Barriers to the identification of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
BACKGROUND
In most countries, the majority of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are undiagnosed. In the United Kingdom, a major barrier to accessing specialist services is the limited recognition of disorders by general practitioners. However, it is unclear whether there are also barriers at other stages of the help-seeking process. For children with ADHD, this study aims to examine the correlates of the different stages of help-seeking.


METHODS
Children with ADHD (n = 232) were identified from the 1999 British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey. Rates and correlates of parental recognition of child mental health problems and contact with services for these problems were examined. Children who had used particular types of services were compared with those who had not.


RESULTS
Most (80%) parents of children with ADHD recognise that their child has a problem although few (35%) construe this in terms of hyperactivity. The impact of the symptoms on key adults, rather than child factors, best predicted parental recognition of problems. Most parents had been in contact with education-based professionals but few had consulted primary care for these problems or had sought help from relevant specialist health services. Parental recognition of problems and perceived burden, rather than child factors, were the main correlates of contact with services. Parental views that their child has hyperactivity were associated with greater severity of symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
The main barrier to care for ADHD is the limited presentation of these problems to primary care. The majority of parents discuss their concerns with professionals based in education services. There is a need for parental education about ADHD and for health service input to support education professionals in their contact with concerned parents.
Sayal
Kapil
K
Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK. k.sayal@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Goodman
Robert
R
Ford
Tamsin
T
D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010290:Parents; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data