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ADHD prescriptions surge up to 20-fold in a decade
ADHD medication presciptions have surged in the UK over the past decade.
Women have driven the record numbers, research suggests, with a 2000 per cent increase in prescriptions in those aged over 25.
Overall, prescriptions for drugs to treat the condition have tripled in just over a decade, experts found.Â
Experts, led by academics from the University of Oxford, blamed the âdramaticâ jump on âgrowing awarenessâ of ADHD but warned it also posed serious questions about how to combat medication shortages.
Doctors have repeatedly raised concerns in recent years about a surge in diagnoses.
The findings also come amid a growing number of celebrities sharing their own battles with the condition.
Writing in the prestigious journal The Lancet Regional Health â Europe, the scientists said: âWe observed dramatic rise in ADHD medication use among adults, especially among females.
âThese findings likely reflect growing awareness and diagnosis of adult ADHD, but they also raise important questions about long-term treatment patterns and care needs.â
People with ADHD often have high energy and can focus intensely on what interests them, but they may find it difficult to focus on mundane tasks.
This can lead to more impulsiveness, restlessness, and struggles in planning and time management â which may make it harder to succeed at school and work and lead to longer-term challenges.
In the study, researchers examined the rate of ADHD medication prescriptions across five European countries â Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK.
They assessed the health data of almost 200,000 people who initiated ADHD medication between 2010 and 2023, including 31,229 form the UK.
Researchers estimated the prevalence of ADHD medicines methylphenidate, dexamphetamine, lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine and guanfacine use among people aged three and older.
They found medication use rose three-fold in the UK between 2010 and 2023, from 0.12 per cent to 0.39 per cent â the âhighest relative increaseâ of all countries studied.
Among adults over 25, this rose from 0.01 per cent in 2010 to approximately 0.2 per cent in 2023.
Experts said this represents âa more than 20-fold increase in females and 15-fold in malesâ.
They also found that in the UK and Spain over 70 per cent of people aged over 25 on ADHD medication had previously used antidepressants.
And that while ADHD medication use remained higher among men, the sex gap in treatment ânarrowed over timeâ.
Methylphenidate, which is sold under the brand names Ritalin, Concerta, Delmosart, Equasym, Medikinet, was the most commonly used ADHD medication in all five countries studied.
The 9 ‘hidden’ signs of ADHD in adults
ADHD has long been associated with naughty schoolkids who cannot sit still in class.
And that is part of it. Fidgeting, daydreaming and getting easily distracted are all symptoms of the behavioural condition, which is why it is often spotted in children.
However, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is far more complex than simply having trouble focusing.
Henry Shelford, CEO and co-founder of ADHD UK, says: âIf it isnât debilitating, it isnât ADHD.â
In recent years, social media has given rise to trends which conflate specific personality traits or single behaviours with ADHD.
You might be thinking, âIâm always losing my keys, forgetting birthdays and I can never concentrate at work â I must have ADHDâ. But itâs not as simple as that.
Though these may all point to the condition, Dr Elena Touroni, a consultant psychologist and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic, says: âThe key distinction lies in how much a behaviour impacts a personâs daily life.
âGenuine ADHD symptoms affect multiple areas of life â work, relationships and emotional wellbeing â whereas personality traits are typically context-dependent and less disruptive.â
ADHD UKâs Henry, who has the condition himself, adds: âHaving ADHD is hard. One in ten men with ADHD and one in four women with ADHD will at some point try to take their own lives.â
So how can ADHD manifest in someoneâs life? While hyperactivity is a common indicator, here are nine other subtle signs:
- Time blindness â losing track of time, underestimating how long tasks will take, regularly being late or excessively early
- Lack of organisation â a messy home, frequently misplacing items, forgetting deadlines
- Hyperfocus â becoming deeply engrossed in activities for hours
- Procrastination â feeling overwhelmed by to-do lists and struggling to determine what needs your attention first so focusing on less important tasks
- Heightened emotions â emotional struggles can manifest in angry outbursts, feeling flooded with joy or shutting down because you feel too much at once
- Being a âyes manâ â agreeing to new projects at work or dinner dates with friends when youâre already busy (a desire to please)
- Impatience â interrupting people mid-conversation, finding it painful to stand in a queue, being overly-chatty
- Restlessness â tapping, pacing, fidgeting or feeling restless on the inside
- Easily distracted â by external things, like noises, or internal things like thoughts
Researchers said that understanding patterns of ADHD prescription rates was important for health officials to allocate resources effectively, particularly given the global shortage of ADHD medication since September 2023.
At present, there arenât enough specialist services to support adults with ADHD in the UK.
Waits for specialist assessments in order to get a formal diagnosis stretch into the thousands.
Professor Daniel Prieto-Alhambra, an expert in health data science at the University of Oxford and study co-author, said: âUnderstanding how ADHD medications are being used in real-world clinical practice is essential for healthcare planning.
âThese data can help health systems anticipate demand and reduce the risk of future medication shortages, while also highlighting populations that may need closer monitoring.â
Commenting on the paper, Henry Shelford, chief executive of ADHD UK, also said: âThe percentage increase in adult women receiving treatment is in significant part due to how bad identification is for girls in schools and the catch-up needed in adulthood.â
He added: âPeople with ADHD, and in particular untreated ADHD, have a lower overall life expectancy, an increased risk of multiple physical and mental healthcare conditions, and a much higher risk of suicide.
âWe should be celebrating the increased identification and treatment we are seeing. The lives that we save and lives it will lengthen.
âWe need to celebrate this improvement and fight for more. However, too often the stigmatising attitudes to ADHD mean attempts to reduce the treatment gap are met with derision instead of support.â
In December last year, Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced he had launched an independent review into the rising demand for mental health, ADHD and autism services.
The review will look at rates of diagnosis and the support offered to people.
How to get help for ADHD
Unfortunately, a GP cannot formally diagnose ADHD but they can refer you for a specialist assessment.
Be warned, the wait can be long. Data suggests there are around 200,000 adults on waiting lists across the UK.
And a recent BBC investigation found in many areas it would take at least eight years to clear the backlog.
For an adult to be diagnosed with ADHD, the NHS says their symptoms should have a moderate effect on different areas of their life, such as underachieving at work or having difficulties in relationships, and the person has been displaying symptoms continuously for at least six months.Â
There must also be evidence symptoms have been present since childhood â itâs thought that the condition cannot develop for the first time in adults.
After a diagnosis, treatment can include psychological therapies, psychotherapy, social skills training and medication.
For many, a diagnosis can be a relief, but also unravel mixed emotions and feelings of âbeing differentâ.
ADHD UKÂ has information on considering diagnostic pathways and can offer support
