Mental health evaluations were once associated mainly with children, adolescents, and people in acute psychiatric distress. That picture has changed. A growing number of adults, including many in midlife and later years, now seek evaluations for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) along with anxiety, depression, and other concerns.

For most of these adults, the symptoms have been present for a long time. They have lived with the same patterns for years and are only now naming them, recognizing how those patterns shaped their work and relationships, and reaching care that was harder to access in past decades. Greater awareness, lower stigma, heavier cognitive demands at work, and the spread of telehealth assessment have all widened the path to an accurate diagnosis.

In the article, Dr. Herman examines why so many adults, and women in particular, receive a diagnosis later in life. He also explains why a thorough evaluation matters for telling ADHD apart from conditions that resemble it and for guiding care that is grounded in evidence.

Read the full article in Behavioral Health News: Why More Adults Are Seeking ADHD and Mental Health Evaluations Later in Life