Leading the Way: The First Guidelines for the Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment of Adult ADHD

Leading the Way

The First Guidelines for the Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment of Adult ADHD in the United States

Healthcare providers in the United States are not taught how to diagnose and treat ADHD in adults. The absence of clinical practice guidelines for adults has created a significant gap in mental healthcare across the country.

Myth: People outgrow ADHD. Fact: ADHD is frequently lifelong.

The recent surge in adults seeking care for ADHD, coupled with a steady increase in ADHD medication prescriptions, has underscored the pressing need for diagnostic and treatment guidelines.

To address this issue, CHADD has partnered with the American Professional Society for ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD) to develop and distribute guidelines in 2025. APSARD is leading the charge in developing the guidelines for review. CHADD is taking the lead in developing resources and toolkits for healthcare providers across the United States to implement the new diagnostic and treatment guidelines.

With a coalition (the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Neurology, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness), and in partnership with APSARD, CHADD will adapt the guidelines to the needs of different medical and mental health specialists and patient populations.  Currently, CHADD is facilitating focus groups with various practitioners to understand what they need to accurately diagnose and treat their patients. The goal is to ensure the guidelines are adopted by a range of health care providers and therapists who are on the front lines of diagnosis and treatment—not just those who specialize in ADHD treatment.

Why is it important to treat ADHD in adults?

About one-third of adults with ADHD are not receiving any type of ADHD treatment.

Untreated ADHD has detrimental effects. For example:

Public Health Concern  Family   Education & Employment  
  • 33% more ER visits  
  • >7 medical visits a year  
  • 2-4x more motor vehicle crashes  
  • 2x risk of substance use disorders & earlier onset 
  • 1.5-3x risk of obesity 
  • 2.8-3.3x more likely to develop type 2 diabetes 
  • at least 3x greater risk of suicide  
  • More parental divorce or separation  
  • Higher dropout rates & lower earnings  

 

What a future with guidelines will look like

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Standardized Care   

 A basic clinical standard will ensure a more uniform diagnostic and treatment approach across the United States while allowing for flexibility based on individual patient presentation.  

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Enhanced Training  

 Adult ADHD will have an elevated validity as a subject for training programs. This could inspire educational institutions to incorporate adult ADHD into their curricula, ensuring future clinicians are better equipped to recognize and manage adult ADHD.  

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Modified Coverage Policies  

 The guidelines may help structure the decisions of third-party payers regarding the coverage of medical benefits for evaluating and treating adult ADHD and could lead to modifications in coverage policies.  

 

Additional Information: