If you have ever spent time ADHD corners Social media Lately, you’ve probably read articles about “low dopamine,” “dopamine seeker” and “dopamine detox” in ADHD. While these seem ubiquitous and sound scientific and helpful, there is one big problem: they are simply not based on science and are not honest.
What exactly is ADHD?
ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects brain formation and function. The diagnosis is clinical—referring to patterns of thought and behavior, particularly inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, that occur with sufficient frequency and severity to interfere with development and daily life.
ADHD affects 8 to 12 percent of children, and at least 30 percent of them reach adulthood, possibly more. A diagnosis of ADHD does not include anything about dopamine or other brain molecules or pathways. Science doesn’t exist yet.
Although research has found that disruptions in dopamine pathways play an important role in ADHD, the idea that ADHD is caused by “low dopamine” is not true. In fact, dopamine activity in some areas of the brain is higher, not lower.
The bottom line is that differences in the ADHD brain are related to dopamine functionnot just quantity or level. “Low dopamine” as shorthand for ADHD misses the mark and can send people on a wild goose chase for treatments that don’t work—or have side effects and side effects.
ADHD is not just dopamine
Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that travel between brain cells as part of a complex communication system that controls, controls, and regulates function in brain cells. nervous system. Dopamine plays a central role in circuits related to movement and coordination. motivation and reward, training and memoryattention and concentration, along with mood and emotion. It also regulates many other organ systems, including the cardiovascular and immune systems. In the context of ADHD, the myth of “low dopamine” focuses only on the reward system component of this multi-channel transmitter, creating an oversimplification of its role in the disorder.
ADHD is also associated with disturbances in pathways involving the second neurotransmitter, norepinephrine, which affects learning and memory, mood and emotions, sleep and wakefulness, and is the primary chemical messenger in the “fight or flight” response. It also affects the cardiovascular system, intestines, muscles and other vital organs. Like the dopamine story, the relationship between ADHD and norepinephrine is about function, not volume, and is deeply connected to other body systems.
Recent research is expanding our understanding of the neurotransmitter pathways involved in ADHD. Serotonin is best known for its connection anxiety and depressionhas been shown to contribute to ADHD, specifically emotional and behavioral dysregulation symptoms.
Additional transmitter pathways with emerging evidence related to ADHD include acetylcholine (motor control and attention), histamine (neuronal inflammation), glutamate (reward processing), and adenosine, which modulate dopamine signaling. The cannabinoid system may also be associated with hyperactivity/impulsivity.
Where does the “low dopamine” story come from?
Search “dopamine seekers and ADHD” on social media and you’ll get posts like: “ADHD, low dopamine and aggressive behavior” and “ADHD and dopamine” addiction,” and so many posts about “real” and “fake dopamine.”
Obviously, low dopamine is not what causes ADHD, you can’t get “addicted” to dopamine, and there is no such thing as real and fake dopamine in the brain. Impulsive, impulsive, reckless, and erratic behavior is not because someone is “chasing dopamine.” They are the result of irregular pathways in the brain’s communication systems.
So why are these posts suddenly so popular?
The correlation between dopamine levels and ADHD is partly due to an oversimplification of research showing that screens activate dopamine pathways and may be associated with ADHD symptoms in some people. However, the story is much more complicated.
For example, we also know that people with ADHD are more vulnerable to problematic screen use—it’s not a one-way street. There is also a tendency on social media to equate dopamine activation with internet addiction – but the addictive activation of dopamine pathways is not the same thing as addiction (and whether compulsive internet use should be called an “addiction” is still a matter of debate), so this is again incorrect and simplistic.
Dopamine-dependent brain pathways affect more than just the mood and reward systems. They play an important role in movement, sleep, alertness and clarity of thought.
For example, Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder that occurs when certain brain cells die and stop producing dopamine. Although this functionally causes “low dopamine,” that’s not the real problem—the problem is dead cells and circuits that can no longer do their job. Behavioral strategies, supplements, and detoxes won’t fix Parkinson’s because they don’t address the “levels” of brain chemicals. It’s about roads and circuits.
A fake solution to a fake problem
The myth of low dopamine and dopamine seeking associated with ADHD has led to a rapid increase in people selling various “dopamine detox” plans and remedies. But you can’t “detox” dopamine—it’s not a foreign substance, and you can’t get used to it. Often, the proposed “detox” involves identifying activities that give you “quick dopamine hits” but not “long-term value” and offering recommendations such as a “dopamine fast” for 72 hours without social media or TV or movies, sugary foods or drinks, and some people even recommend avoiding music with lyrics.
There is no evidence that these interventions will help your ADHD, and in fact, they may cause harm. While science tells us that taking a break from our phones and reducing interruptions from notifications are useful strategies for regaining one’s attention and focus, the idea of eliminating pleasurable activities as a way to treat ADHD is dangerous. It is moral and judgmental, not scientific. It lists some activities and foods as “bad for you” and others as “good”. This quickly turns into the idea that if you don’t “manage your dopamine system”, do something “in the wrong place”, you will harm yourself.
A ‘dopamine detox’ isn’t the answer – so what can you do instead?
While a dopamine detox or reset won’t cure your ADHD—and low dopamine was never the cause—there are many things you can do to support attention and impulse control, along with emotional and behavioral regulation.
Good sleep hygiene and adequate nutrition and hydration begin with meeting the body’s needs. Stay connected while you tune in borders-like turning off all important notifications and occasionally turning off your phone – can allow you to be more present. Finding things that challenge and demand you while connecting with things that bring you pleasure and satisfaction can develop your reward system holistically.
These strategies are not specific to dopamine or ADHD. The “good clean life” as opposed to the “dirty life and dopamine” is a false frame designed to hook you up and sell you unnecessary things, potentially preventing you from accessing the things that will actually help.
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