Why Does It Feel Like Everyone Has ADHD Now?
If it feels like everyone’s getting diagnosed with something lately, you’re not alone. From school staffrooms to family group chats, that question keeps circling: “Was ADHD always this common or are we just labelling normal behaviour?”
It’s a fair question, but one that deserves a calm, evidence-based answer.
Let’s start with what we know.
In Australia, ADHD medication dispensing has increased elevenfold since 2004, jumping from 2 people per 1,000 to 22 per 1,000 in 2023–24 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2025). Globally, the same pattern appears. In the UK, adult diagnoses have grown by more than twenty times in less than two decades (McKechnie et al., 2023).
These are real numbers, but they don’t automatically mean ADHD itself is spreading like a virus. What’s growing faster is our exposure to chronic stress, overstimulation and environments that push the brain into constant survival mode.
Modern life keeps our minds switched on. The question is can we find the off switch?
Stress is the soil ADHD symptoms grow in
Genes matter. No credible researcher denies that. Decades of twin and genome-wide studies confirm that ADHD has a strong genetic component, with heritability sitting around 70–80% (Faraone et al., 2015).
But here’s the catch: genes set potential, not destiny. That’s where stress enters the story.
When we live in constant states of pressure, from academic expectations and information overload to disrupted routines and family tension, the brain adapts. The stress system, designed to protect us, stays switched on. This affects two key regions:
The amygdala, the brain’s emotional alarm
The hippocampus, which helps calm that alarm and restore balance
Chronic stress makes the amygdala hyper-reactive and can weaken the hippocampus’s ability to regulate it (McEwen, Nasca, & Gray, 2016). The result? The brain begins to interpret everyday challenges such as homework, noise, or feedback as threats.
That same pattern of hyper-arousal and poor regulation is seen in many people with ADHD (Tottenham et al., 2010; Teicher et al., 2024). The overlap isn’t coincidence. It’s the biology of stress playing out in real time.
The family effect: when stress and behaviour repeat across generations
Look closely at families and you often see the same behavioural rhythms repeating. Parents under pressure may unintentionally model disorganisation, emotional reactivity, or constant multitasking. Children copy what they see, not what they’re told.
Behavioural genetics calls this gene–environment correlation. Parents pass on both genes and an environment shaped by those traits (Plomin et al., 2016). So what looks hereditary may actually be stress and behaviour looping through generations, learned, reinforced and normalised.
This doesn’t mean families cause ADHD, but the home environment can amplify or buffer its expression. When emotional regulation is supported, routines are predictable and empathy is present, the same genetic vulnerabilities express very differently. It’s why one child in a family might struggle deeply while a sibling thrives under the same roof.
Children don’t just inherit DNA. They inherit our emotional patterns and pace.
Early stress leaves fingerprints on development
Children don’t just feel stress, they build their stress systems through experience. Early relational stress, neglect, or unpredictability can alter how the nervous system learns to regulate (Belsky & De Haan, 2011). The brain adapts to an unsafe world by becoming vigilant.
If that heightened state continues, attention drifts, impulse control drops and frustration tolerance weakens, all hallmarks of ADHD. The encouraging part? These neural circuits remain flexible. Positive attachment, movement, sleep and co-regulation can calm stress chemistry and rebuild balance.
Why stress has grown and what we can actually do about it
The modern environment loads children’s systems more than ever. Constant digital input, competitive schooling, reduced outdoor play and shorter family downtime create the perfect storm for dysregulation. Add economic and social uncertainty and it’s no wonder kids and adults are struggling to stay focused.
If we reduce stress exposure, we don’t just manage symptoms, we shift trajectories. Research shows supportive parenting, teacher attunement, movement breaks and consistent routines improve attention and self-control (Belsky & De Haan, 2011; McEwen et al., 2016).
In schools, small environmental changes such as predictable transitions, movement-friendly classrooms and calm correction instead of public discipline can help regulate brains before they spiral. Medication still plays a role, especially for those with strong neurological patterns, but if stress keeps refuelling the fire, medication alone can’t extinguish it.
A new lens: ADHD as adaptation, not just disorder
Maybe the better question isn’t “Why does everyone have ADHD now?” but “What is it about our world that’s making focus and regulation so hard?”
ADHD traits such as energy, curiosity and hyperfocus can be strengths in the right context. Yet, when society rewards constant stimulation and punishes rest, those same traits can tip into dysfunction.
Understanding the role of stress doesn’t erase genetics, it adds humanity. It means we stop blaming willpower, start redesigning environments and recognise that our brains are doing their best to adapt to the pace we’ve created. The data might show an elevenfold rise in prescriptions, but beneath the surface, it’s really showing a collective cry for calm.
When we slow the pace, connection becomes the cure.
Acknowledging a stress-first, relational path forward
This is not to complete answer, but a roadmap you can share with families, school and leaders to start redesigning environments that supports improved attention and self-control.
Screen for stressors before labels. Start by asking: sleep quality, peer conflict, family tension, learning gaps, trauma, loss. These are the upstream levers.
Stabilise regulation in body and classroom. Teach breath, movement breaks, co-regulation, consistency, predictability.
Design lower-stress learning spaces. Fewer task transitions, scaffolding, clear routines, visual cues, regular check-ins.
Use medication wisely, when needed. Set goals, monitor and always pair with supports. Don’t let it replace deep inquiry.
Support parent/caregiver capacity. Parents under stress can’t regulate well. Offer guidance, relational healing, coaching.
Interested in learning more or how to implement strategies within your own context? Talk to us today. Our range of professional learning and coaching options are designed to suit your needs.
