Editorial Perspective: Overdiagnosis of <scp>ADHD</scp> ? Here we go again

There is growing preoccupation with whether ADHD is overdiagnosed. That question has already been addressed for the United Kingdom in the recently published National Health Service (NHS)-England independent ADHD Taskforce Report. The administrative prevalence of ADHD in the United Kingdom is lower than the population rate. Regardless of prevalence or country, I argue why a focus purely on diagnosis is unhelpful and overly narrow. A diagnosis is helpful for clinical decision making but, on its own, has multiple limitations. I argue the case for why a needs-based, stepped care, holistic approach is preferable and provide evidence of what sorts of timely support are likely to be effective. The time has come for constructive rather than divisive dialogue on how best to help children and young people.

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Publication Details

Journal
Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Published
2026-02-22
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.70075
Primary Topic
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Editorial Perspective: Overdiagnosis of ADHD ? Here we go again

Anita Thapar
Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
article

Editorial Perspective: Overdiagnosis of ADHD ? Here we go again

Anita Thapar
article en

Abstract

There is growing preoccupation with whether ADHD is overdiagnosed. That question has already been addressed for the United Kingdom in the recently published National Health Service (NHS)-England independent ADHD Taskforce Report. The administrative prevalence of ADHD in the United Kingdom is lower than the population rate. Regardless of prevalence or country, I argue why a focus purely on diagnosis is unhelpful and overly narrow. A diagnosis is helpful for clinical decision making but, on its own, has multiple limitations. I argue the case for why a needs-based, stepped care, holistic approach is preferable and provide evidence of what sorts of timely support are likely to be effective. The time has come for constructive rather than divisive dialogue on how best to help children and young people.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health
University of Bristol (GB), Cardiff University (GB)
Cardiff University
Peace, Justice and strong institutions
Openalex Percentile: Top 51%
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
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