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Half of people recently arrested by Met police may have undiagnosed ADHD, study finds

Iain

From the article: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/dec/10/half-people-recently-arrested-met-police-undiagnosed-adhd-neurodivergence-study 

Half of people arrested recently in London were found to potentially have undiagnosed ADHD, according to a study calling for better neurodivergence screening for vulnerable individuals.

Research by the University of Cambridge found that one in two individuals arrested and detained over an eight-week period in London in 2024 may have undiagnosed attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and one in 20 may have undiagnosed autism.

I'm in two minds if this is a good thing.

On one hand having the police know you are neurodivergent can make their interaction with you easier (assuming they are using the NAS guide written for them) but on the other it is hinting that neurodivergent people are quite likely to be arrested so will be profiled as suspicious.

What are your thoughts on this?

  • I'd turn it around the other way. Rather than presume they are all being picked on, ask why are these people disproportionately involved in crime?

    A number of vulnerable young people are pressured in to to the drugs business, acting as mules for others and exploited.

    The issue should be to provide better support before it gets to this point.

    The psychologist I saw earlier this year, nitbrgevsane that diagnosed me, works in a secure unit, with offenders I believe, half her time. She mentioned the overrepresentation of ASD/ADHD people.

    It is not new news. The issue is what to do about it.

    It comes up I hacking trials too. It raises ethical issues about responsibility.

    I also think it's important to stress that many ND people are law abiding. I believe the primary link is through exploitation and exclusion ather than inherent criminality, although if course a proportion of any group may be drawn to crime.

  • in reply to pietro_21

    People shouldn’t be commenting on you in that way anyway perception stands for a lot in comparison to just projection of emotion alone, this can be clearly seen in the history of texting. You can text somebody perfectly placidly and happily and they have a big tantrum over it - and that’s a lot to do with their own mental health issues and not specifically you.

  • in reply to InterTrails

    I sometimes have this problem to, I have had people tell me I'm to intense. Actually when I am relaxed and not bothered what people think its ok. Its just when people try to isolate me or contrast the way I look - like kids in the playground.

  • I have spent my entire life looking suspicious basically because I have autism and try to blend in with people…. Never committed a single crime - stereotyping isn’t a good thing. Probably these people have been let down early in life and been driven into crime and the wrong sub groups. Another example of stereotyping is telling people what jobs are not suitable to autistic people rather than listening to their individual needs and adjustments which may be far off the mark of generalisation. I think this is something which will change over the coming year ahead