Main content

Adult ADHD: Why are waiting lists for diagnoses so long?

Claudia Hammond delves into adult ADHD diagnoses with guests Robin Ince, Suzanne O'Sullivan and Jessica Eccles. Why have diagnosis rates risen so steeply and what can we do?

You’ve probably heard the term ADHD – or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – more and more in recent years. Almost 200,000 of you are waiting for a diagnosis and services are struggling to keep up with the demand. Last year twenty four different services told ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Verify that it would take them eight years to get to everyone on their waiting lists. Now the NHS in England is setting up a taskforce to look at ADHD diagnoses.

In this special programme on Adult ADHD, Claudia Hammond and guests ask how did we get to this point, and what can be done to shorten the waiting lists and to make sure people get a timely diagnosis if they need one?

Claudia's guests are: Robin Ince - stand-up comedian and science presenter who recently received his own diagnosis of ADHD as an adult; Dr Jessica Eccles - a psychiatrist who does assessments for ADHD and has ADHD herself; and Dr Suzanne O’Sullivan - a neurologist who says we should be more careful about who receives a diagnosis.

Producer: Lorna Stewart

Available now

30 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Tuesday 09:30
  • Wednesday 21:30

Featured in...

How to Manage Your Worries

How to Manage Your Worries

A quick and easy guide on how to cope with the things you worry about.

Podcast