Diagnoses of ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) are on the rise among US adults
Approximately 15.5 million adults will be diagnosed with ADHD in 2023, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This is approximately 6% of adults in the country, or 1 in 16 people.
About half of these diagnoses are not discovered until adulthood.
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The agency collected this data from the National Center for Health Statistics’ Rapid Surveillance System from October to November 2023.
Approximately 15.5 million adults will be diagnosed with ADHD in 2023, according to a new report from the CDC. (St. Petersburg)
The study also found that adults with ADHD were more likely to be under age 50 (84.5% vs. 51.2%) and more likely to be non-Hispanic white (70.4% vs. 61.4%).
According to the CDC, people with incomes below the federal poverty level were more likely to be diagnosed (22.1% vs. 12.3%).
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About one-third of adults with ADHD reported taking some type of stimulant, but more than 71% said they had difficulty obtaining a prescription.
About half of adults diagnosed with ADHD said they had used telemedicine to receive ADHD treatment.
The CDC acknowledged that the study had some limitations.
One psychotherapist said electronic devices and social media may be contributing to the surge in diagnoses. (Marina Demidiuk)
“First, self-reports of ADHD diagnosis may be subject to recall and reporting bias and are not verified against medical records,” the agency said in its report.
“Second, commercial online panel surveys have low response rates, may underrepresent certain subpopulations, and are more likely to introduce nonresponse bias.”
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A third limitation is that socio-demographic and geographic data were collected before the survey was conducted, and it is important to note that the “population distribution of several variables such as age, education, household income, and metropolitan area status” may have had an impact,” the report said.
Psychotherapist asks opinion
Jonathan Alpert, a psychotherapist in Manhattan and Washington, D.C., said he sees new patients coming in every week worried about ADHD.
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“There are certainly people who are correctly diagnosed with ADHD and need medication, but as with the GLP-1 phenomenon, there are many who are using it off-label or who don’t really need it.” “There is a shortage of medicines,” he said. he told FOX News Digital.
“The first line of treatment should be psychological and behavioral interventions.”
Alpert said there are many patients who don’t actually have the disorder but are self-diagnosed through online surveys.
“This fits into a broader phenomenon in our country where we have become over-treated, over-diagnosed and, frankly, over-dependent on people like me,” he said. Ta.
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When it comes to treating ADHD and other mental health disorders, Alpert says, “The first line of treatment should be psychological and behavioral interventions, and not necessarily drugs, as they are not without side effects.” he says.
About one-third of adults with ADHD reported taking some type of stimulant, but more than 71% said they had difficulty obtaining a prescription. (St. Petersburg)
Psychotherapists also warned that electronic devices and social media may be contributing to the surge in diagnoses.
“The essence of these is to provide stimulation through a device in which the brain is continually engaged, and for many people overly engaged,” Alpert warned.
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“This leads to being distracted, confused, and unable to complete tasks, among other characteristic features of this diagnosis.”
“By making major behavioral and lifestyle changes, you can minimize and improve symptoms, thereby reducing your dependence on medications.”
