ADHD prescriptions double within a decade in Australia

Prescriptions for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medications have surged in recent years as an increased awareness of the disorder in adults leads to more diagnoses, experts say.

There are now more adults than children being prescribed ADHD medication, while the total number of prescriptions issued has doubled in the last decade, annual data from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, published by The Sydney Morning Herald, has revealed.

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More than a million prescriptions were issued last year for the two most common ADHD medications: methylphenidate (Ritalin) and dexamphetamine.

Back in 2013, there were 10,000 more prescriptions issued for children, however during the past year 24,000 more scripts were given to adults.

Australian GP and author Dr Brad McKay told Weekend Today a combination of factors was likely at play.

"I think a lot of people were in lockdown during COVID and noticing their concentration span was terrible," he said.

"There's also been predatory marketing on TikTok as well, teaching people and telling people that maybe you've got ADHD.

"It's created a whole demand where people are talking to their GP."

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McKay said waiting lists for some psychiatrists had blown out to six months as patients sought to be diagnosed and prescribed medication.

Many people being diagnosed with ADHD as adults would have had their symptoms missed during childhood, while others went unmedicated for various reasons, he added.

"I have patients who may have been diagnosed as a child but their parents didn't want them on medication, now as adults they're struggling with tasks at work," he said.

"It's pushing more of a formal late diagnosis onto a lot of adults."