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It can be simultaneously true that ADHD is overdiagnosed (in the US) and that it is a "real" condition. My point is that corporal punishment is still the inferior option, though I recognize it as a valid option.
The symptoms of ADHD have enormous overlap with being a "difficult child". What else better sums up absent-mindedness, hyperactivity etc? Stimulants aren't a class of drug that only helps people with ADHD, not like antipsychotics being of minimal benefit to the average person (it can make the insane sane, but it can't make the sane supersane).
In general, they can be quite effective for anyone. They're popular as study-aids for a reason, there are few people who don't benefit from increased attention and focus, even if their baseline is adequate. They are also quite safe, especially when used as prescribed. A world where the tradeoff is children who don't quite meet the ideal cutoff for ADHD (a highly clinical and discretionary diagnosis already) end up on meds while those who also "actually" need them also do is fine. It's not going to burn out their brain or give them cancer fifty years down the line. They probably end up getting better grades.
In other words, drift and expansion of ADHD diagnosis and treatment is about as benign as it gets. It's nowhere near as bad as a hypothetical world where every sad kid gets a diagnosis of depression and receives SSRIs, or is diagnosed with schizophrenia after mentioning an imaginary friend. The reader may substitute their own feels on gender dysphoria and affirmative care.
My understanding is that taking ADHD meds can complicate your career in the United States if you're interested in going into the military, so there's some considerations there that can come as an unpleasant surprise to people who see the meds as pure upside. Obviously that's not necessarily a consideration for everyone.
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