Even if you don't have ADHD, you're probably aware of some of its most notorious symptoms.

Acting impulsively, difficulty with sitting still or concentrating, failing to engage with tasks you don't find

very interesting, either tuning out or talking out of turn in conversations. Of course, people

with an ADHD diagnosis don't struggle with those things all the time. Meanwhile, even

those of us who don't have it have probably experienced every one of those symptoms. From

KERA in Dallas, this is

think. I'm Chris Boyd. Before we get any further into this, I'll be clear. Today's show is not

designed to convince you ADHD isn't real or that its hallmark symptoms do not cause legitimate

problems for people. But research has been emerging to suggest it might be time to reassess how we diagnose

and manage those symptoms. Paul Tuff is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine,

which published his article, Have we been thinking about ADHD all wrong? Paul, welcome back to

think. Thank you. Great to be here. We should start with a question that we all think we know the answer to.

What is ADHD exactly and what are the criteria for diagnosis?

So officially, ADHD has a definition and a path for diagnosis in the DSM, the diagnostic and statistical manual for mental disorders.

And it's very precise.

So there are two lists of nine symptoms, one list for hyperactive and impulsive symptoms, another

for inattentive symptoms.

And in order to qualify, you need to be diagnosed with at least six from one of those

categories or both of those categories, that they have to be reached a level of impairment.

They have to have existed for at least six months. They have to show up in two different settings.

So clinically, there is a pretty clear definition. What gets

complicated is that a lot of those, what seem like very sort of empirical scientific definitions

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