No sh1t Sherlock….
ADHD surge fuelled by benefits, report warns
Demand rising for medical labels seen as ‘the single reliable key to support’, review finds
Soaring demand for ADHD and autism diagnoses is being fuelled by Britain’s welfare system, a review has warned.
A government-commissioned report says medical labels have become a gateway to benefits, school support and other help, creating financial incentives that risk driving overdiagnosis.
The review finds evidence of a substantial rise in mental distress, estimating that about four million children and young people – one in five – are now experiencing high levels of psychological strain.
However, it warned that unnecessary diagnoses could harm a generation by “closing doors”, lowering ambitions and defining children by what they cannot do.
The 607-page review, led by Prof Peter Fonagy, a clinical psychologist at University College London, questions how demand for diagnoses has been generated by making them “the single reliable key to support”.
“Systems do not merely absorb demand they shape it,” the review states.
“Why has diagnosis become so important?” it asks. “Because it validates self-recognition and experiences, and because it gives access to treatment, educational support, workplace adjustments, welfare benefits, social care and specialist services.”
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