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The Conversation
The Conversation
Margaret Sibley, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Washington

More adults than ever have been seeking ADHD medications – an ADHD expert explains what could be driving the trend

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, social media was awash with promotions for ADHD as an explanation for people's overwhelmed state of mind. useng/iStock via Getty Images Plus

As a woman in my 30s who was constantly typing “ADHD” into my computer, I had something interesting happen to me in 2021. I started receiving a wave of advertisements beckoning me to get online help for ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. One was a free, one-minute assessment to find out if I had the disorder, another an offer for a digital game that could help “rewire” my brain. Yet another ad asked me if I was “delivering” but still not moving up at work.

The reason the term ADHD litters my digital life is because I am a clinical psychologist who exclusively treats patients with ADHD. I’m also a psychiatric researcher at the University of Washington School of Medicine who studies ADHD trends across the life span.

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