Among the Nordic countries Iceland has the highest use of ADHD medication while waiting lists for diagnosis and treatment are getting longer. The minister of Health therefore appointed a committee in December 2023 to write a green paper on the situation by meeting relevant stakeholders, going through data and the literature. The objective was to identify 5-10 key findings to guide authorities regarding next possible steps.

How much evidence is enough to justify a treatment? The question sits at the fault line between science, ethics, and practice. Researchers seek methodological certainty; clinicians face patients whose needs seldom wait for consensus. Regulators demand proof before approval, while professional societies call for coherence before endorsement. Each perspective is valid, yet none alone determines when knowledge becomes action.

This article is based on a short lecture originally given in the Swedish Psychiatric Associations yearly meeting in Stockholm in March 2024. I have since given a similar lecture on other occasions. The article below is a summary of the main points of the lecture. My intention with the lecture was to bring into awareness and discuss some current international research important for understanding ADHD, research that is not often discussed in Sweden. Because of space limitations