17 July 2023 , 01:16
999
0
The number of adults and young boys diagnosed with ADHD in the UK has skyrocketed in the last 20 years. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - ADHD for short - can present itself in childhood with most cases in boys aged ten to 16, a study shows.
Researchers from University College London (UCL) reveals that it's not just diagnoses but prescriptions for medication to treat ADHD symptoms has risen over the same time period. Experts reviewed data from seven million Brits from the ages of three to 99, between the years 2000 and 2018.
Of these individuals, 35,877 had an ADHD diagnosis and 18,518 received prescriptions for ADHD medication from their GP. Researchers have now predicted the rise in cases to increase.
What are the symptoms of ADHD?
The NHS says that symptoms are normally noticeable before the age of six. They occur in more than one situation, such as at home and at school.
Children may have symptoms of both inattentiveness and hyperactivity and impulsiveness, or they may have symptoms of just one of these types of behaviour.
Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade
The main signifiers are inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
The main signs of inattentiveness are:
- having a short attention span and being easily distracted
- making careless mistakes – for example, in schoolwork
- appearing forgetful or losing things
- being unable to stick to tasks that are tedious or time-consuming
- appearing to be unable to listen to or carry out instructions
- constantly changing activity or task
- having difficulty organising tasks
The main signs of hyperactivity and impulsiveness are:
- being unable to sit still, especially in calm or quiet surroundings
- constantly fidgeting
- being unable to concentrate on tasks
- excessive physical movement
- excessive talking
- being unable to wait their turn
- acting without thinking
- interrupting conversations
- little or no sense of danger
These symptoms can cause significant problems in a child's life, such as underachievement at school, poor social interaction with other children and adults, and problems with discipline.
The study found the rise in cases is most significant in children. Just 1.4 per cent of boys between 10 and 16 had ADHD diagnoses in 2000, but this has since risen to 3.5 per cent in 2018.
Of these, 0.6 per cent had been prescribed ADHD medication at the start of the study compared with 2.4 per cent in 2018. The relative increase, however, was largest among adults.
Over that time there was approximately a 20-fold rise in ADHD diagnoses and nearly 50-fold in ADHD prescriptions in men aged between 18 to 29, from 0.01 per cent to 0.56 per cent.
Lead author Dr Doug McKechnie said: "Over the last few years, there have been many reports of long waiting lists for ADHD assessments on the NHS, especially in adults.
"It's likely that more and more people will be diagnosed with, and treated for, ADHD, so specialist services need to be made available to handle this."
The findings, published in the journal BJPsych Open, also found the number of ADHD diagnoses was two times higher in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived areas.
Greggs, Costa & Pret coffees have 'huge differences in caffeine', says report