ADHD prescriptions jump 33% in a year with women in their 20s and 30s driving record uptick

Women in their 20s and 30s have driven a record increase in ADHD drug prescriptions, according to official data released today.

NHS statistics show that more than 230,000 people in England are now taking medicines to combat their inattention and hyperactivity.

The number of prescriptions has risen by a fifth in a year, the largest annual increase since modern records began in 2015.

And for the first time, more adults than children are now receiving powerful drugs like Ritalin to help them cope with the conduct disorder. Five years ago, people over the age of 18 made up only a third of all ADHD patients who received medication.

Younger women, however, saw the largest annual increases, with rates rising 50 percent among the 25-39 age group.

Celebrities like Olivia Attwood sharing their own ADHD travails have contributed to the rise, experts say.

The Love Island star, 30, who rose to fame on ITV’s hit show in 2017, explained how the condition “caused a lot of stress for myself and those around me” during her teens and early twenties “when things didn’t work out”.

Katie Price this week became the latest star to reveal she has been diagnosed with the condition.

The TV personality, 45, described how it explains why she never felt there would be ‘consequences’ for her actions.

Professor Joanna Moncrieff of University College London, a world-renowned expert in psychiatry, is sure that some people seek a diagnosis because they are inspired by celebrities touting the benefits of their diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

“A lot of people seem to want the diagnosis and are looking for it,” Professor Moncrieff said.

But she cautioned that the criteria for getting an adult ADHD diagnosis have become “fuzzy and elastic,” meaning many can match the symptoms.

Experts have previously warned of many issues that lead to an ADHD diagnosis — such as difficulty paying attention at work, making mistakes, or being easily distracted — things to which most people can answer “yes.”

For women in particular, Professor Moncrieff added, there was a heightened “cultural sense of inadequacy” where they felt they had to be highly successful in both their personal and professional lives.

“People feel insecure, inadequate and it speaks to the fact that the job is more competitive, and women in particular are under pressure to be both perfect mothers and good employees,” she said.

‘They see medication as a possible solution or booster for their performance.’

Professor Philip Asherson, a psychiatrist from King’s College London, agreed that leading ‘individuals’ helped to increase diagnoses and therefore prescriptions.

But he added that the “massive” disruption of the Covid pandemic to people’s lives may also explain the rapid rise in ADHD patients.

“I think the loss of routines… had a huge impact on challenging people with ADHD and is the main explanation for the sudden rapid rise,” he said.

However, Professor Asherson added that diagnostic rates for ADHD were ‘very low historically’ and there was ‘a lot of catching up to do’.

Private clinics are also benefiting from the rise of people seeking an ADHD diagnosis, other experts say.

A damning BBC study earlier this year found that patients with ADHD could be diagnosed with ADHD and offered quick video call assessments with private clinics.

Women between the ages of 30 and 34 had the largest increase of all age groups, at 59 percent.

This group was followed by women aged 25-29 (56 percent more) and women aged 35-39 (54 percent more).

Despite these cohorts seeing the greatest year-over-year growth, they are still overshadowed by boys aged 10-14, who account for nearly a fifth of the total number of ADHD patients on medication.

There have been concerns for years about increasing cases of ADHD.

Some experts argue that the rise may be due to people who missed a diagnosis as a child and finally noticed their condition.

It wasn’t until 2008 that British experts even recognized that ADHD could also affect adults.

Before then, the condition was recognized as a childhood problem that children slowly grew out of.

Four stimulants are currently approved in the UK for ADHD: methylphenidate, lisdexamfetamine, dexamfetamine and guanfacine.

These drugs are stimulants intended to increase patients’ ability to concentrate and focus on completing tasks.

But they can also cause sleep disturbances, depressed moods and panic attacks.

Professor Moncrieff also said that ADHD medication carries many risks and that we should not give people powerful stimulants for no reason.

“They’re stimulants, real amphetamines or amphetamine-like substances, these are drugs that have been used recreationally for a long time,” she said.

“We don’t have enough information about the long-term effects to be sure they’re safe, especially in adults.”

Academics are still trying to piece together how ADHD affects older people.

ADHD affects about 5 percent of children in the US, with about 3.6 percent in boys and 0.85 percent in girls in the UK.

Most cases of the condition are diagnosed between six and 12 years of age.

But as many as one in 20 adults in Britain could have the condition, according to the charity the ADHD Foundation.

Exactly what causes ADHD is unclear, but it is believed to involve genetic mutations that affect a person’s brain function and structure.

Babies born prematurely and people with epilepsy or brain damage are more at risk.

ADHD is also linked to other conditions such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, Tourette’s syndrome and epilepsy.

There is no cure, but a combination of medication and therapy is usually recommended to relieve symptoms and make everyday life easier.