ADHD is not becoming more common, despite more people asking for help, suggests a review led by King’s College London, which looked at 40 studies in 17 countries and found no clear evidence rates had risen since 2020 – despite rising diagnoses and longer waits for assessment.
In fact, reports the BBC, the researchers attributed the “surge” to greater awareness and acceptance, which were probably encouraging more people to seek help.
And while greater social media use and the Covid pandemic have been blamed for rising numbers of people developing the condition, the researchers said there were no signs the true rate of ADHD, known as prevalence, was on the up.
Lead researcher Dr Alex Martin said it was likely to be a case of under-diagnosis of the condition in the first place.
“ADHD prevalence in adults and children has remained largely stable since 2020,” she added.
In Britain, around 3% to 4% of adults and around 5% of children and young people are thought to have ADHD. Experts believe there are similar rates in other countries but only a fraction of these have been diagnosed.
Assessments
The study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, comes as a national task force in England is looking at what this rising demand for support means across the NHS, education and justice sectors.
Figures published last week by NHS England estimated there were nearly 2.5m people in England with ADHD, with more than 550 000 currently waiting for an assessment.
Every month 20 000 more people are referred for support, a 13% rise on this time last year.
NHS England has admitted patients are waiting “too long for assessment and diagnosis”.
Patient watchdog Healthwatch England has also campaigned on the issue, calling for better support.
A report it published recently highlighted how ADHD can lead to people struggling in work and education and emphasised the importance of them getting a diagnosis to help understand and manage their condition.
Henry Shelford of ADHD UK said the condition had been ignored for too long.
“Increasing awareness and diagnosis is the key to unlocking the talents of more than 2m in the UK. Doing so isn’t just good for the individual, it’s economically positive for the entire country.”
Professor Edmund Sonuga-Barke, a fellow at the Academy of Medical Sciences and an ADHD expert at King’s College London who was not involved in the research, said it was clear there had been a “chronic under-diagnosis” of ADHD in the UK.
He said while ADHD medications were safe, there needed to be more progress in developing a greater range of non-drug treatments and therapies to help people self-manage their conditions.
It comes amid criticism too many people are being placed on medication to treat ADHD.
Study details
The changing prevalence of ADHD? A systematic review
Published in the Journal of Affective Disorders on 2 June 2025
Alex Martin, James Rubin, Brooke Rogers et al.
Abstract
Introduction
Understanding the prevalence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and changes in demand for related healthcare services is crucial for effective healthcare policy and resource allocation. Clinicians, teachers and charities have reported increasing demand for ADHD diagnoses in recent years, overwhelming support systems. This review synthesises post-2020 studies of ADHD prevalence and incidence.
Methods
We conducted systematic searches in Web of Science, Embase, Medline, Global Health, and PsycInfo using terms relating to ADHD and prevalence. Additional sources included public health databases, Google, and study reference lists. Studies were included if they contained original data relating to general population rates of ADHD and we extracted data relating to methods of assessment and measures of prevalence and incidence. We followed PRISMA and synthesis without meta-analysis (SWiM) guidelines.
Results
Forty studies across 17 countries, with one study spanning 42 countries, were reviewed. No significant rise in ADHD prevalence was found, although incidence was found to vary during the Covid-19 pandemic. Only four of the included studies were at low risk of bias.
Limitations
There are substantial limitations in the quality of the literature included in this review. Due to significant delays in reporting prevalence data, estimates from previous reviews may be inaccurate. There is a lack of healthcare data and no school-level data.
Conclusions
Significant research gaps exist in determining ADHD prevalence and incidence. The highest quality findings do not suggest an increase in prevalence since 2020 but indicate some variability in incidence during the Covid-19 pandemic. Further research is urgently needed to guide clinical practice and public health policy.
BBC article – Greater awareness behind ADHD surge, study suggests (Open access)
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