Prescriptions for ADHD stimulants have surged since the start of the Covid pandemic, with experts suggesting virtual screening services and social media are part of the reason behind the rise.
A study from the University of Toronto found prescription numbers for ADHD have doubled in Canada since the pandemic started, with the biggest increases seen among young adults and women.
Similar trends have been reported in the UK, where prescriptions and diagnoses for the condition have rapidly risen.
Dr Mina Tadrous, the study’s co-author, said: “Many of these findings are consistent with trends in stimulant prescribing observed globally in the post-pandemic era and are likely influenced by greater awareness of adult ADHD and improved access to care following a historical pattern of underdiagnosis of ADHD in adulthood — particularly among women.
“However, the rising impact of social media influencers on ADHD awareness in young adults, as well as the rapid evolution of virtual health services that support online assessments and treatment, may also be contributing to misdiagnoses and potential harm.”
Researchers analysed the data of the nearly 330,000 adults who were dispensed at least one new prescription for stimulants, which are fast-acting ADHD medications, between 2016 and 2024 in Ontario.
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 the 107,000 adults in the four years beforehand.
The largest increase and highest rates of new stimulant recipients occurred in young adults, particularly among 18- to 24-year-olds.
The study also found that women made up 59 per cent of adults who were taking the medication after the pandemic began, despite stimulant prescription rates being similar between men and women before the pandemic.
Dr Punit Shah, a psychologist at the University of Bath, said the number of diagnoses and prescriptions for ADHD had been increasing for several decades, but the UK and most of the world had seen a notable rise since the pandemic.
A recently released study led by the University of Oxford found that the number of adults taking ADHD medication has risen twenty-fold since 2010.
“I think the reasons are multifactorial. The increase in diagnosis is partly because of an increase in awareness of ADHD... In terms of other factors, it is speculative, but I think there are theories and ideas that ADHD rates are increasing because people are more willing to seek out diagnosis as well,” Dr Shah said.
He said the reasons behind the post-pandemic spike have not been confirmed.
“Speculatively speaking, the pandemic gave a lot of people time, arguably too much time to focus on their internal sense of being and wellbeing,” he added.
“This sort of focus on oneself and one's own health, to some extent, has led to an increase generally in medicalisation of a range of psychological phenomena. I think ADHD increasing is part of this phenomenon.”
Tara Gomes from the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network said: “Our findings may reflect improved recognition and treatment of ADHD in adulthood; however, the speed and scale of this growth also raises important questions about how diagnoses are being made, and if this prescribing is always appropriate.
“While greater awareness of adult ADHD has likely supported many people accessing timely care, the speed of rising stimulant prescribing in this population alongside more non-specialist initiation, increasing virtual care, and shorter assessment timelines also raises concerns about the quality of diagnostic practices.”
The NHS has been contacted for comment.
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