A Swedish researcher details the reasons for the increase in diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.
- ADHD diagnoses in children are increasing, reaching 11.4% in the United States and up to 10.5% for boys in Sweden.
- This increase can be explained by several factors: professionals are better trained and less reluctant to diagnose, ADHD is less stigmatized, societal and academic expectations impose increased demands in terms of concentration and regulation, etc.
- In France, as in Europe, ADHD affects between 3 and 5% of school-aged children and 3% of adults.
Affecting between 3 and 5% of the school population according to estimates, attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADHD) is characterized by the association of three symptoms: attention deficit, motor hyperactivity and impulsivity. It now affects more and more children: the prevalence has now reached 11.4% among American children and, in Sweden for example, the diagnosis rate has jumped by 50% since 2019, with 10.5 % of boys and 6% of girls affected in 2022.
In an article published in The ConversationProfessor Sven Bölte, from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, takes stock of the main reasons for such an increase, which often intersect.
Multiple diagnoses in the same person
Until a few years ago, doctors limited themselves to the most dominant diagnosis for a patient. Today, practitioners make multiple diagnoses if it helps to better understand a person’s symptoms, even in cases of complex associations like ADHD and autism.
Likewise, the new generation of health professionals is more trained and aware of the signs of ADHD, allowing for earlier diagnoses and in historically underdiagnosed populations, such as girls, women and adults.
Less stigma
In our societies, ADHD is now perceived in a less negative way, allowing doctors to make the diagnosis more freely, and those affected to accept this label without fear of stigmatization. “For more and more people, ADHD has fewer negative connotations. It is part of people’s identity”underlines Professor Bölte.
The specialist adds: “ADHD is not a disease but a defective set of cognitive traits.” In societies that are increasingly demanding in terms of cognitive skills (concentration, organization, self-regulation, etc.), those who struggle in these areas are therefore more likely to be diagnosed, due to the difficulties they encounter in adapt.
Higher expectations for health and performance
“People’s expectations of their own abilities and those of others continue to rise.” With health and performance standards that are higher than ever, individuals and those around them are pushed to question their own functioning more frequently and earlier, and therefore to consider ADHD as an explanation.
Last major reason for the increase in diagnoses: education. Schools are becoming more and more digital and favor group learning and independent projects. These new methods, often unstructured, require more motivation and cognitive skills from students, exposing students with ADHD traits to more difficulties. Schools are then directing more students towards ADHD assessments, access to which is becoming increasingly easier.
It remains to be seen whether all these adjustments will contribute to better inclusion or whether they will lead to “diagnostic overvaluation”, asks Sven Bölte.
