1-10, how mentally disabled are you?

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I would add that ADHD is not a mild disorder and is actually found to be more impairing than some of the things you listed as being more severe. Obviously, it's a spectrum disorder, but I mean in general it's going to be more debilitating than depression, anxiety, and suchlike.

I am aware that I am being nit-picky, and I do totally agree that ADHD can be debilitating for many people--but for SOME people it can probably be quite mild. And I would MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH rather have mild ADHD, than the severe depression I have now. People can also have anxiety that is so bad you cannot leave the house--while my severe ADHD niece, although she DEFINITELY suffers from it, leaves the house often and has a pretty normal life and lots of friends, etc.

In this book we have presented one of the most comprehensive reviews and original research reports published to date on adults with ADHD concerning their symptoms, impairments, and adaptive functioning in many of the important domains of major life activities. We did so while juxtaposing the findings for clinic-referred adults with ADHD against those of clinic-referred children with ADHD followed into adulthood.

Our sample sizes in both studies provided sufficient statistical power to detect differences among the groups of at least low-to-moderate effect sizes or greater, ensuring that we were likely to identify those differences that would be robust and also clinically meaningful. By using two control groups in the UMASS Study, we were also able to report not only on the differences between adults with ADHD and general community samples typically reported in previous studies but also on differences that may be most specific to ADHD in adults relative to adults seen at the same clinic who are not diagnosed with ADHD but rather with other disorders.

The Milwaukee Study contrasted its adults currently having ADHD against those who, having grown up with ADHD, appeared no longer to have the disorder at age-27 follow-up. Our results relied not only on the self-reports of the adult participants but also on reports from significant others, clinician ratings, employers, official educational and DMV archives, and psychological tests. This extensive battery of measures gave us a multi-informant and multisource perspective on the disorder and its impact on major life activities. It allowed us to conclude that ADHD in adults is a far more impairing disorder across multiple domains of major life activities than are most other disorders likely to be seen in outpatient psychiatric clinics, such as anxiety disorders, or mood disorders.

Across all of our results, one thing seems abundantly clear—ADHD in adults is a significantly impairing disorder. It is associated with numerous difficulties in virtually every domain of major life activity studied here. Whether one studies functioning in education, occupation, social relationships, sexual activities, dating and marriage, parenting and offspring psychological morbidity, crime and drug abuse, health and related lifestyles, financial management, or driving, ADHD can be found to produce diverse and serious impairments. Indeed, its impairments are more substantial than are those seen in other disorders most likely to present to outpatient mental health clinics, such as anxiety disorders, dysthymia, and major depression, among others. This is obvious in the numerous differences we found between adults with ADHD and our Clinical control group.

The disorder also deserves its status as one distinct from other forms of psychopathology or developmental disabilities. Its symptoms and impairments are not due simply to general psychopathology. They stand out from other forms of psychopathology in numerous respects. Statements to the effect that ADHD is not a valid disorder, is a myth created by mercenary pharmaceutical companies or mental health professionals for sheer commercial gain, or is indistinct from the other disorders with which it may be associated are not only wrong, they are egregiously so.

Numerous differences emerged in the context of these two studies between those with ADHD and general population (Community) controls and between those with ADHD and Clinical control groups that make such assertions moribund. To continue to make such statements in the face of such overwhelming evidence to the contrary is to show either a stunning scientific illiteracy or reflect planned religious or political propaganda intended to deceive the uninformed or unsuspecting general public.

I'm going with five based on descriptions. Could be six sometimes. I have probably been a seven a few times (including a year and a half ago), but I've never actually been hospitalized.

I would add that ADHD is not a mild disorder and is actually found to be more impairing than some of the things you listed as being more severe. Obviously, it's a spectrum disorder, but I mean in general it's going to be more debilitating than depression, anxiety, and suchlike.

I think that depends on how severe someones ADHD is...I am pretty sure my depression is worse than some peoples ADHD and some peoples ADHD is worse than my depression. But depression can get pretty debilitating, I have had days where I can barely do anything because of how depressed I'm feeling.