The myth of ADHD over diagnosis needs to disappear!

There has been a lot of talk lately about ADHD being over diagnosed; I have seen it all over the media, and I hear it in conversations too, but as someone who works in this field every day, I can tell you that the reality is quite different.

ADHD affects around 2.5 - 4% of adults, yet in the UK only about 0.9% have a formal diagnosis - that is hardly a huge number of people. For children, there is a similar pattern; long waiting lists, and a real struggle to get the right support.

The truth is, many people are still being missed; ADHD didn’t suddenly become more common; we just didn’t have the understanding, language, or diagnostic tools we needed until recently. Add to that the awareness surrounding the symptoms of ADHD, and of course there will be an increase in the number of those being diagnosed.

What we’re seeing now is not overdiagnosis, it is the system slowly catching up. Adults who’ve spent years thinking they were just lazy or disorganised are finally finding answers, and children who used to be labelled as naughty or difficult are starting to be seen and supported properly.

We should be celebrating the fact people are now being recognised and have the chance to thrive, not be left behind to struggle. Getting the right diagnosis and support changes lives (I speak from personal experience!) and we need to keep pushing for that to happen sooner, not later.