High functioning, yet high suffering - the need to incorporate invisible struggles in adult ADHD diagnostic assessment/criteria (opens in new tab)

Current DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) rely predominantly on externally observable signs and measurable functional impairment. While prior literature has criticized the child-centric and male-centric biases embedded in this framework, less attention has been given to its sign-centric and impairment-centric orientation. In this perspective article, we argue that this emphasis creates a critical diagnostic blind spot: adults who maintain high...