Four Corners unveils Australia’s first comprehensive national map of adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), revealing stark differences by location.

ADHD diagnoses in Australian adults have risen dramatically over the past eight years, especially in women. Data for each state and territory reveal which neighbourhoods are the hotspots. The findings are not what you’d expect.

Dr Norman Swan and the team drill down into the new figures and discover which is Australia’s ADHD capital. Treatment rates there far exceed what experts say is the actual prevalence of the condition.

At the same time, large parts of Australia are what could be considered ADHD deserts, where up to 90% of adults who might have the condition are being left undiagnosed and untreated with potential consequences for their future.

Attention Deficit asks how Australia ended up with such extremes, what harm is being done from both missed and misdiagnosis, why the system is failing and whether proposed remedies are likely to work.

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Adult diagnosis

02:20 – The stigma around ADHD

05:35 – What is ADHD?

08:30 – Rates of ADHD

10:10 – ADHD hotspots

13:40 – Prescription rates

15:55 – Tik Tok and Instagram videos

18:40 – Diagnosis

24:30 – Telehealth

30:00 – Misdiagnosis

33:30 – Pharmaceutical funding

40:00 – Pharmaceutical companies

42:45 – The gap in diagnosis