Dr Nistor Becia MBE Chartered Psychologist:Are we diagnosing too many children, or are we simply failing to support them?

As a Clinical Psychologist, I get asked this question quite often, particularly about ADHD and autism.

I think it’s a fair question, but my clinical experience makes me question whether we’re focusing on the real problem.

I’ve seen too many families fighting for years to get help, only to discover that without a formal diagnosis, very little support is available.

Of course, we shouldn’t medicalise every childhood difficulty, and not every child needs a diagnosis.

But since when did a diagnosis become more important than a child’s actual needs?

Perhaps instead of blaming parents for seeking diagnoses, we should be asking why our systems so often make them necessary just to access support.

Children need help, not just labels. And they shouldn’t have to reach crisis point to get it.

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