OCTOBER ADHD AWARENESS MONTH 2023: Everything You Need To Know
September 28, 2023
SUMMARY & TAKEAWAY
This October 2023, ADHD is going global! Find out what that means and how you can support people with ADHD worldwide.
After you read this blog post, you’ll have answers to these vital questions:
What is ADHD Awareness Month?
What is ADHD in simple terms?
What is the history of ADHD Awareness?
What can you do to support people with ADHD worldwide?
ADHD IS GOING GLOBAL!
October is the ADHD Awareness Month. It takes place yearly.
In 2023, ADHD Awareness Month is both a national and global event. Organizations worldwide partnered with the shared goal of spreading reliable information about ADHD and its treatment. You can find the list of Coalition Members and Partners here.
Every year, the ADHD Awareness Month has a theme. The 2023 theme in the United States is “Moving Forward With ADHD.”
Orange is the color for ADHD.
THE MISSION
According to ADHDAwarenessMonth.org, “the mission of ADHD Awareness Month is to educate the public about ADHD by disseminating reliable information based on the evidence of science and peer-reviewed research.”
I want to take it one step further.
My mission for ADHD Awareness Month is to simplify information about ADHD by sharing reliable scientific, peer-reviewed research, and lived experiences.
It’s not surprising that much information about ADHD is still incorrect, outdated, and confusing for many people with different educational and economic backgrounds, cultures, and languages.
ADHD experts have done significant new research about ADHD for the past 35 years. Yet, further information about ADHD has not been publicly shared effectively.
By simplifying information, we can better spread reliable information about ADHD and its treatment to all ages, cultures, and languages.
WHAT IS ADHD? IN SIMPLE TERMS, PLEASE.
ADHD stands for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It’s the wrong name for this trait; that’s a topic for another blog post.
I agree with Dr. Russell Barkley (a leading ADHD expert) in his book, Taking Charge of Adult ADHD, that he believes ADHD “all comes down to self-regulation.” You’ll notice that I refer to his research often because he simplifies information, which aligns with how I share information.
Combining several definitions of ADHD experts and my 20-year-lived experience with ADHD, this is how I define ADHD.
ADHD is about Self-Regulation. This means:
A person with ADHD has:
1. chronic
2. challenges
3. regulating
4. their behaviors and emotions
5. at a particular time and place.
These five elements have been consistently present whenever my ADHD symptoms creep up.
ADHD affects ALL people. “All” means all: kids, adults, girls, boys, women, men, all genders, all cultures, and all ages.
ADHD is persistent, pervasive, and perplexing.
ADHD is persistent because the issue with self-regulation is chronic. It comes and goes depending on a person’s life experiences and stressors. That’s why some people mistakenly believe ADHD can be outgrown. In truth, it’s in “remission.” It’s always there, waiting for the appropriate triggers.
I was in “remission” for several years. Then I turned 40, and my ADHD symptoms returned unmanageable without medication. So, I went back to taking ADHD medications. It’s okay. I understand the ups and downs, having learned immensely during my 20-year experience after my diagnosis.
It’s pervasive because the consequences of failing to self-regulate affect many or all aspects of a person’s life - home, school, work, and relationships. Most people seek diagnosis because it seems “everything in their lives is going wrong,” and they don’t know why. I was one of those people over 20 years ago when I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult.
ADHD is perplexing because it’s complicated. After all, it’s neurological (in our brains) and hereditary (in our genes). We still need to learn more about it despite the myriad of research already done.
ADHD has no cure.
HOW COMMON IS ADHD IN KIDS AND ADULTS?
Approximately 5.29% of children worldwide have been diagnosed with ADHD.
Approximately 2.8% and 4.4% of adults globally have been diagnosed with ADHD.
These are averages because estimates vary in different countries, depending on their methods of diagnosis and tracking.
HISTORY OF ADHD AWARENESS
ADHD Awareness started as a one-day national holiday (September 7) and became a national and global month-long event (October). It’s dedicated to spreading information and resources about ADHD to the public.
As early as 1902, symptoms of ADHD have been mentioned and discussed in medical journals and scientific research.
It wasn’t until 1987 that the term ADHD became an official diagnosis in the United States based on the criteria described in the third edition of the DSM (DSM-III). DSM stands for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It’s a reference book on mental health and brain-related conditions. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is responsible for writing, editing, reviewing, and publishing this book. It’s the primary guide for mental health providers in the US. The current DSM is the fifth edition (DSM-5).
After 17 years - in 2004 - the United States Senate introduced a Resolution recognizing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as a significant public health concern. They called it Senate Resolution 370.
Specifically, on June 7, 2004, United States Senator Maria E. Cantwell (D-WA) introduced in the Senate and sponsored Senate Resolution 370. United States Senator Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) co-sponsored the Resolution.
Resolution 370 encouraged people to learn more about ADHD, support mental health services, and seek treatment and support. Through this Resolution, the Senate expressed that the Government has the responsibility to (1) raise public awareness about ADHD and (2) consider ways to improve mental health services for children and adults with ADHD.
After it was introduced in the Senate, the Resolution was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary on June 18, 2004. There, the late Senator Orrin Grant Hatch (R-UT) reported the Resolution without amendment and added a preamble with important information about ADHD.
On July 6, 2004, Senate Resolution 370 was considered and agreed to in the Senate by unanimous consent, without amendment and with a preamble.
The United States Senate officially designated September 7, 2004, “National Attention Deficit Disorder Awareness Day.”
The U.S. Senate Congressional Record for Resolution 370 documented this historic event. Below are the relevant excerpts from the Congressional Record about it:
After the Senate passed the Resolution, Senator Cantwell wrote a letter explaining why she introduced the resolution:
“AD/HD is not an isolated experience that afflicts a few, but a very real condition that cuts across all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines to impact the lives of many Americans. Yet, AD/HD remains a mystery. Dispelling this mystery is precisely why I introduced the resolution that designates today as National AD/HD Awareness Day.”
From a day in September (September 7), ADHD Awareness turned into a month in October. Amazing!
I have not found much information on how ADHD Awareness transformed from a day into a month-long event. If you have more information, let me know in the comments below. I’d love to learn more!
Based on my research, these three (3) organizations collaborated to make ADHD Awareness Month possible:
ADHD Coaches Organization (ACO) - a worldwide professional membership organization for ADHD coaches.
Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) - the leading non-profit national organization for children and adults with ADHD.
Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) - the world’s largest organization dedicated exclusively to helping adults with ADHD to live better lives.
These are additional Partners of ADHD Awareness Month:
SUPPORT ADHD AWARENESS
Here are a few things we can all do to support the ADHD community globally:
✅Be Curious: Start asking questions about ADHD. Curiosity sparks our strong desire to know and learn.
✅Self-Screen: If you think you might have ADHD, complete the free Self-Screening tool that the World Health Organization (WHO) created. It only takes 5 minutes to answer. It was created to bridge the gap for those without health insurance, money, or access to healthcare. It has been translated into other languages to help people from other countries. You can get it here and learn more about it.
✅Learn: Read reliable science-based research about ADHD. Remember to listen to the lived experiences of those going through ADHD every day. The website for ADHDAwarenessMonth2023.org is an excellent start to learning about ADHD myths and facts.
✅Watch: Many social media and YouTube videos contain reliable information. The more you watch, the more you can determine which ones are based on myths and facts. For example, you might want to check out easy-to-understand YouTube channels such as How To ADHD and Russell Barkley, Ph.D. Check out our YouTube channel and social media too! 🥰Here are our links:
✅Share: This is a big one! Share what you know about ADHD. Don’t keep it a secret. Share it by text, email, social media, and conversations. You can start with one fact to share at dinner: “Did you know ADHD is hereditary and in our genes?” You can also text it to a friend or share it on social media. Remember to include #ADHDAwarenessMonth.
✅Be Compassionate: Compassion is a response to sympathy and empathy because it involves taking action to relieve someone of pain. By showing compassion, we put ourselves in that person’s shoes and take tangible actions to help. For example, when you see a mom trying to manage her screaming, unconsolable child, be compassionate (instead of judging). The child might have ADHD and is having difficulty regulating their emotions and behaviors. Since ADHD is hereditary, chances are high that the mom also has ADHD and is going through the same emotional regulating issues as her child. Imagine how difficult it can be to manage double ADHD symptoms.
❓Which of these ways will you try today to show your support for the ADHD community?
P.S. For sources and in-depth discussion on this and similar topics, click to connect here: ADHD Simplifiers Community.