Editorial Perspective: Overdiagnosis of ADHD ? Here we go again
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.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Neuroethics
Human Enhancement
Biomedical Innovations
Medical Research and Practices
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 153–155
- Publication date
- 22 February 2026
- Language
- EN