The Fonagy review didn't say ADHD is overdiagnosed. So why did the headlines?

This week the government published its independent review into ADHD, autism and mental health. It took months, it was led by some of the most respected names in the field, and it runs to hundreds of pages.

And the headlines? "ADHD at risk of being overdiagnosed."

So I read it. That isn't what it says.

What it actually says

In its own words: "we cannot conclude that overdiagnosis is occurring at scale."

It does warn that the risk could grow if things carry on as they are. That's fair, and worth taking seriously. But a warning about the future is not a finding about now.

A few other things it found that didn't make the front pages:

• The number of children with ADHD has barely moved: about 3 in 100 in 2017, perhaps nearly 4 in 100 now. What has changed is how many are being recognised, and girls in particular.
• "The evidence does not show that people presenting today are less impaired than those presenting previously."
• More than 560,000 ADHD referrals were open at the end of 2025.

And its main recommendation isn't fewer diagnoses. It's a move from a "diagnosis-dependent" system to a "needs-led plus diagnosis" one: help before, during and after assessment, so families aren't left with nothing while they wait. It says plainly that "diagnosis remains essential".

So what is the point?

This is what I keep coming back to. What is the point of commissioning a careful, independent review if all that gets reported is the line people already wanted to hear?

Because that line has a story waiting for it. It's the one Channel 4 told in The Great ADHD Myth: that ADHD is overdiagnosed, and that most people who are struggling are really just watching too many screens. I wrote about that programme here.

Every headline like this makes that story easier to believe. And it lands on real people. The parent who has fought for years to get their daughter seen. The teenager who finally has an explanation for why school has felt so hard. The adult who has just been told it wasn't laziness after all.

They read "overdiagnosed" and hear "you're making it up."

What I'd want you to take from it

If you're waiting for an assessment, or wondering whether to ask for one: the review is on your side more than the headlines suggest. It wants help to start before the diagnosis, not instead of it.

And you don't need to read all of it to see that. The very first section says it plainly:

“There should be a fundamental shift from a 'diagnosis-dependent' system to a 'needs-led plus diagnosis' system. The heated debate about whether there is too much diagnosis or too little risks reinforcing the centrality of diagnosis rather than need and timely access to support and treatment. The government must address 2 failures at the same time:

1. People wait far too long for support, diagnosis and treatment.
2. Diagnosis has become the primary gateway to support that could and should be available earlier.”

Too long a wait, and too much hanging on the diagnosis. Not too many diagnoses.

You don't need to wait for a letter to start understanding your child, or yourself. My free guides are a good place to begin.

You can read the review's own summary on gov.uk.