Treatment of adult ADHD is on the rise. Why?

New prescriptions for stimulant medications used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the years before it, with the largest increases among adults aged 18 to 34 and among women.

Dr. Tara Gomes, a professor at the University of Toronto and principal investigator of the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network, discusses findings from the CMAJ research article Patterns of prescription stimulant initiation before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her team found that the number of Ontarian adults newly starting stimulants rose rapidly after an initial drop early in the pandemic. The interval between a first ADHD-related health care encounter and a stimulant prescription also fell from about seven years before the pandemic to less than one year during it. Gomes suggests the increase likely reflects both improved recognition of ADHD in adults and easier access through virtual care, which may be shortening the pathway from first expression of concern by a patient to prescription.

Dr. Ashley White, a family physician who treats many patients with ADHD and received her own diagnosis in adulthood, reflects on how the condition can go unrecognized in high-performing adults. While she explored her own diagnosis through an online clinic, she emphasizes the importance of careful assessment that accounts for overlapping conditions such as anxiety or trauma, which can benefit from different treatment.

The episode highlights a genuine tension: better recognition of adult ADHD is overdue, but the speed of the shift raises real questions about diagnostic rigour.

For more information from our sponsor, go to medicuspensionplan.com

Comments or questions? Text us.

Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.

You can find Blair and Mojola on X  @BlairBigham and @Drmojolaomole

X (in English):  @CMAJ
X (en français): @JAMC
Facebook
Instagram: @CMAJ.ca

The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions