Diagnosis of ADHD Still Out of Reach for Many

When discussing ADHD in Adults, the inevitable topic of funds comes up. Finding out if you have ADHD involves an assessment involving hours of in-depth psychological testing, which can be cost-prohibitive for many. Those who can afford it or get funding often find the waitlist long.

Dhirti Gupta discusses this and other aspects of ADHD diagnoses in their October 7, 2021, article for Maclean’s: “Why an ADHD diagnosis is often out of reach for Canadian university students.”

ADHD has a prevalence rate of 7 to 11 per cent in Canadian children, according to Miller. For Canadian adults, she says that number is closer to 3 to 5 per cent, and possibly higher. It’s usually diagnosed between Grade 1 and 6, but Miller says there are a few other “bumps” when people can realize something is wrong. One is in adolescence, and another is around the time university starts. Finally, ADHD can be diagnosed when people go on to become parents of children undergoing assessment for the disorder. Maclean’s