A comprehensive new study has uncovered a dramatic surge in the use of prescription medications for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder across the United Kingdom, with rates tripling over the last decade. The research highlights particularly sharp increases among adult women, signalling a significant shift in diagnosis and treatment patterns for this neurodevelopmental condition.
European Study Reveals Striking UK Trends
Researchers from the University of Oxford conducted an extensive analysis of electronic health records spanning Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom, examining data from more than 198,000 individuals between 2010 and 2023. Their findings demonstrate that while medication use increased across all studied nations, the United Kingdom experienced the most pronounced growth with a threefold increase, closely followed by the Netherlands where rates more than doubled.
Women Experience Most Dramatic Change
The study reveals particularly striking changes among women over the age of 25, with medication rates soaring from just 0.01 per cent in 2010 to 0.2 per cent by 2023. This represents a twenty-fold increase for women compared to a fifteen-fold increase for men in the same age bracket, though men continue to receive ADHD medication at higher overall rates.
"We observed a consistent increase in ADHD medication use across Europe, but the most striking changes were among adults, especially women," explained Xintong Li, lead author of the study from the University of Oxford. "These findings likely reflect growing awareness and diagnosis of adult ADHD, but they also raise important questions about long-term treatment patterns and care needs."
Understanding Gender Differences in Presentation
The research attributes this gender disparity to evolving clinical understanding about how ADHD manifests differently in women compared to men. While boys often display more overt hyperactive symptoms, women frequently present with inattentiveness that has historically led to underdiagnosis during childhood. This gender-related socialisation pattern has created a generation of women who were overlooked in their younger years only to seek diagnoses and treatment as adults.
Treatment Challenges and High Dropout Rates
Despite the substantial increase in prescriptions, the study uncovered concerning patterns regarding treatment continuity. Only 31 per cent of UK patients remained on their ADHD medication after one year, with Germany showing an even lower persistence rate of just 15 per cent. This high dropout rate suggests many individuals struggle to find the right balance with their treatment regimens.
Interestingly, those who did persist with medication often had a history of antidepressant use, indicating that patients with more complex mental health needs may be more likely to secure and maintain appropriate support. This clinical complexity underscores that ADHD rarely exists in isolation from other mental health conditions.
Significant Treatment Gap Persists
Despite these rising prescription figures, researchers emphasise that ADHD remains significantly under-treated compared to global prevalence estimates. Approximately 3 per cent of adults worldwide are estimated to have ADHD, yet treatment rates in the UK and across Europe remain substantially lower. The report concludes that while not every individual with ADHD requires medication, the current gap between global prevalence and local treatment rates indicates many patients continue to miss out on necessary clinical support.
NHS Faces Neurodiversity Service Crisis
These findings emerge as the National Health Service confronts a deepening crisis in neurodiversity services across the United Kingdom. With record-long waiting lists for ADHD assessments, many patients face delays of several years before receiving confirmation of diagnosis and accessing appropriate support.
Health officials have issued warnings that without urgent investment in diagnostic services, a substantial proportion of adults currently missing out on treatment will continue to face significant barriers to both workplace stability and mental wellbeing. The authors of the study published in The Lancet have called for a radical reconsideration of how adult neurodiversity is managed within healthcare systems.
The current surge in prescriptions represents merely the tip of a much larger public health challenge facing the United Kingdom, researchers caution, highlighting the need for comprehensive strategies to address both diagnosis and long-term management of ADHD across all age groups and genders.
