As a woman in her 30s who was constantly typing “ADHD” into her computer, something interesting happened in 2021. I started receiving a lot of ads asking for help for my ADHD online girlfriend. attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. One was a free one-minute diagnostic to find out if I had the disorder, and the other was an offer for a digital game to help “rewire” my brain. In yet another ad, I was asked if I was “making it” but hadn’t been promoted at work yet.
The reason the term ADHD is littered with my digital life is because I am a clinical psychologist who works exclusively with ADHD patients. me too, psychiatric researcher He studies lifelong ADHD trends at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
But these ads were a surprising new trend.
The following year, in October 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Nationwide Shortage of Mixed Amphetamine Salts, a drug marketed as Adderall. Brand-name Adderall and its generics have become one of the most popular products. Common medications for ADHD. Over the next few months, additional his ADHD medication was added to the list of missing prescription drugs.
As of August 2023, the United States is still in crisis. Some ADHD drugs are in short supplysome issues are expected to persist for at least another few months.
The shortage appears to have been caused by a combination of High demand and access to key ingredients. In recent months, millions of Americans have found themselves with nothing. Guaranteed access to daily medicines.
In March 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported: Unprecedented Stimulant Prescription Surge From 2020 to 2021. Perhaps most surprisingly, the demographic with the highest growth in stimulant use (an increase of nearly 20% over the course of the year) was women in their 20s and 30s.
CDC findings, along with stimulant shortages, Raise some interesting stuff The question of what factors are driving these trends remains unanswered.
The challenge of diagnosing ADHD in adults
Despite increasing awareness of ADHD over the past few decades, many people with ADHD especially women and people of colorremains undiagnosed in childhood.
However, unlike depression and anxiety, ADHD is very complicated to diagnose in adults.
To diagnose ADHD in both children and adults, ADHD-like features must first be established. exist on a continuum and may fluctuateis severe and chronic enough to interfere with a normal, healthy life.
The average person has some symptoms of ADHDSo draw the line between ADHD-like tendencies to lose your keys, cluttered desks, and frequent blackheads during monotonous tasks, and diagnosable medical disorders. can be difficult. Because no objective test exists to diagnose ADHD, doctors typically conduct a structured patient interview, ask family members to complete rating scales, and review official records to make an actual diagnosis. To do.
Because ADHD shares many other symptoms and features, it can also pose diagnostic challenges for psychiatrists and other health care professionals. In fact, the difficulty of concentrating Second most common symptom Across all mental illnesses.
To make things even more complicated, ADHD. Risk factors for many similar symptoms. For example, years of negative feedback may cause some adults with ADHD to develop secondary depression and anxiety. Focusing on the correct diagnosis requires a well-trained clinician who can take sufficient time to thoroughly collect the necessary patient history.
Stress from the COVID-19 pandemic
In retrospect, there are several obvious factors at work, but the extent to which they are driving stimulant prescription surge remains unclear.
In 2021, the United States was still in the midst of the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.People are still losing jobs, face the financial burden and juggle the challenges of working from home, such as keeping their children home-schooled online.many family lost loved onesthere was great uncertainty about when normal life would return.
The demands of the pandemic have hit everyone, but research shows that Women may be unduly affected. This may have increased the proportion of adults seeking stimulant therapy to maintain their daily lives.
Additionally, with in-person recreation spaces no longer accessible, the pandemic has forced many people to spend more and more time on digital media.
In 2021, a social justice movement focused on “neurodiversity” was gaining momentum online. Neurodiversity is a non-medical term This refers to a wide variety of brain processes that differ from what is traditionally considered “typical”.In this moment, #ADHD is 7th most popular health topic on TikTok. The Internet has started flooding with anecdotes you can relate to: lost keys, procrastination, romantic mishaps, and hidden signs of ADHD.
But as ADHD content proliferates on the internet, Canadian researchers have begun categorizing #ADHD TikTok videos based on their accuracy and usefulness.they reported important: Most of the #ADHD content was misleading. Only 21% of posts provided useful and accurate information.
So while the online community of newly self-diagnosed ADHD people has grown, many probably don’t actually have ADHD. for some, Cybochondria – or health-focused anxiety after an online search – may have crept in. Some people may mistake ADHD for another condition. surprisingly easy. Additionally, some people may have mild attention problems that fall short of the severity of ADHD.
What will ADHD care look like in 2021?
In 2021, the US mental health system was overloaded. Most of her traditional ADHD care providers, including psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health therapists, and psychiatric nurses, have been on waiting lists for new patients for months. Newly seeking help for ADHD found appointments with primary care providers earlier. Confidence in diagnosing and treating adult ADHD. As demand for ADHD care exceeded capacity, new options were needed to meet patient needs.
at that time, Online ADHD Care Startup began to emerge and reach potential consumers. engaging digital advertising like what i received.
Compared to traditional care, the start-up model was: Reportedly using cost-cutting techniques, such as preferring quick assessments and low-cost labor. These startups also rely on one-size-fits-all care models that do not adequately individualize treatment, and are reportedly more likely to prescribe stimulants than appropriate treatment. .
Some of these companies are now under investigation To federal government.
Although these have been controversial in the medical community, these models may also have reduced barriers to ADHD care for many people.
no verdict yet
Until the CDC releases stimulant prescribing data for 2022 and 2023, researchers like me will not know if the 2021 trend of increased adult prescribing and high demand for ADHD drugs will continue. .
If this trend stabilizes, patients who were previously out of reach may finally get the help they need.
Once ADHD prescriptions return to pre-pandemic levels, we may find that the perfect storm of COVID-19-related factors has caused a temporary plunge in ADHD treatment-seekers.
What is clear is that Current Shortage of Mental Health Workers The willingness to diagnose and treat ADHD in adults will continue to affect the ability of new patients to receive proper diagnostic evaluation for ADHD.
This article is reprinted from conversation Under Creative Commons License.read Original work.
