ADHD increase is totally acceptable

And isn't pharma doing well?

More kids might actually have ADHD according to some experts, or it’s possibly more awareness of what’s always been here. If more kids really do have autism, it’s most likely due to the effects of the COVID lockdown.

Regardless, it’s not a big deal. There are medications for this, even if they haven’t been really tested for their side effects.

The explosion in ADHD diagnoses in children around the world, some as young as three, is making the news right now, but this too shall pass. If we can live with three to five percent of children with autism, we’ll be fine with ADHD too.

Here’s how the press spins it.

The Hill:

Approximately 1 in 9 U.S. children, about 7 million, were diagnosed with ADHD in 2022, according to the study, published Wednesday. That marked about 1 million more children who received a diagnosis than in 2016, meaning the rate at which U.S. children were being diagnosed increased quite dramatically.

The study’s authors noted that an increase in diagnoses could reflect the fact the public is more aware of and more frequently seeking care for the disorder, or it could be a reflection of how children developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. . .

People:

Researchers concluded through the study that the main reasons for the uptick in diagnoses could be due to a “generally increasing awareness of and pursuit of care for ADHD, and/or could be a reflection of poor mental health among children during the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

bck online:

. . .there are three factors for this trend.

Doctors, parents, teachers and kids are becoming more aware of ADHD symptoms.

Doctors have more reason to test and diagnose children.

During COVID, parents were able to monitor their children closer and report symptoms to doctors immediately, leading to more screenings and diagnoses.

While the press in the U.S. is totally fine with unending increases in ADHD, there were concerns elsewhere in the world, and they involve what we’re doing to kids with ADHD meds.

Australia

Yahoo News: Surge in WA kids given ADHD drugs 

The number of young children prescribed powerful stimulant medications to treat ADHD has surged in WA by more than 40 per cent in the past five years.

Government figures reveal that 2853 WA children under the age of 12 were on drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder last year - including 223 aged two to six - compared with 2003 children in 2008.

The Department of Human Services figures were obtained by the activist group Citizens Committee on Human Rights, which campaigns against the use of ADHD medication.

They show 62,000 children under 17 were prescribed medication such as Ritalin and dexamphetamine last year, costing the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme $28.6 million [$19M].

Raising concerns

Child psychiatrist Jon Jureidini, from the University of Adelaide, said some doctors were grossly overprescribing the drugs to children, including pre-schoolers.

He said ADHD had become a homogenous label for children with complex and varied psychological and behavioural issues. He had concerns that ADHD medication affected children's growth and eating and sleeping patterns.

"Going down the 'diagnosis leads to medication' pathway is really dumbing down the whole process of understanding children's behaviour," Professor Jureidini said.

"There are two to six-year-olds with profound behaviour problems but I'm not convinced diagnosing them with ADHD and medicating them should be the response." 

Sweden

Medical Express: Sweden orders review after 'explosion' of ADHD cases

Sweden is seeing "an explosion" of ADHD cases among children that has put it far above the global average, the government said Friday as it ordered a review to find out why.

Around 10.5 percent of boys and six percent of girls in Sweden in 2022 had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Social Affairs Minister Jakob Forssmed told reporters, citing statistics from the Board of Health and Welfare.

The figures were expected to rise to 15 and 11 percent respectively before leveling off, he said, citing a forecast from the Swedish Medical Products Agency.

Around five to seven percent of children worldwide have an ADHD diagnosis, the government said.

"Sweden stands out in this context. The number of ADHD diagnoses has increased sharply over time... and shows no sign of abating," Forssmed said.

In addition, ADHD medications prescribed to boys aged 10 to 17 had increased by 800 percent over the past 15 years, from one percent of boys having a prescription in 2001 to eight percent in 2022. . . .

 Forssmed said some of the explanations that have been floated include "increased awareness among healthcare professionals, schools and the public (and) broader diagnosis criteria".

"There also seems to be a belief that a diagnosis has been a formal or informal prerequisite to be able to get extra help in school." . . .

 We’re so used to people with ADHD that hearing about more kids with a diagnosis doesn’t matter.

 The Social Affairs Minister in Sweden, Jakob Forssmed, was right when he said the increase ‘shows no sign of abating.’

Just like autism, it’s only going to get worse.

I do challenge his prediction: “Figures were expected to rise to 15 and 11 percent respectively before leveling off, he said, citing a forecast from the Swedish Medical Products Agency.”

Why would the rate stop increasing at 15 percent of boys and 11 percent of girls? Why wouldn’t it just keep growing? What’s going to stop it?