Rising patient demand for mental health, autism and ADHD services led to a Government review.
The review was led by professionals with extensive academic and clinical expertise in mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions.
The report says there is no direct evidence that autism or ADHD are being overdiagnosed at scale in the UK, with a greater awareness of these conditions meaning higher proportions of people coming forward for support.
They propose that when a diagnosis is needed it must be thorough and based on clinical evidence. This will help to avoid overdiagnosis, misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis. ADHD waiting lists for diagnoses and referrals has grown in recent years. People seeking an autism assessment has increased by 15% in the last year.
NHS statistics estimate that 2.5 million people have ADHD, which includes those that have not been formally diagnosed. Of these 740,000 are children and young people aged 5-24.
The report says that people are incentivised to seek an official diagnosis because support is often hard to obtain without one.
With one people can gain access to clinical and behavioural support as well as other help.
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