The Government's ADHD & Autism Review: What the Interim Report Actually Says
The government is reviewing why ADHD and autism diagnoses keep rising, and the interim report is out. Here's what it actually says — minus the scary headlines — and what it means if you're on a waiting list.
By Matt, founder · 12 June 2026 · Lived-experience guidance, not medical advice.
If you saw the headlines — "overdiagnosis", "everyone has ADHD now" — and felt your stomach drop, this one's for you. The government commissioned an independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, and its interim report has been published on GOV.UK. We read it so you don't have to.
Short version: the interim report does not conclude that ADHD or autism is overdiagnosed. What it mostly documents is a system drowning in demand, messy data, and an enormous gap between how many people need assessment and how many can get one. Some of the numbers are genuinely startling — just not in the way the headlines suggest.
The numbers that matter
- NHS ADHD waiting lists have grown from around 21,000 people in April 2019 to around 270,000 by December 2025. That is not a typo. The queue is roughly thirteen times longer than it was six years ago.
- Self-reported autism in the GP Patient Survey rose by over 180% between 2018 and 2025, and by 2025 autistic children made up around 3.1% of school-age children within the SEND system.
- The share of adults receiving treatment for a mental health condition nearly doubled, from 24.4% in 2007 to 47.7% in 2023–24.
- Common mental health conditions rose from around 15–16% of the population in the early 1990s to around 23% by the mid-2020s — with young adults now reporting more distress than older age groups, a reversal of the historical pattern.
"So is it overdiagnosis or not?"
This is the question the review was set up to answer, and the interim report is careful — to its credit — not to answer it prematurely. Its most interesting finding is this: while diagnoses have risen sharply, population surveys suggest the underlying prevalence of ADHD symptoms has been far more stable. In the report's own framing, "relatively stable underlying prevalence can coexist with rapidly rising diagnosis."
There are two ways to read that sentence, and you'll see both in the press. One reading shouts about diagnosis culture. The other notices what the data actually shows: a generation of people — especially women — who were always here and never counted. Primary care ADHD diagnoses among women aged 20–24 more than doubled after the pandemic. That's not a fashion. That's what a missed generation getting recognised looks like.
The honest position, and the one the report itself takes, is that the evidence isn't settled yet. Phase 2 of the review will dig into severity, functional impairment, inequalities across age, ethnicity and deprivation, and co-occurring conditions before making any recommendations.
What it means if you're on a waiting list
Practically? Nothing changes today. The interim report makes no recommendations — it's an evidence review, not a policy announcement. Your referral stands, your assessment route stands, and NHS Right to Choose still exists. If you're stuck in one of those 270,000-person queues, our guide to getting assessed faster through Right to Choose covers the route that took our founder's wait from a projected 20 months to 10 weeks.
If anything, the report is useful ammunition: it's official confirmation that the waits are extreme and the system knows it. Keep copies of referral letters, screening scores and correspondence — paper trails move slowly, but they move.
What the report doesn't say
Worth being precise here, because the gap between the report and the coverage of the report is where the anxiety lives:
- It does not say ADHD or autism are being overdiagnosed.
- It does not recommend removing anyone's diagnosis, support or entitlements.
- It does not make any benefits or PIP policy recommendations.
- It does not conclude that rising diagnosis means rising "real" prevalence either — it explicitly says the relationship needs more work.
Anyone telling you the review has already decided something is reading their own opinions into an unfinished document.
What happens next
Phase 2 brings deeper analysis and — importantly — engagement with people who actually live this: lived-experience voices, professionals and service leaders. Final recommendations come after that, once the evidence has been, in the report's words, "tested more fully". No fixed date has been given.
We'll read that one too, and translate it the same way.
Whatever the diagnostic statistics decide they're doing, your needs are real now. Support doesn't require a committee's permission.
In the meantime: if you're waiting, the Right to Choose guide is the most useful thing on this site. If you're running on fumes while you wait, the autistic burnout and executive dysfunction guides were written for exactly that stretch of road.
Source: Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: interim report, GOV.UK. This article summarises an evolving government review and reflects the interim report as published; it's lived-experience commentary, not medical or legal advice.
Common questions
Does the interim report say ADHD is overdiagnosed?
No. It finds that diagnoses have risen sharply while surveys suggest underlying ADHD symptom prevalence has been far more stable — and it explicitly notes both things can be true at once. It draws no conclusion about overdiagnosis; that question is deferred to the next phase of analysis.
Will this review affect my existing diagnosis or support?
Nothing in the interim report changes anyone's diagnosis, treatment, referral or entitlements. It is an evidence review, not policy. Final recommendations will come later, after Phase 2 engagement with lived-experience voices, professionals and service leaders.
Can I still use NHS Right to Choose for an ADHD or autism assessment?
Yes. Right to Choose is unaffected by the review. If you're in England and your GP agrees a referral is appropriate, you can ask for it to be sent to a qualifying provider with a shorter wait — our Right to Choose guide walks through the exact steps and template letters.
How long are NHS ADHD waiting lists right now?
The interim report cites around 270,000 people on ADHD waiting lists by December 2025, up from around 21,000 in April 2019. Individual waits vary hugely by area, which is why many people use Right to Choose to switch to a provider with a shorter queue.
About the author
Matt — founder, Neuro Supply Co
Matt built Neuro Supply Co after years of buying tools that were designed for tidy brains and abandoned by week two. Everything in these guides comes from lived neurodivergent experience and a lot of trial and error — it's practical guidance, not medical advice. If a guide gets something wrong, tell him directly.
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