ADHD prescriptions have soared since Covid pandemic, study finds
Prescriptions of ADHD stimulants have increased since the start of the Covid outbreak, and experts suggest that virtual screening services and social media are among the reasons behind this increase.
A University of Toronto study found that the number of ADHD prescriptions in Canada has doubled since the start of the pandemic, with the largest increases seen among young adults and women.
Similar trends have been reported in the United Kingdom, where prescriptions and diagnoses for this condition are increasing rapidly.
Co-author of the study, Dr. Mina Tadrous said: “Many of these findings are consistent with stimulant prescribing trends observed globally in the post-pandemic period and are likely influenced by greater awareness of ADHD in adults and increased access to care following a historical pattern of underdiagnosis of ADHD in adulthood, particularly among women.
“However, the increasing influence of social media influencers on ADHD awareness in young adults and the rapid development of virtual health services that support online assessments and treatment may also be contributing to misdiagnoses and potential harm.”
Researchers analyzed data from nearly 330,000 adults in Ontario who were given at least one new prescription for stimulants, fast-acting ADHD medications, between 2016 and 2024.
They found that more than 220,000 adults had received their first course of prescription stimulants in the four years since March 2020, compared with 107,000 in the previous four years.
The largest increases and highest rates of new stimulant receptors occurred in young adults, particularly those ages 18 to 24.
The study also found that although stimulant prescribing rates were similar between men and women before the pandemic, women made up 59 percent of adults taking the drug after the pandemic began.
University of Bath psychologist Dr. Punit Shah said the number of diagnoses and prescriptions for ADHD had been increasing for decades, but the UK and much of the world had seen a significant increase since the pandemic.
A recently published study by the University of Oxford found that the number of adults taking ADHD medication has increased twenty-fold since 2010.
“I think the reasons are multifactorial. The increase in diagnosis is partly due to increased awareness of ADHD… In terms of other factors, it’s speculative, but I think there are theories and ideas that ADHD rates are increasing because people are more willing to seek a diagnosis,” Dr Shah said.
He said the reasons behind the post-pandemic surge have not been confirmed.
“Speculatively speaking, the pandemic has given many people time, probably too much time, to focus on their inner sense of being and well-being,” he added.
“This focus on oneself and one’s own health has, to some extent, led to an increase in the medicalization of a number of psychological phenomena in general. I think increasing ADHD is part of this phenomenon.”
“Our findings may reflect better recognition and treatment of ADHD in adulthood, but the pace and scale of this growth also raises important questions about how diagnoses are made and whether this prescription is always appropriate,” said Tara Gomes of the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network.
“While greater awareness of ADHD in adults has likely supported many individuals in accessing timely care, increased rates of stimulant prescribing in this population, increased non-specialist initiation, increased virtual care, and shorter assessment timelines also raise concerns about the quality of diagnostic practices.”
The NHS has been contacted for comment.
