Thea Stein is chief executive of health think tank the Nuffield Trust. She’s got her own description for the recent increase in demand: “the Hump”. She says: “Diagnosis or desire to be diagnosed has risen because of knowledge and visibility – [it’s as] simple as that.”
According to Stein, the most immediate task is getting through the Hump, assessing the huge backlog of people on ADHD waiting lists. Then, in the longer-term, she thinks society will get better at spotting ADHD sooner in children. She hopes this will mean that they get better support from an early age, and take some of the pressure off adult services.
She says: “I have real optimism that we will come through this period of time to a much better place as a society. What I don’t have optimism about is that this is a quick fix.”
ADHD might be a new concept, but people struggling to concentrate is an old problem.
In 1798, Scottish doctor Sir Alexander Crichton wrote about a “disease of attention” with “an unnatural degree of mental restlessness.”
He explained: “When people are affected in this manner… they say they have the fidgets.”
ADHD goes beyond problems concentrating or being hyperactive, though. People with it can struggle regulating their emotions and impulses. It’s been linked to substance abuse and financial difficulties as well as higher rates of crime and even car crashes.
All the experts I speak to firmly agree on one point: it is much better for someone with ADHD to be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.
Dr Müller-Sedgwick says there’s a “risk of really bad outcomes”. But he lights up when he describes how diagnosis and treatment can transform lives.
He says: “I have seen so many patients getting better, getting back into work or back into education. I have seen parents who were going through family court proceedings who were able to be better parents.
“That’s why we work in this field, it’s a really rewarding part of mental health to work in.”