The diagnoses are the tip. The rest learned to live with it.
ADHD in adults is not a rarity and not a hype. It is the most common reason for referral to mental health care. But those who got a diagnosis are only part of the story. A large group, especially older people and women, never got one.
Not rare, not new
The condition does not occur more often than before, but is better recognised. And even now the official count is probably an underestimate. The figures below reflect the situation in the Netherlands.
3.2%
of adults in the Netherlands have ADHD according to the NEMESIS-3 population study: about 404,600 people.
#1
ADHD is the most common reason GPs refer patients to mental health care.
~3 disorders
Adults with ADHD have on average three co-occurring disorders, such as anxiety, depression or sleep problems.
From who has it to who gets help
This is the heart of it for Zorgfuik. How many people have ADHD, how many get a diagnosis and treatment, and how many stay out of view: those are three very different numbers.
Who gets counted
- Those who got a diagnosis and are in mental health care
- The roughly 267,000 adults on ADHD medication (and rising: +15% in a year)
- Since 2024, for the first time more women than men on medication
Who was never counted
- Older people: almost 3% of over-65s have ADHD, but the diagnosis is rarely made
- Women whose symptoms were read as anxiety, depression or the menopause
- Everyone who never sought help and quietly learned to live with it
Late, or never
Two groups stay under the radar the longest, structurally. Not because their symptoms are milder, but because something else was being looked at.
♀ Women
Historically underdiagnosed. Symptoms more often turn inward (dreamy, perfectionist, anxious) and are read sooner as depression, burnout or the menopause. The masking costs so much energy that it actually leads to exhaustion.
👴 Older people
In over-65s, ADHD is rarely recognised. Symptoms are put down to old age, grief, depression or even dementia. People often go through a long treatment history without ADHD ever being considered.
Where these figures come from
3.2% of adults (404,600 people)
Most common mental-health referral
267,000 adults on medication, 360,000 total (2025)
About a third of adults with ADHD get medication
ADHD in older people (over-65s)
🏎 Need help right now?
If there is immediate danger to yourself or someone else: call 112. Feeling low or having thoughts of suicide? In the Netherlands you can call or chat day and night with 113 Suicide Prevention via 0800-0113. Outside the Netherlands, contact your local emergency line.