More and more children and young people in Sweden are receiving medication for ADHD. New figures from the National Board of Health and Welfare show that 4.5 percent of those between the ages of 5 and 19 collected medicine last year. In 2006, less than one percent of boys took ADHD medication. In 2022, it had increased to 5.6 percent. During the same period, girls have gone from almost none at all to 3.4 percent. The increase is connected to the fact that more and more children and young people in Sweden are diagnosed with ADHD or ADD, and more boys than girls, which is also reflected in the prescription of drugs. The most common medicine contains a central stimulant. – Many of them need the medicine, but they need medicine together with other measures, says Christopher Gillberg, senior professor of child and youth psychiatry at Sahlgrenska Academy in Gothenburg and chief physician at Queen Silvia’s Children’s Hospital. According to him, there are no studies that have shown negative effects in the long term. The medicine is a protection for children and young people with these problems. Among other things, the risk of ending up in crime, getting into car accidents and suicide is greater if you do not take medication. Watch an interview with Christopher Gillberg in the clip above.
t4-general
Large increase in ADHD medication among Swedish children
