Health professionals and parents have been voicing concerns over a rise in ADHD instances, notably amongst youth — however, this upward trend seems to have slowed down recently.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which impacts approximately 8% of kids and adolescents globally, ranks among the most prevalent mental health conditions. Around 366 million adults across the world live with this condition, experiencing challenges such as difficulty concentrating, fidgetiness, and impulsive actions.
However, a fresh study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders indicates that the perceived increase in ADHD diagnoses recently might be attributed more to greater awareness rather than an actual rise.
The analysis reviewed 40 research papers on ADHD published starting from 2020. Despite considerable limitations in the available data, the most robust studies concluded that there was no notable rise in the total occurrence of ADHD during this period.
They did not observe a significant rise in newly diagnosed cases between 2020 and 2024, even though these numbers had generally increased over recent decades.
Researchers have observed an increasing trend where more individuals are opting for testing and looking for assistance with ADHD.
"Our strongest evidence indicates that the actual prevalence of ADHD hasn't risen significantly," said Philip Shaw, who directs the King’s Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People, addressing reporters.
“I suspect that due to the high awareness of ADHD, it’s frequently being used as...the means for young individuals to convey their difficulties at school and their need for assistance,” commented Shaw, who wasn’t part of the new research.
Experts suggest that the prolonged rise in ADHD instances may be attributed to several factors including delayed recognitions of symptoms in individuals who went undiagnosed during their early years, shifts in diagnostic criteria for ADHD, disturbances caused by the pandemic, increased use of social media, along with various other unidentified causes.
Several individuals have suggested that the continuous bombardment from social media and smartphones—which labels the younger population as the "distracted generation"—might contribute to a rise in ADHD cases.
A 2023 study For instance, identified a connection between ADHD symptoms and overuse of social media, reliance on smartphones, and internet addiction.
However, not every attention issue is necessarily indicative of ADHD, and as Shaw stated, "It's too soon to determine the cause-and-effect relationship." We still haven’t figured out which comes first—the chicken or the egg.”
Researches stated that additional investigations are required to verify if an increasing number of individuals are genuinely developing ADHD compared to earlier times, or if these cases are merely being identified more frequently now.
"We ought to consider these questions…and I believe that’s precisely what is occurring," Shaw stated.