The media often paints a picture of an “ADHD surge” in ADHD diagnoses, leading to concerns about overdiagnosis or a sudden rise in prevalence. How often do we hear, “It seems like everyone has ADHD these days,” which perpetuates that, “But doesn’t everyone have a little ADHD these days?” mentality. But what if this narrative misses the mark entirely?
Recent research from King’s College London, published May 2025 in the Journal of Attention Disorders, found that ADHD prevalence (how many people have ADHD overall) hasn’t actually changed much between 2020 and 2024. Even though more people went for ADHD assessments during and after the pandemic, that didn’t lead to a noticeable increase in how many people actually have ADHD overall. So while evaluations went up, the underlying prevalence stayed pretty steady.
So what’s going on?
The number of people with ADHD hasn’t spiked – but more people are finally being identified. As Russell Barkley puts it, those folks were already here – they just hadn’t been spotted yet.
Accoridng to the King’s College research by Martin et al., the rise in diagnoses seems to stem from:
- Increased awareness and understanding of ADHD.
- Reduced stigma, encouraging more people to seek assessment.
- Improved diagnostic tools, especially for historically overlooked groups like girls and women, whose presentations often differ from typical stereotypes.
This isn’t a crisis of overdiagnosis – it’s a testament to progress. It means more individuals are finally getting the recognition and support they need. It highlights how crucial accurate, up-to-date research is in shaping public understanding and effective policy.
Rather than questioning the diagnoses, perhaps we should be celebrating that more people are finding answers and support for their neurodivergent brains.
💬 What’s your go-to response when someone says, “Doesn’t everyone have ADHD now?”
In a world full of tabs, thanks for keeping this one open with me.
