In the latest issue of TCPR, we give a lot of real estate to ADHD.

And for good reason. It’s a diagnosis that’s everywhere—expanding across age groups, personality types, and practice settings.

We feature a wide-ranging two-part interview with Dr. Tom Gualtieri, a neuropsychiatrist who’s been treating ADHD for over four decades.

Both articles are titled “The Diagnostic Expansion of ADHD” (Part 1 and Part 2).

But if I’d overseen production more closely, I would have given them clearer, more descriptive titles. Something like: 

→ Part 1: How ADHD Became What It Is 

→ Part 2: What ADHD Isn’t—And What We’re Missing

Because while they’re linked, they each tell a different story:

→ Part 1 walks us through ADHD’s evolution—from minimal brain dysfunction and Charles Bradley’s “math pill” to today’s checklist-driven diagnoses. It’s a fascinating history, and a quiet warning.

→ Part 2 steps into the exam room. It explores who gets diagnosed today—and who might be better served by education, rest, or a different conversation entirely.

Dr. Gualtieri doesn’t dismiss ADHD. He sharpens the lens.

And reminds us that just because a stimulant helps doesn’t mean the diagnosis was correct.

Part 1 is freely available here: https://lnkd.in/eE7RAT-c

What do you make of today’s ADHD diagnosis patterns? Share this with colleagues who are seeing the same diagnostic drift. 

Follow me (Daniel Carlat, MD) for practical psychiatry that stays grounded in clinical reality.