Autism and ADHD: does the global rise in diagnosed neurodivergence reflect increased awareness of undiagnosed cases?

BMJ 2026 Open access

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Authors: Jessica Eccles, Elizabeth Weir, Alastair Santhouse, Traolach Brugha
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.r2648
Cited by: 5
References: 14

Abstract

Diagnoses of autism and other neurodivergence are rising. Jessica Eccles and Elizabeth Weir say that the trend is real—and that claims of “overdiagnosis” and insistence on exact case numbers are unhelpful. But Alastair Santhouse and Traolach Brugha argue that more factors are at play, not least a widening of already vague definitions

Fields of Study & Subjects

Autism Spectrum Disorder Research Neuroethics Human Enhancement Biomedical Innovations Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Publication details

Journal / source
BMJ
Publisher
BMJ
Volume
392
Pages
r2648–r2648
Publication date
9 March 2026
Language
EN