Youngsters 'incentivised' to get ADHD and autism diagnoses

Young people and children are being incentivised to get diagnosed with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), experts have said.

In the findings of a government-commissioned review, they suggested diagnosis is "increasingly being used to secure support", even if other responses may be more appropriate.

There has been a rise in demand for autism and ADHD services, with the UK recording the sharpest increase in ADHD drug use across Europe.

But the review – launched in December – warned that more diagnoses do not necessarily mean greater prevalence of either condition and said many behaviours interpreted as requiring treatment were once regarded as normal.

Estimates of how many people have ADHD or autism are "relatively stable", but diagnoses, self-identification, and service demand "have increased substantially".

Its authors warned of a "risk that a wide range of difficulties – particularly those arising from social, educational or environmental pressures – may increasingly be interpreted primarily through a medical lens".

While there is "credible evidence of increasing psychological distress", especially among younger people, there are several factors likely at play.

These include "institutional incentives and pressures within existing service pathways", "changing help-seeking behaviour", and "improved recognition" of symptoms.

"In autism, the evidence also points to particularly rapid growth in identified need within educational systems, including increasing identification among girls and among young people without learning disability," the review said.

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Professor Peter Fonagy, a clinical psychologist at University College London and chair of the review, said the support system must be "more proportionate, more responsive and less dependent on diagnosis alone".

"That does not mean abandoning diagnosis," he added, writing in The Times.

"For many people, it remains essential – for understanding, for treatment, for access to support.

"But it does mean being more precise about what diagnosis is for and what it is not."

Charity warns of 'polarised debate'

The findings of the review were welcomed by the Mental Health Foundation, which said "psychological distress and suffering has been on the increase" and backed calls for a "bold, prevention-first approach".

The National Autistic Society, however, warned the review risked fuelling an "increasingly polarised debate", with "too much attention [...] placed on questioning people's motivations for seeking a diagnosis".

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said it launched the review "precisely because we know too many people are not getting the support they need".

"We are committed to building a system that is fair and works for everyone, with a focus on early intervention," they added, with the final report's recommendations to come.

(c) Sky News 2026: Youngsters 'incentivised' to get ADHD and autism diagnoses