The Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin has featured an editorial discussing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults, and the difficulty of the transition from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to adult psychiatric services.

The editorial concludes that “there needs not only to be a seamless transition from CAMHS to adult psychiatric services, but that access to appropriate adult psychiatric services for the assessment and management of ADHD identified in adulthood should be present. In reality, services for adult ADHD are extremely patchy, few areas have properly commissioned services, and treatment is usually offered piecemeal by individual clinicians with an interest in the disorder. This situation is a clear example of national guidance not being translated into routine practice. In defining the quality indicators for the new NHS Outcomes Framework, the NHS Commissioning Board must include provisions for adult ADHD within the new commissioning arrangements.”