If ADHD is genetic, why hasn’t it been selected out evolutionarily?

This question comes up often, and from an evolutionary perspective ADHD traits make a lot of sense. Genetic traits do not disappear just because they are inconvenient in modern systems. Selection depends on survival and reproduction, not office productivity or sustained paperwork. Many ADHD related traits would have been advantageous in earlier environments. High responsiveness to novelty, rapid scanning of the environment, risk tolerance, creativity, energy bursts, and quick reaction to threat all increase survival in unpredictable settings. ADHD is also not a single gene. It reflects many genes that influence dopamine regulation, attention, and motivation. Those genes exist on a spectrum in the population. In moderate expression, they may enhance adaptability, exploration, leadership, or innovation. Even in stronger expression, traits can be beneficial in the right context. What has changed is the environment. Modern life demands sustained attention, delayed rewards, self directed planning, and low stimulation work for long periods. These are historically recent demands. Traits that once fit well now clash with rigid systems, making differences feel like deficits. Clinically, ADHD is understood as a context dependent condition. The traits persist because they are part of normal human variation and have never been universally disadvantageous. They become impairing when environments stop accommodating cognitive diversity, not because the traits themselves are inherently maladaptive.