Prescriptions for ADHD medications have more than doubled within a decade and scripts for adults now outnumber those for children, as rising numbers of adult women are diagnosed with the disorder. | marywardy
Prescriptions for ADHD medications have more than doubled within a decade and scripts for adults now outnumber those for children, as rising numbers of adult women are diagnosed with the disorder.
About 24,000 more scripts were issued for adults than for children during the past year. In 2013, children’s scripts outnumbered adult prescriptions by 10,000.A spokesperson for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Dr Karuppiah Jagadheesan, said the figures reflected reduced stigma around taking the psychostimulant drugs, and“In the last 10 years, there’s been a lot of awareness so many people are reaching [for] help and getting a diagnosis who didn’t before,” he said.
“Not everybody needs medication, even though it has high efficacy,” he said. “There is a proportion of individuals for whom it is better for them to be managing their skills and making lifestyle changes.”An influential 2018 review published infound strong evidence for the effectiveness of psychostimulants as treatment for ADHD. However, the available data only allowed for researchers to assess the impact of medication for up to 12 weeks.
It is estimated that about one in 20 Australian children have ADHD, and about 2.5 per cent of adults, although not all of these people will have received a diagnosis. It will contain 132 recommendations for the diagnosis, treatment and support of people with ADHD across their lifespan.
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It’s more than a lack of focus. What is ADHD?Often diagnosed in school children, ADHD is now being identified more in adults, especially women. How come? | marywardy
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Prescriptions for ADHD medication double in a decadeMore than 1 million scripts for medication used to treat ADHD were issued in 2021, amid rising rates of diagnosis in adults.
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