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Is ADHD on the rise in children and adults in the U.K. and Europe?

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Is ADHD on the rise in children and adults in the U.K. and Europe?

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ADHD seems to be in the news everywhere, but is this due to a rise in cases or to changing awareness and diagnosis? Pulling together the evidence for a presentation to Europe's main clinical neuroscience conference, Professor Anita Thapar said, "The rise in cases of ADHD across Europe appears mainly due to a change in awareness and diagnosis. Indeed, there is growing evidence that ADHD is still underdiagnosed in some countries."

Thapar (of Cardiff University) chaired the NHS England ADHD task force and co-chaired the Welsh Government Neurodivergence Ministerial Advisory Group. She was the main speaker/facilitator at a session at the 39th ECNP congress, discussing why referrals and treatment for ADHD are increasing across the U.K. and Europe, despite evidence that underlying population prevalence has not risen. The discussion mainly focused on U.K. data and evidence, while drawing on findings relevant to other European countries.

Thapar continued, "My overview of the ADHD situation brings together several recent strands of evidence. Yes, ADHD diagnoses have risen across Europe, but this seems to be due to changes in diagnostic criteria, improved awareness and research evidence on ADHD and its risks, rather than to an epidemic of ADHD.

"It is now being recognized, whereas in the past it wasn't. You sometimes see this with medical conditions; for example, conditions like high lipid levels and hypertension and their risks were not widely recognized in the 1960s.


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