This page was translated automatically from Turkish. Read the original

This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

Debate: Are concerns about autism overdiagnosis justified?

Discussion: are concerns about autism overdiagnosis justified?

Evidence supporting widespread inappropriate diagnosis is limited; the central challenge is not choosing between overdiagnosis and underdiagnosis, but developing assessment practices that improve diagnostic accuracy while preserving equitable access.

The talk addresses the debate over whether the marked global rise in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses reflects improved recognition, expanding diagnostic boundaries, or genuine overdiagnosis. While increasing prevalence has raised concerns about declining diagnostic specificity, the same period has seen greater identification of historically underrecognized groups, including women and girls, individuals without intellectual disability, adults, and ethnically diverse communities. The presentation critically examines the evolution of the diagnostic construct, changes in criteria, greater recognition of the broader autism phenotype, and diagnostic overlap with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety disorders, trauma-related conditions, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, while discussing current perspectives, including those of Professor Uta Frith. Rather than presenting overdiagnosis and underdiagnosis as competing explanations, it argues that both can coexist across different populations and healthcare systems. Current evidence suggests that the increase is driven by multiple interacting factors, including awareness, changing diagnostic criteria, improved access to assessment, diagnostic substitution, and the identification of previously overlooked groups, while evidence supporting widespread inappropriate diagnosis remains limited. The conclusion is that the central challenge lies in developing assessment practices that maximize diagnostic accuracy while ensuring equitable access to clinically meaningful support across the lifespan.

All WCP 2026 summaries