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

With no clinical practice guidelines, healthcare providers are not taught how to diagnose and treat ADHD in adults. This has created a significant gap in mental healthcare across the country.

The recent surge in adults seeking care for ADHD, coupled with a steady increase in ADHD medication prescriptions, has underscored the pressing need for consistent diagnostic and treatment guidelines for adults in the United States. Untreated ADHD has negative consequences across all aspects of society, and establishment of adult guidelines will ensure greater and more consistent access to care.

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 based on a firm foundation of research established by the Adult ADHD Quality Measures Initiative, which for the past five years has developed and tested metrics for the quality care of adults with ADHD.

CHADD, in partnership with the Adult ADHD Coalition, (consisting of representatives from the American Psychiatric Association, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the American Academy of Neurology, the American Psychological Association, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and led by Dr. Peter Jensen, Founder and Board Chair of The REACH Institute), is developing and distributing the guidelines' educational toolkit.  An accessible and interactive educational toolkit will reach all health care providers and therapists on the front lines of diagnosis and treatment -- not just those who specialize in ADHD.