70s & 80s. And that your ability to concentrate would be impacted even more profoundly by the internet and social media platforms than someone who does NOT have that natural predisposition.

Because you’re no longer living in an environment that supports you to manage your needs.

And people seem far less tolerant to 'difference' now than they were in the past - particularly when it comes to 'weirdos' and those who just don't quite fit the mould.

It's no longer socially acceptable to be 'weird'

If you grew up in the late 70s and 80s like me, you probably knew a few people who were tolerated - and even much loved - but were definitely considered a bit 'weird'.

And I think we can all recall someone in our class, workplace or family who was a bit ‘different’ in some kind of imperceptible way we couldn’t quite put our finger on.

• Maybe they were very ‘sensitive’ and seemed to get upset/angry over things more easily than others

• Maybe they spoke very formally and/or had a wide ranging vocabulary

• Maybe they seemed overly serious or intense at times (and didn’t always laugh in the right places)

• Maybe that had unusual interests and/or got very obsessed/fixated with things

• Maybe they asked a lot of questions and/or seemed to ‘overshare’

• Maybe they were unreliable and prone to forgetting things/letting people down

• Maybe they couldn’t take the hint when they got dumped and/or turned up at things they weren’t invited to

• Maybe they let people bully/take advantage of them - but didn’t seem to realise this was happening

• Maybe they couldn’t stick at anything - and were constantly making bad decisions with relationships/money

• Maybe they were kind-hearted but 'spoke their mind' - and didn't always recognise when they'd put their foot in it

• Maybe they were also brilliant and clever and good at certain things (kind of like a 'Mad Professor')

While these people may have universally been agreed to be quirky or ‘odd’ they were also often spoken about affectionately. And even protectively at times.

But nowadays it feels as if people are SO busy being offended by everything, they don’t have the capacity to accept - and even embrace - people whose communication style/interests/way of life seems a little ‘different’ to theirs.

I sometimes wonder if the decline of organised religion has a part to play too. ‘Cos when you’re constantly getting the message that you should love your neighbour, be a Good Samaritan yada yada - and you’ve got more time on your hands - perhaps you’ve got more capacity to be open hearted? Or (if you're Catholic like me) at least feel guilty enough to give 'weirdos' the time of day.

Finding support when 'weird' isn't cool

But back to the question of why ‘everyone’ suddenly seems to be getting diagnosed with ADHD/autism etc ... and whether people need a ‘label’.

Perhaps what we are simply seeing is that the environment we're living in is becoming increasingly difficult for a group of people whose brains are wired differently.

People who experience the world differently - due to that wiring. But were better able to manage in the past - because their environment was naturally more supportive/accommodating of those differences.

And maybe YOU are coping better with all this technological and societal change, 'cos your brain is NOT wired like theirs. If so ... good for you! But that doesn't mean people who aren't are making it up - why would they? And it doesn't make you qualified to decide what they're actually experiencing is trauma and/or some other mental health issue (they might be experiencing this too - not that it's any of your business).

And maybe the current ‘influx’ of people being ‘labelled’ with ADHD/autism wouldn’t be seeking a diagnosis if they weren’t experiencing more and more ‘stressors’ on an already sensitive nervous system.

And if they felt the rest of society had their backs - and was willing to embrace their 'differentness'. Instead of rejecting them for being 'different' - and then invalidating their lived experiences.

Janet Murray is a business strategist, copywriter and advocate for neurodivergent people in the workplace and voluntary sector.