Let's change how people see ADHD for the better!
Let's change how people see ADHD for the better!
The Issue
This is a petition asking the UK Government to adopt a more accurate and empowering name to describe ADHD.
ADHD is a difference in brain structure and chemistry that comes with both strengths and weaknesses.
Words matter, and we want ADHD to be recognised as more than just a "disorder".
We want a new name for ADHD to help end the stigma and barriers that are robbing many people with untreated ADHD of around eight years of average life expectancy.
People with ADHD are significantly more likely to commit suicide and suffer from domestic violence, bullying, addiction, homelessness and unemployment than their neurotypical peers.
We believe that this needs to end now!
This means increasing support for people with ADHD across health, education and employment. Not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because the lack of support for people with ADHD is needlessly costing UK taxpayers £17 billion to deal with once the damage has been done.
It also means celebrating neurodiverse pride amongst the 2.5 million people that the NHS estimates have ADHD in England, let alone the wider neurodiverse communities across the UK.
That is why we are calling on you, as our Government, to show empathy and leadership in renaming and reframing ADHD now.
We want this to include removing the words "deficit" and "disorder" from ADHD and replacing them with more scientifically accurate terms like dysregulation and /or difference.
It wouldn't fix all the current public health failings and glaring inequality surrounding ADHD. But it could begin to change the negative perceptions and stigma that our community faces.
Even the psychiatrist who led the creation of the diagnostic criteria for ADHD in the 1990s has argued that 'not everything that is different is a disorder'.
ADHD is real, the challenges are real but shame should never be part of the diagnosis.
For further information on this campaign, and the shocking statistics surrounding ADHD, please visit the campaign website at https://www.adhproud.co.uk/campaign
PS. Don't forget to check your emails from Change.org after you sign so they can verify that you are real and not a bot. Thakyou!
51
The Issue
This is a petition asking the UK Government to adopt a more accurate and empowering name to describe ADHD.
ADHD is a difference in brain structure and chemistry that comes with both strengths and weaknesses.
Words matter, and we want ADHD to be recognised as more than just a "disorder".
We want a new name for ADHD to help end the stigma and barriers that are robbing many people with untreated ADHD of around eight years of average life expectancy.
People with ADHD are significantly more likely to commit suicide and suffer from domestic violence, bullying, addiction, homelessness and unemployment than their neurotypical peers.
We believe that this needs to end now!
This means increasing support for people with ADHD across health, education and employment. Not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because the lack of support for people with ADHD is needlessly costing UK taxpayers £17 billion to deal with once the damage has been done.
It also means celebrating neurodiverse pride amongst the 2.5 million people that the NHS estimates have ADHD in England, let alone the wider neurodiverse communities across the UK.
That is why we are calling on you, as our Government, to show empathy and leadership in renaming and reframing ADHD now.
We want this to include removing the words "deficit" and "disorder" from ADHD and replacing them with more scientifically accurate terms like dysregulation and /or difference.
It wouldn't fix all the current public health failings and glaring inequality surrounding ADHD. But it could begin to change the negative perceptions and stigma that our community faces.
Even the psychiatrist who led the creation of the diagnostic criteria for ADHD in the 1990s has argued that 'not everything that is different is a disorder'.
ADHD is real, the challenges are real but shame should never be part of the diagnosis.
For further information on this campaign, and the shocking statistics surrounding ADHD, please visit the campaign website at https://www.adhproud.co.uk/campaign
PS. Don't forget to check your emails from Change.org after you sign so they can verify that you are real and not a bot. Thakyou!
51
Supporter Voices
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on 13 June 2026