Are There 3 Types of ADHD?

Here I briefly describe why the mental health professions no longer recognize three types of ADHD in our diagnostic and statistical manual (the DSM5) and its criteria for diagnosing ADHD. While it was previously thought that there might be three types of ADHD (inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, and combined), since 2013 the field refers to these as presentations. This is because there are not three qualitatively different types or forms of ADHD, there is just one. But it can vary at any given time point in whether one set of symptoms (inattention, hyperactive, impulsive) is more or less prominent than another. But people can move across the presentations based on their age and circumstances, so they are neither permanent nor qualitatively different types of ADHD.

For more on this topic, see my books:

Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete Authoritative Guide for Parents (4th ed.) published in June 2020). Guilford.com

Taking Charge of Adult ADHD (4th ed.) (Published October 2021). Guilford.com

Treating ADHD in Children and Adolescents: What Every Clinician Needs to Know. (Published May 2022). Guilford.com

ADHD: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment (2015).. Guilford.com