The number of ADHD prescriptions in England has risen by 18% each year since 2020, reaching 41.55 per 1,000 people in 2023\/24, according to new research<\/strong>. The sharpest rise was recorded in London, where prescription rates increased by 28% annually, while other regions also saw significant growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Experts suggest that increased public awareness\u2014partly driven by social media\u2014has encouraged more people to seek assessment and treatment. However, concerns remain about potential overdiagnosis and unequal access to ADHD care across different demographic groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A study by academics from the University of Huddersfield and Aston University, published in BMJ Mental Health<\/a> and reported by The Guardian, found that ADHD prescriptions in England grew from 25 per 1,000 people in 2019\/20 to 41.55 per 1,000 in 2023\/24.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the researchers, one ADHD prescription typically provides 28 days of medication. This rapid increase in prescriptions suggests a higher number of diagnosed and treated cases, reflecting a shift in public awareness and healthcare <\/a>practices since the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The study suggests that social media platforms such as Instagram <\/strong>and TikTok <\/strong>may be contributing to the surge in awareness and self-diagnosis of attention disorders. Online discussions and content related to symptoms, personal experiences, and management options have encouraged more individuals <\/a>to seek medical evaluation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cFor example, my own clinical work has revealed many cases where inattention problems were caused by untreated depression rather than ADHD. Also, ADHD is often accompanied by other mental disorders like autistic spectrum disorder, complex trauma, anxiety, and depression.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The research also identified ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in attention deficit treatments. Areas with larger white populations\u2014such as the south-east and north-west\u2014recorded higher prescription rates compared to more ethnically diverse regions<\/strong> like London and the Midlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The researchers emphasised the need for policy changes to address regional and socioeconomic disparities in ADHD care. They also called for further research into social media’s role in shaping ADHD awareness and improved moderation of online content to ensure accurate information reaches the public.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ADHD medication use in England has soared by 18% each year since the pandemic, with regional disparities shaping prescription trends. A new study examines the role of social media, healthcare access, and demographic factors in driving this surge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":105891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105886"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105906,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105886\/revisions\/105906"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}