The first US guidelines for adult ADHD are on their way
SOURCE: Brooke Molina (APSARD President) interviewed by Leah Kuntz in Psychiatric Times 2026
FUNDING: Independent
Summary
The UK has NICE. Australia has AADP. But the US has no official guidance on adult ADHD.
The American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders hopes to change that. They are wrapping up the first US guidelines on adult ADHD, pooling input from 30 experts and people with lived experience (members of CHADD).
Due in 2027, they will cover screening and diagnosis, medication, and psychosocial care.
Dr. Molina says the guidelines will cover how anxiety, depression, trauma, and normal executive-function variation can mimic or overlap with ADHD. They will address over-diagnosis, under-diagnosis, and disparities by sex, race, and access to care.
An educational program will follow the publication, allowing clinicians to get trained and certified in adult ADHD care, open to psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners, social workers, counselors, and educators.
Practice Implications
- This will bring needed structure to an unregulated market
- Learn how to diagnose adult ADHD in our four-part Carlat Podcast series, and start with a structured interview that identifies contributing causes and rule-outs for inattention.
—Chris Aiken, MD
Director, Psych Partners
Editor in Chief, Carlat Psychiatry Report
