Tdah

Issue date: September 2008

Attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder
Diagnosis and management of ADHD in
children, young people and adults

NICE clinical guideline 72
Developed by the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health

NICE clinical guideline 72
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Ordering information
You can download the following documents fromwww.nice.org.uk/CG072
• The NICE guideline (this document) – all the recommendations.
• A quick reference guide – a summary of the recommendations for
healthcare professionals.
• ‘Understanding NICE guidance’ – a summary for patients and carers.
• The full guideline – all the recommendations, details of how they were
developed, and reviews of the evidence they were based on.
For printed copies of the quickreference guide or ‘Understanding NICE
guidance’, phone NICE publications on 0845 003 7783 or email
publications@nice.org.uk and quote:
• N1684 (quick reference guide)
• N1685 (‘Understanding NICE guidance’).

NICE clinical guidelines are recommendations about the treatment and care of
people with specific diseases and conditions in the NHS in England and
Wales.
This guidance representsthe view of the Institute, which was arrived at after
careful consideration of the evidence available. Healthcare professionals are
expected to take it fully into account when exercising their clinical judgement.
However, the guidance does not override the individual responsibility of
healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances
of the individual patient, inconsultation with the patient and/or guardian or
carer and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs
they are considering.
Implementation of this guidance is the responsibility of local commissioners
and/or providers. Commissioners and providers are reminded that it is their
responsibility to implement the guidance, in their local context, in light of their
duties to avoidunlawful discrimination and to have regard to promoting
equality of opportunity. Nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way
that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
MidCity Place
71 High Holborn
London WC1V 6NA
www.nice.org.uk
© National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence 2008. All rightsreserved. This material
may be freely reproduced for educational and not-for-profit purposes. No reproduction by or
for commercial organisations, or for commercial purposes, is allowed without the express
written permission of the Institute.

Contents
Introduction ......................................................................................................4
Person-centred care........................................................................................8
Key priorities for implementation....................................................................10
1

Guidance ................................................................................................12
1.1

Prerequisites of treatment and care for all people with ADHD.........12

Care pathwayfor the treatment and care of people with ADHD ....................17
1.2

Identification, pre-diagnostic intervention in the community and

referral to secondary services ....................................................................17
1.3

Diagnosis of ADHD..........................................................................20

1.4

Post-diagnosticadvice.....................................................................22

1.5

Treatment for children and young people ........................................23

1.6

Transition to adult services ..............................................................35

1.7

Treatment of adults with ADHD .......................................................36

1.8

How to use drugs for the treatment of...