The heading on the opinion piece in the British Medical Journal is stark: “Private providers are profiting from the expansion of ADHD and autism diagnosis” it says, taking aim at what the authors believe is a real issue of concern when profit is to be made from offering people a diagnosis.
The authors are Naomi Fisher, an independent clinical psychologist, and Uta Frith, emeritus professor of cognitive development, University College London – and they argue that parents and adults are being incentivised to seek out a diagnosis of ADHD or autism “by a system that positions diagnosis as the key to services and self understanding”.