ADHD should not be treated as a disorderAdapting schools and workplaces for it can help far more NOT LONG ago, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was thought to affect only school-aged boysโthe naughty ones who could not sit still in class and were always getting into trouble. Today the number of ADHD diagnoses is rising fast in all age groups, with some of the biggest increases in young and middle-aged women.