ADHD IN FOCUS

An increasing number of adults are getting diagnosed, but there's a lot were still learning

- AMBER BRAMBLE

Speaking in a recent interview, Lily Allen revealed the news she had been diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). “It sort of runs in my family,” explained the 38-year-old star, confirming she had joined a growing list of women who are being diagnosed as adults.

While ADHD was once considered a condition affecting children, we now know that it continues into adulthood, and many people are now being diagnosed in their 30s, 40s or 50s.

“There is a greater awareness of ADHD, which is probably one of the reasons why more people are starting to become diagnosed,” Melissa Webster, CEO of ADHD Australia says.

Yet ADHD can also be controversial, and as the rate of diagnosis spikes in Australia and many other parts of the world, it has raised some heated debate.

WHAT’S GOING ON?

ADHD is a neurological condition that comes in three subtypes. You can be mostly hyperactive-impulsive, mostly inattentive or a combination of both.

Until recently, most of the conversation focused on the hyperactive form of ADHD, which is more likely to be picked up during childhood. “Inattentive ADHD has been historically harder to diagnose because it’s seen as more difficult to identify,” Webster explains.

As our understanding of ADHD grows, it’s led to a rise in diagnoses – in children but also adults who may have previously slipped through the cracks. Also, until recently most ADHD studies focused on hyperactivity, but it is now known that the inattentive subtype is more common in girls and women.