FOR: Adult ADHD is a valid condition requiring “clinical attention”!

ADHD in adulthood is increasingly seen as a valid clinical entity across the world. This has been a change from how it was previously conceptualized in previous diagnostic manuals (ICD-10 & DSM-IV), which primarily focused on ADHD as a disorder of childhood and adolescence. The new diagnostic manuals (ICD-11 & DSM-5) have made various changes to their diagnostic criteria in order to reflect this change in conceptualization. This has meant that the rates of ADHD in adulthood have increased in the last decade. Through the arguments in this article, I have made an attempt to understand the various reasons behind considering ADHD as a valid entity across the lifespan and the apparent reasons for the increase in diagnostic rates of adult ADHD.