Sharp increase in ADHD diagnoses among children and young people

In three years, the number of children and young people diagnosed with ADHD has increased by almost 50 percent, according to recent figures from the National Board of Health and Welfare.

The largest increase is among girls aged 10-17.

– There are many who need a diagnosis to fit in, and many who want it to cope better, says journalist and author Katarina Bjärvall.

Overall, today one in ten boys and one in fifteen girls in Sweden has ADHD or an ADD diagnosis. Looking at the population as a whole, 190,000 people have an ADHD diagnosis, according to recent figures from the National Board of Social Services.

Peter Salmi, investigator at the National Board of Health and Welfare, believes that part of the explanation for the large increase lies in increased knowledge.

– Looking at the whole development, it is about an increased knowledge of the condition, and that more resources have been added and receptions staffed to investigate, he says.

Sweden ranks high internationally

Sweden is also one of the countries in the world that is most diligent in handing out ADHD medication, according to figures from The Lancet. They have looked at the average daily dose of ADHD medication per 1,000 inhabitants, and there Sweden came in third place as recently as 2019.

What is the cause of this explosive increase? According to the journalist and author Katarina Bjärvall, who has examined the increase in ADHD diagnoses in Sweden, much is about how today’s school is designed.

– I think it’s about increased stress at school, i.e. more messy kids in the classroom and fewer resources to help them, she says, and continues:

– Then a diagnosis can give greater chances of getting more resources to the classroom, i.e. assistants and resource persons. And the kids can get medicine, and the medicine helps in the vast majority of cases.

Many are medicated unnecessarily

Katarina Bjärvall believes that today’s schools have so many shortcomings that an ADHD diagnosis is the easiest way to go, even though it is not always necessary.

– It’s not just a lack of resources, there are all kinds of other problems in the school as well. It’s completely different school assignments with more analysis. Quite young children are expected to perform their own thinking and sit and think out answers to big clever questions. It is difficult if you have difficulty concentrating, she says.

The danger of being too liberal in diagnosing and giving medication is that people who could be helped in other ways take the focus away from those who actually have severe ADHD, she believes.

– It is a problem that people with severe ADHD are not taken as seriously as they should be.

The pharmaceutical industry also has a big role in development, believes Katarina Bjärvall. Among other things, through diligent marketing towards care, school and parents that help is available through their medicine.

– Awareness has been raised about ADHD, but all advertising campaigns end with the message that help is available. That is, get medicine.