ADHD (over) diagnosis: fiction, fashion, and failure

When thoroughly assessed, the prevalence of ADHD in children/adolescents is estimated at 5%. There is no evidence that ADHD is over-diagnosed in the UK. Indeed, available data point to under-diagnosis, even though rigorous updated post-Covid-19 pandemic data are not available. Some cases may be misdiagnosed due to low-quality assessment, poor adherence to national guidance, or inappropriate differential diagnosis. Beyond the controversy around over- or under-diagnosis and over-medicalisation of ordinary behaviours or emotions, the main issue is that UK clinical services cannot adequately support individuals with ADHD who need help. There is a risk that the narrative claiming ‘ADHD is over-diagnosed’ could be used to deny people with properly-diagnosed ADHD the care they deserve.

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Publication Details

Journal
ePrints Soton (University of Southampton)
Published
2025-12-17
Primary Topic
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

ADHD (over) diagnosis: fiction, fashion, and failure

David Foreman, Bernadka Dubicka, Abigail Emma Russell, Leonard A. Adler et al.
ePrints Soton (University of Southampton)
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
article

ADHD (over) diagnosis: fiction, fashion, and failure

David Foreman, Bernadka Dubicka, Abigail Emma Russell, Leonard A. Adler, Dasha Nicholls, Cornelius Ani, Alice Wickersham, Marinos Kyriakopoulos, Annabel Price, Kapil Sayal, Matthew Hodes, Tamsin Newlove‐Delgado, Tamsin Ford, Philip E. Shaw, Gonzalo Salazar de Pablo, Holan Liang, Ulrich Müller-Sedgwick, Stephen Scott, Paul McArdle, Susan Young, Jonathan Green, Sarah Rae, Pallab Majumder, Santosh Paramala, Chris Hollis, Paul Wilkinson, Dennis Ougrin, David Daley, Samuele Cortese, Johnny Downs, Isobel Heyman
article en

Abstract

When thoroughly assessed, the prevalence of ADHD in children/adolescents is estimated at 5%. There is no evidence that ADHD is over-diagnosed in the UK. Indeed, available data point to under-diagnosis, even though rigorous updated post-Covid-19 pandemic data are not available. Some cases may be misdiagnosed due to low-quality assessment, poor adherence to national guidance, or inappropriate differential diagnosis. Beyond the controversy around over- or under-diagnosis and over-medicalisation of ordinary behaviours or emotions, the main issue is that UK clinical services cannot adequately support individuals with ADHD who need help. There is a risk that the narrative claiming ‘ADHD is over-diagnosed’ could be used to deny people with properly-diagnosed ADHD the care they deserve.

ePrints Soton (University of Southampton)
Openalex Percentile: Top 26%
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
OpenAlex
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