NHS ‘cannot cope’ with the increase in the number of Brits self-diagnosing ADHD and autism, an expert has warned

The ailing NHS is at risk of being ‘overwhelmed’ by a huge increase in self-diagnosis of ADHD and autism, experts have warned.

Professor Anthony David, director of the UCL Institute of Mental Health, said doctors had seen a spike in the number of Britons wanting an ‘approved’ diagnosis.

Trendy apps promising to help manage the condition, and social media influencers promoting everyday problems as potential symptoms have also sown the seeds about certain neuropsychiatric conditions, he claimed.

But the increase in self-diagnosis could also harm those who need help most, he argued.

Since 1998, there has been a ninefold increase in autism diagnoses in Britain, with the biggest increase among adults, figures show.

TikTok creator Katie Sue lists some signs of ADHD, such as “mysterious bruises,” “coming off as a flirt,” “having low regard,” or “forgetting food until it goes bad.”

The latest NHS data also shows a huge increase in the number of prescriptions for ADHD drugs year on year.

Professor David said: ‘It is a big and growing problem. There are people who, often as adults, have made their own decision about a diagnosis.’

He added: ‘And that has led to huge waiting lists. So the system cannot deal with people who suddenly want an assessment.’

‘Neurodivergence’, which means having an atypical mind, is a category mainly used to describe conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia and Tourette’s syndrome.

Writing in the diary Psychological medicine Together with Dr Quinton Deeley, an expert in social behavior and neurological development from King’s College London, they also argued that stories about diagnoses later in life appear in the press ‘often’.

They said, ‘Take a middle-aged man who, as a child, talks about his strong limited interests and feels that he was different from children his age growing up.

‘As he grows older, he manages to channel these interests into a profession and gains admirers for his ability to express them with passion, but he comes into conflict because he is uncompromising and ‘obsessive’.

‘He then embraces the diagnosis of autism – which his life story fits in nicely.

‘It ‘explains’ his interests, attitudes and difficulties. He doesn’t have to feel at odds with the world in the same way.”

They added: ‘It’s easy to appreciate the feeling that you are (finally) understood and that you are not alone.

‘However, it is not clear how long-lasting such feelings are and little research has been done into them.’

It is estimated that around 700,000 Britons and 5.4 million adults in the US have a diagnosis of autism.

According to a 2021 study by Newcastle University, around one in 57 (1.76 percent) children in Britain are on the spectrum.

While NICE guidelines claim that no one should wait longer than three months between referral and first treatment, the latest NHS figures show that more than 80,000 people have waited longer.

Television presenters Melanie Sykes, Chris Packham and Christine McGuinness are among celebrities who have shared their diagnoses.

Meanwhile, ADHD affects about 5 percent of children in the US, while in Britain it affects about 3.6 percent in boys and 0.9 percent in girls.

But according to the charity ADHD Foundation, as many as one in 20 adults in Britain could have the condition.

NHS data for the 2022/23 financial year shows that more than 230,000 people in England were now taking ADHD drugs to combat their inattention and hyperactivity.

The number of prescriptions has risen by a fifth in a year, the biggest annual increase since modern recording began in 2015.

However, in the journal article, Professor David and Dr Deeley also argued that diagnostic validation could come at the expense of those who need more help.

They wrote: ‘People those who are less articulate or non-verbal are marginalized in the area of ​​self-diagnosis and are not given a voice – an example of injustice in testimonials.’

Earlier this week, scientists also argued that society is responsible for creating the ‘mental health crisis’, with doctors handing out diagnoses like ‘candy’.

It came in the wake of a report showing that people in their 20s are now sick more often than adults in their 40s, amid rising rates of depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder.

Sheridan Smith, 42, recently revealed that she has been diagnosed with ADHD (pictured in 2023). The 42-year-old, who shot to fame in The Royle Family as Antony’s girlfriend Emma, ​​told Vogue that it has helped her “understand a lot of things” in her life and better understand her “background noise of her brain.” . Other celebrities who have been diagnosed with ADHD include Olivia Atwood, Sue Perkins, Johnny Vegas and Ben Fogle

Television presenters Melanie Sykes (pictured), Chris Packham and Christine McGuinness are among celebrities who have shared their autism diagnoses

Professor Frank Furedi, a sociologist at the University of Kent, said: ‘We are experiencing a constant increase in the number of psychological diagnoses given to children, meaning things like ADHD are constantly being handed out like sweets.

“If you look at all the reports that have been published over the last 20 years, it’s really intensified over the last 10 years: they’re talking about mental health issues all the time.”

Earlier this year, a damning BBC investigation found that patients could receive an ADHD diagnosis and powerful drugs through unreliable video calls to private clinics.

But experts have also argued that ADHD was not officially listed as a disorder affecting adults in Britain until 2008.

Previously it was only recognized as a childhood problem that children grew out of.

As a result, some experts argue that many adults who are now told they have ADHD, rather than being over-diagnosed, have spent years dismissing their symptoms.