Unlock Editor’s Digest Lock for Free
FT editor Roula Khalaf will select your favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Research reviews show that the surge in diagnosis and prescription of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder reflects public perceptions of the condition rather than an actual increase in prevalence.
Researchers at the Institute for Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London have analyzed 40 studies conducted since January 2020 in the first systematic review of global ADHD research since the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We have found that the prevalence of ADHD in adults and children has been largely stable since 2020. However, most studies are far too biased to draw conclusions,” said Alex Martin, lead author of the review published in Revisive Disorders, published Thursday.
Demand for ADHD drugs in the UK and the US has been surged in recent years. Neurodevelopmental conditions are characterized by persistent carelessness, hyperactivity, or impulsiveness, but symptoms often exist in different ways from person to person.
In the UK, the proportion of juveniles diagnosed with ADHD has increased from 1.4% in 2000 to 3.5% in 2018. The number of UK awaiting ADHD ratings increased from 17,400 in April 2019 to 172,000 in December 2023.
Large variation in the diagnostic rates of ADHD across countries demonstrates analysis of higher quality data. In the US, approximately 10% of children aged 3 to 17 are diagnosed in Sweden, compared with only 3.2% of children aged 17.
The best estimate of the UK’s true prevalence — diagnosed and undiagnosed — is about 5% in children and 3% in adults, according to current standards, Kings’ Philipshaw said.
In the UK, the NHS estimate released last week shows that the number of adults and children with ADHD is 2.5mn, with little diagnosis. Up to 549,000 people are awaiting ADHD ratings.
Some content could not be loaded. Please check your internet connection or browser settings.
“This study presents a puzzle: How does the “true” rate of ADHD not increase despite the increased demand for ADHD ratings? ” asked Shaw. “I think the most likely explanation is that we are catching up. Now there is a growing awareness of ADHD and there is less stigma. That means people are moving forward more and more for evaluation.”
Moreover, extensive publicity about ADHD means that it is “commonly used as a language of pain,” Shaw said. Some children use ADHD and say, “I express my struggles, especially in school, and need help.”
Recommended
Neuroscientists are investigating whether social media obsessions increase the incidence of ADHD. Shaw said there is evidence of a link between social media use and some symptoms of ADHD, but has not demonstrated that one is causing the other.
The study did not support the frequently-populated idea that the disruption caused by Covid caused significantly more ADHD in children and young people. “We found that incidences showed some variation across the pandemic, but that variation was not statistically significant,” Martin said.
The diagnostic rate for ADHD is about twice as high as in the United Kingdom and other European countries in the United States, but the differences probably represent different cultural contexts and diagnostic criteria on the other side of the Atlantic, says Edmund Sonuga Burke, a professor of developmental psychology at Kings, “I think the true prevalence of ADHD is very similar in the United States and the United Kingdom.”
Chart by Amy Bollett
