Growing up, at even the slightest mutter of their child having ADHD, parents across the country would often respond in shock. ‘No, they are just naughty’ is the common response.
This was the attitude of ten years ago and it is safe to say attitudes have shifted.
On October the 9th an independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism was released. The review concluded that neurodiversity-related conditions have been recognised and accepted widely, but as a result people are waiting on diagnostic assessment, leaving many struggling to access support.
“The review is stark, reducing wait times and getting support to people quicker, regardless of diagnosis, is a priority”. Questions arose whether this review has been a step in the right direction. There is a growing view that ADHD, Autism, and other mental health conditions have been over-diagnosed. That view is far from unanimous.
Many believe diagnosis is helpful and, for some, life-changing. Gair Rhydd spoke to chemistry student Molly Turner, who was diagnosed with ADHD two years ago, and she echoed this exact point. Diagnosis allowed her “to let go of some of the guilt I felt over not being able to do things as easily as other people”.
Think ADHD, a UK-based referral service, reinforces this perspective, arguing “individuals with ADHD often experience low self-esteem” because of societal challenges. Despite neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD and autism becoming more accepted over the past 10 years, those who carry them still face a lifetime of setbacks, criticism and misunderstanding. Reflecting on their own experience, Molly echoed something similar: “I feel that ADHD has become more widely talked about and slightly destigmatised. However, it does feel stigmatised in academia (especially in STEM subjects)”. She expands this, underlining the scrutiny she feels her condition is placed under when needing adjustment. Not everyone sees the rise as progress. Some argue too many people are being diagnosed, straining stretched services further. Others worry a label becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Downing Street’s rhetoric fuels that narrative. It keeps citing the one million young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), a third of whom it says have ADHD or autism. The figure proves less than it implies. It counts how many NEET young people have the conditions. It cannot say whether diagnosis held them back, or whether years of waiting for support or living in a society that has treated neurodevelopmental conditions as a defect did. The second explanation is the catch-up period. For years, ADHD and autism went unseen, so a rise in assessments is what correcting that looks like. Dr Rachel Moseley of Bournemouth University says unrecorded diagnoses “largely reflect a catch-up effect”. This is not over-diagnosis. It is a system finding the people it missed. The risk is that there is a culture that stops ‘catching up’. Dr Moseley backs support for those who need it most, but warns against taking people with less visible differences less seriously. Tied closely to the story of diagnosis is the story of women and girls, who have been left on the margins of recognition. Boys are diagnosed far more often than girls, but this does not mean girls have it less. It means they are less likely to be noticed. Dr Joanna Martin, a senior researcher at Cardiff University says:
“Women are less likely to receive such timely diagnoses, and this is linked to poor mental health outcomes”.
Welsh and Politics student Grace Browne knew this first hand: ‘‘Looking back through all my education, my difficulties were often brushed off as being disorganised, emotional, forgetful, or simply not trying hard enough”. Unless women and girls inconvenience the room, too often, their struggles and experiences are forgotten.
The review is right. Diagnoses have risen and support must reach those who need it most. But it lands in a culture quick to doubt the value of a label.
If need is judged by who is most severely affected, are we returning to the ‘troubled, naughty boy’ era, where only the most visible are acknowledged? If so, girls who cope quietly may be missed again. Getting help to people faster is only progress if it reaches everyone who needs it.