ADHD diagnoses in UK men grew nearly 20-fold in 18 years
An increased awareness of ADHD symptoms in adulthood may be prompting people to seek a diagnosis
By Jason Arunn Murugesu
17 July 2023
Adderall, which contains the drugs amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, is often prescribed to treat ADHD
Elizabeth D. Herman/New York Times/Redux/eyevine
Adult diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rose almost 20-fold among men in the UK between 2000 and 2018, possibly due to an increased awareness of the condition.
Doug Mckechnie at University College London and his colleagues analysed anonymised records from National Health Service doctors collected throughout the UK over those 18 years.
They found that diagnoses of ADHD in adult men rose by close to 20-fold, compared with a 15-fold increase among women. ADHD is more common in men and boys than women and girls of all ages.
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“A lot of it is the increasing awareness amongst patients and clinicians, making it more likely that their symptoms are detected and attributed to ADHD,” says Mckechnie. Common symptoms include difficulty concentrating, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
Read more:
ADHD: What's behind the recent explosion in diagnoses?
The increase in cases could also be due to a better understanding of how ADHD continues beyond childhood, he says. “It used to be thought that most people stopped having ADHD once they reached adulthood, but this is no longer thought to be the case,” says Mckechnie.
