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2. ADHD Diagnosis: Overdiagnosed or Underdiagnosed?
ADHD is not overly diagnosed, but rather, the increased awareness and education about the condition has led to more people seeking assessments. However, this does not mean that it is over diagnosed. In fact, ADHD is considered to be underdiagnosed in adults, as the percentage of diagnosed adults does not match the diagnostics in children. Dr. Russell Barkley noted that ADHD is wildly underdiagnosed, and the statistics show that only 8.7% of children and 5.4% of adults are currently diagnosed with ADHD, indicating a gap. It was once thought that people grow out of ADHD, but this is not the case anymore. Therefore, in order for the diagnosis of ADHD to be more appropriate, the percentage of adults diagnosed should match the diagnostics in children, which is currently not the case. Overall, the increased access to information and awareness of ADHD does not mean that there is an over diagnosis, but rather highlights the underdiagnosis of ADHD in adults.