ADHD — attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — is the health story that keeps unfolding.
Yesterday a huge leap in government disability payments was reported — official data showed that some of the fastest increases in recorded disability have been among children; one in nine has a disability.
Within that group there has been a surge in claims for ADHD, which have more than doubled and now make up a fifth of claims. Last year there were nearly 140,000 children receiving payments for so-called behaviour disorders.
There has been much head scratching and hand wringing over this seeming leap in instances of the condition. The number of people seeking a diagnosis is so big that the NHS cannot cope with demand.
