The Royal Australasian College of Physicians is currently revising the 1997 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).1 Also, the American Psychiatric Association is working towards the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM), with an expected publication date of 2012. These are valuable opportunities to review existing diagnostic criteria for ADHD and consider alternatives.