Despite rising visibility of mental health discussions, awareness and acceptance of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in India remain extremely limited, says Dr. Parul Mathur, a Consultant Psychiatrist at Amaha. Speaking to MediaCatalyst over email, she stated that cultural stigma, systemic gaps, and gendered misdiagnosis continue to hinder early identification and support, even after more than two decades of research and advocacy.
“Awareness remains alarmingly low,” Dr. Mathur noted, citing a 2023 Indian Psychiatric Society study which found that nearly 70% of Indian parents had either not heard of ADHD or believed it was not a legitimate condition. Historically, the disorder has been misinterpreted as poor discipline, laziness, or faulty parenting.
One of the biggest structural barriers, Dr. Mathur said, is the absence of ADHD from the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPwD Act) 2016. Without formal recognition, individuals with ADHD currently lack access to structured legal accommodations, specialised support in schools, and clear public health pathways.
While there are some positive shifts — including more accurate portrayals of neurodivergence in cinema, growing social media awareness, and targeted teacher-parent training programmes — she cautions that the scale of awareness remains significantly inadequate and social media exposure is also resulting in a rise in uninformed self-diagnosis.
According to Dr. Mathur, stigma remains the biggest deterrent to help-seeking in India. Families often view mental disorders as personal failure, which discourages open acknowledgement or clinical evaluation.
This barrier is particularly severe for women and girls, whose presentation is often internalised rather than disruptive. “Masking” through perfectionism, overworking, and high effort compensation leads to delayed diagnosis among women. Parents also remain apprehensive about pharmacological interventions due to fears of personality changes or addiction.
Among the misconceptions that continue to dominate public perception are beliefs that ADHD stems from poor parenting, that children will naturally outgrow it, and that only visibly hyperactive boys have ADHD. These stereotypes, Dr. Mathur emphasised, negate the neurological basis of the condition and undermine widespread recognition of female and adult ADHD.
Dr. Mathur recommends a multi-layered strategy for mental health organisations to reshape public understanding. This includes gender-sensitive national awareness campaigns, amplification of real neurodivergent experiences — especially women who faced years of misdiagnosis — teacher and school system training for early screening, clinician training to recognise secondary conditions in women, and policy advocacy for ADHD’s inclusion under the RPwD Act.
“India must address these structural and cultural barriers urgently,” Dr. Mathur said. “Without this shift, we risk continuing to misinterpret neurodevelopmental needs as failure, and denying millions the support they require.”
