ADHD Diagnosis Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department of Health and Social Care
Jo Platt
Main Page: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)Department Debates - View all Jo Platt's debates with the Department of Health and Social Care
(1 day, 8 hours ago)
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Jo Platt (Leigh and Atherton) (Lab/Co-op)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Vaz. I rise to speak as chair of the APPG on ADHD. As someone from a neurodiverse—or, as we call it, neuro-spicy—household, I understand the difference that support can make and the consequences when it is missing.
I want to address an elephant in the room, because there has been a lot of talk about the overdiagnosis of ADHD. I understand why that question is asked, but the evidence does not support it. The NHS ADHD taskforce has been clear that ADHD is “under-recognised, under-diagnosed and under-treated”. Diagnosis rates are well below what the prevalence suggests, and some trusts are so overwhelmed that, as we have heard, they have paused new referrals, not because demand is inflated but because services cannot keep up. When ADHD goes undiagnosed, it does not disappear; it shows up elsewhere, including in health services through higher rates of co-existing conditions and crisis-driven care. Untreated ADHD costs more than £13,500 per affected person each year. Early diagnosis and treatment save money and reduce the burden on the NHS.
ADHD shows up in our schools, and children with ADHD are more likely to be excluded, miss school or face bullying. Many have literacy challenges and other conditions that compound when support comes too late. It also shows up, as we have just heard, in the criminal justice system. One in four people in prison have ADHD, compared with one in 20 in the general population. Without support, people are more likely to develop risky coping strategies, including substance misuse. Diagnosis is not a magic bullet, but it is a starting point. It shifts people from blame to understanding, and it only works when followed by support across education, workplaces and public services.
That brings me to the key issue: we still do not have a clear national picture of how long people are waiting for an NHS diagnosis, and I would like to put that to the Minister.
Several hon. Members rose—