@helligbird @Garwboy yeah it’s interesting, I was diagnosed about 20 years ago. I quit seeing the first Doctor Who suggested stimulants to me because I thought that was ridiculous. A couple years later when I got desperate enough to try again at Dr explained why stimulants might help. So I decided to try them, he had me come back a week later, I told him that they immediately helped and then I cried for all the unnecessary suffering. He clapped his hands and he said “Yep you have ADHD!” so I’m pretty sure medication trials and self reported symptoms were how it was diagnosed back then.

Recently my friend asked her doctor to evaluate her for ADHD. He sent her home with a whole bunch of paperwork, some questionnaires for her to fill out and for someone close to her to fill out. It was interesting, based on the questionnaires he said she didn’t have it but her therapist thinks she does so they’ve been trying medication.