ADHD timebomb fear as diagnoses rocket in the UK among adults and boys over the past two decades
ADHD time bomb anxiety as diagnoses skyrocket among adults and boys in the UK over the past two decades
- Most cases have been seen in boys aged 10 to 16, data from UCL showed
- 3.5% of those in this range had a diagnosis in 2018, up from 1.4% in 2000
Britain has seen a significant rise in diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with most cases in boys aged 10 to 16, a study shows.
Symptoms, such as restlessness, difficulty concentrating and impulsive behavior, begin in childhood but are increasingly recognized as persisting into adulthood.
Research shows that both diagnoses and prescriptions for ADHD medications have increased significantly over the past two decades.
A team from University College London reviewed data from 7 million people aged three to 99 between 2000 and 2018.
Of these individuals, 35,877 had an ADHD diagnosis and 18,518 were prescribed ADHD medication by their GP.
Britain has seen a significant rise in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses, with most cases in boys aged 10 to 16 (file image)
The researchers, who predict a continued rise in diagnoses, said ADHD is more common in children than adults, and more common in boys and men than girls and women.
The findings showed that, in absolute terms, the increase in cases was highest in children. In 2000, 1.4 percent of boys aged 10 to 16 had a diagnosis of ADHD, in 2018 this was 3.5 percent.
Of these, 0.6 percent had been prescribed ADHD medication at the start of the study, compared to 2.4 percent in 2018.
However, the relative increase was greatest in adults. At that time, there was an approximately 20-fold increase in ADHD diagnoses and nearly 50-fold increase in ADHD prescriptions among men ages 18 to 29, from 0.01 percent to 0.56 percent.
Lead author Dr Doug McKechnie said: ‘In recent years there have been many reports of long waiting lists for ADHD assessments on the NHS, particularly in adults.
‘It is likely that more and more people will be diagnosed and treated for ADHD, so specialist services should be made available to address this.’
The findings, published in the journal BJPsych Open, also showed that the rate of ADHD diagnoses was two times higher in the most deprived areas compared to the least deprived areas.
Symptoms include restlessness, difficulty concentrating and impulsive behavior (file image)