U.S. Adults Taking ADHD Meds - Rising Prescription Rates & Impact
Call for Sources for WIRED Narrative Feature
Hi All,
I'm working on a narrative feature for WIRED magazine on the rising use of ADHD medications in the U.S., why American adults are seeking out these prescriptions at a higher rate than in decades past, and the potential outcomes of this profound pharmacological shift. I'm reaching out on this sub because I believe /ADHDmeds can be a very powerful source for this story. I want to make sure that this piece shares the voices and perspectives of patients and other individuals using ADHD medications as extensively as possible, and I feel that this is one of the strongest ways to make that happen.
To that end, I'm posting an open call for sources here. Anybody willing to discuss their history and relationship with ADHD meds—including how they came to be prescribed them, their diagnosis/diagnoses, and their interactions with the psychiatric establishment—can message me directly here on Reddit. I'm also more than willing to protect people's anonymity during these conversations if they so desire.
My intention in reaching out on this sub is to give as many ADHD medication users as possible the chance to share their perspectives, experiences, and insights into these medications, what brought them to use them, and how they've influenced their lives. I've written extensively about psychiatry and psychiatric medications, and one thing I've learned is that psychiatrists and clinicians often have a very different point of view than patients, clients, and users. I find the perspective of the patients ultimately more important than prescribers, because all the benefits, risks, and consequences fall on them. That's why I'm here, trying to have as many of these conversations as possible!
By way of brief introduction, my writing and journalism have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine, GQ, Mother Jones, Vanity Fair, Wired, and The Atavist, among others, and I'm the author of What Doesn't Kill Us Makes Us, which was published in the fall of 2022 by Penguin Random House and shortlisted for the Chautauqua Prize. I also just had a longform feature on Long COVID published in Smithsonian Magazine. You can take a look at my work at www.mikesmariani.com.
Thanks so much, and I look forward to hearing from you!
Best Regards,
Mike Mariani
wired.com