Author Matt Haig described the debate surrounding alleged overdiagnosis of autism and mental health conditions as “misguided and disingenuous” during a talk at the 2026 Henley Literary Festival.
Haig, 51, is known for his fiction writing as well as non-fiction books about mental health; he has been diagnosed with both ADHD and autism, and discusses his experiences with the conditions publically.
In conversation with Gaby Huddart at the Henley-on-Thames-based festival, held this year in partnership with The Independent, Haig addressed recent debates over the rise in autism rates, which some commentators have characterised as a tendency to mis- or overdiagnose on the part of medical professionals.
“People sometimes say, what’s the point of [getting an autism diagnosis]? Because you don’t get a pill: what difference does it make, knowing?” he said. “And I know this comes at a point now where it’s a political issue, and there’s a whole question of overdiagnosis, which I think is a misguided and disingenuous debate.
“I think misdiagnosis is a problem across the spectrum of health,” he added. “And I still think neurodiversity is actually more probably underdiagnosed.”
There are, he added, “a lot of people who don’t understand their own minds”, and placed blame for the framing of the debate with politicians.
“I think politicians [are] adding this stigma for politically motivated reasons, and reasons to do with not giving benefits to certain groups of people.”
Among the politicians to have spoken out on the issue is Labour’s Wes Streeting, who served as Health Minister during Keir Starmer’s prime ministership.
Speaking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg last March, Streeting stated that there is an "overdiagnosis" of mental health conditions, which resulted in "too many people being written off”.
In the interview, he said that the welfare system had to be “sustainable”, defending planned cuts to benefits.
His remarks were criticised by mental health charities at the time.
The results of a government review, commissioned by Streeting, were published this week, concluding that there exists an increased risk of overdiagnosis and misdiagnosis.
The authors of the review stated, however, that they “cannot conclude that overdiagnosis is occurring at scale”.
“Having ADHD- or autism-related traits does not necessarily mean someone has a diagnosable condition,” the authors said.
“The rise in mental health problems is real, is affecting everyday functioning, and cannot be explained by greater awareness alone,” the authors wrote.
Henley Literary Festival runs until 11 October in the town of Henley-on-Thames.
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