Petition Autism & ADHD Screening Mandatory for Women Before Diagnosis of Mood Disorders
Require Autism and ADHD screening for women before mood disorder diagnoses. Introduce neurodivergence-informed pathways, ensure clinicians are trained in how Autism and ADHD present in women, and improve diagnostic accuracy to reduce harm, stigma, and incorrect labels.
More details
Women are often underdiagnosed with Autism and ADHD, especially those who mask or appear “high functioning.” Their traits are frequently misinterpreted as mood swings, trauma responses, or personality disorder. Many women receive C-PTSD, BPD, Bipolar, or EUPD diagnoses without neurodivergence assessment, leading to harm, stigma, and inappropriate treatment.
58 signatures
Show on a map the geographical breakdown of signatures by constituency
10,000 signatures required to get a government response
At 10,000 signatures...
At 10,000 signatures, government will respond to this petition
At 100,000 signatures...
At 100,000 signatures, this petition will be considered for debate in Parliament
Related activity
-
ADHD diagnosis: debate in Parliament
On 20 January, MPs took part in a debate entitled "ADHD diagnosis" in Parliament.
This was a Westminster Hall debate led by Bill Esterson MP. Health Minister Dr Zubir Ahmed MP responded on behalf of the Government.
- Read the transcript
- Watch it in full
- Read the FAQs: ADHD statistics (England) from the House of Commons Library
Explainer
Westminster Hall debates give MPs an opportunity to debate a topic of their choice, and receive a response from the Government.
They are a way to:
- raise awareness of an issue
- seek to influence government policy
- put the views of backbench MPs, political parties, and the Government on record.
They do not involve a vote on a particular action or decision.
See our visual explainer on how these debates work.
Your UK Parliament newsletter
Sign up to a regular newsletter on the work of Parliament and how to get involved.