Rise in ADHD Cases Raises Questions
2025-03-04
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1Allison Burk's daughter was struggling.
2The American teenager had uncontrolled emotions, a decreased ability to pay attention and trouble completing work on time.
3A family doctor suggested testing for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.
4This led to an unexpected discovery:
5The teen had ADHD, and her mother, Allison Burk, did too. During her daughter's testing, Burk thought, "Wait a minute. This sounds familiar."
6"I was able to piece together that this might be something I was experiencing," said Burk, who lives in Columbus, Ohio.
7She sought testing for herself and was diagnosed with ADHD - at 42 years old.
8More adults are being diagnosed with ADHD. Diagnoses have been rising for at least 20 years but seem to have increased sharply in the last few years.
9A recent government study suggested that more than 15 million adults in the United States - about 1 in 17 - have been diagnosed with ADHD.
10The condition starts in childhood, but about half of adults with ADHD are diagnosed when they are 18 or older.
11Some doctors say the number of people seeking ADHD testing is sharply increasing.
12"Just in our clinic, requests for assessments have doubled in the last two years," said Justin Barterian.
13He is a psychologist based at Ohio State University.
14ADHD makes it hard for people to pay attention and control their behaviors.
15The disorder can be genetic. Doctors often treat the disorder with drugs, behavioral therapy, or both.
16Judy Sandler is 62 years old and lives in the U.S. state of Maine.
17She was diagnosed in her 50s. Sandler describes what ADHD feels like for her.
18"It's like there's an engine in you and you feel like it's always running, and you can't turn it off except with medication," Sandler said.
19ADHD has been called the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorder in American children.
20More than 7 million children in the U.S. have been diagnosed.
21The disorder was once thought to be something that resolved as children became adults.
22But now, experts say they believe that many people are not diagnosed as kids and that the disorder continues into adulthood.
23Adults with the condition talk about having trouble focusing on immediate responsibilities and planning their time.
24Some say the disorder has led to problems in their personal relationships.
25Diagnoses have been increasing in both kids and adults.
26The recent government report also found adult ADHD was more common than earlier estimates had suggested.
27"We haven't had (federal) adult ADHD data in a long time," said Angelika Claussen.
28The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researcher was one of the study's writers.
29There were signs of the rise, she added. Increasing demand for ADHD medication led to severe shortages after the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020.
30A 2023 study showed the rise in prescriptions, or doctors' orders for such medication, was notable in adults - especially among women.
31ADHD diagnoses and medication were increasing before the pandemic.
32This is partly because of a change in general diagnostic measures in 2013.
33Those changes expanded the definition of ADHD and reduced the number of signs, or symptoms, required for diagnosis.
34But cases really seemed to increase in 2020, when schools closed and many adults were forced to work from home.
35"It's very difficult to focus when you are home and you have kids," Claussen said.
36She said such conditions may have worsened ADHD symptoms in people with less severe cases.
37Experts say that it was long believed that ADHD was underdiagnosed in adults.
38Now, experts debate about whether it has become over-diagnosed.
39There is no blood or brain test for the disorder.
40Experts say it is diagnosed when symptoms cause ongoing problems in more than one area of life, and when those symptoms began in early childhood.
41Experts say the best way professionals diagnose ADHD is by getting careful histories from patients and from people who know them.
42They also might test a patient's memory and ability to focus.
43But getting an appointment with a mental health professional can take months. And assessments can cost thousands of dollars.
44Many people turn to family doctors.
45People also take online diagnostic tests, some of which are linked to health companies that prescribe medications.
46"There is a wide variability in this country in how people diagnose, how strict they are, and who they diagnose," said Margaret Sibley.
47She is psychologist at University of Washington.
48The American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders is preparing a set of diagnosis and treatment guidelines for American health professionals who treat adults.
49Sibley is leading the work on the guidelines, which the organization expects to release later this year.
50I'm Anna Matteo.
51And I'm Jill Robbins.
1Allison Burk's daughter was struggling. The American teenager had uncontrolled emotions, a decreased ability to pay attention and trouble completing work on time. A family doctor suggested testing for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. 2This led to an unexpected discovery: The teen had ADHD, and her mother, Allison Burk, did too. During her daughter's testing, Burk thought, "Wait a minute. This sounds familiar." 3"I was able to piece together that this might be something I was experiencing," said Burk, who lives in Columbus, Ohio. She sought testing for herself and was diagnosed with ADHD - at 42 years old. 4More adults are being diagnosed with ADHD. Diagnoses have been rising for at least 20 years but seem to have increased sharply in the last few years. 5A recent government study suggested that more than 15 million adults in the United States - about 1 in 17 - have been diagnosed with ADHD. The condition starts in childhood, but about half of adults with ADHD are diagnosed when they are 18 or older. 6Some doctors say the number of people seeking ADHD testing is sharply increasing. 7"Just in our clinic, requests for assessments have doubled in the last two years," said Justin Barterian. He is a psychologist based at Ohio State University. 8Signs of ADHD in adults 9ADHD makes it hard for people to pay attention and control their behaviors. The disorder can be genetic. Doctors often treat the disorder with drugs, behavioral therapy, or both. 10Judy Sandler is 62 years old and lives in the U.S. state of Maine. She was diagnosed in her 50s. Sandler describes what ADHD feels like for her. "It's like there's an engine in you and you feel like it's always running, and you can't turn it off except with medication," Sandler said. 11ADHD has been called the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorder in American children. More than 7 million children in the U.S. have been diagnosed. The disorder was once thought to be something that resolved as children became adults. 12But now, experts say they believe that many people are not diagnosed as kids and that the disorder continues into adulthood. 13Adults with the condition talk about having trouble focusing on immediate responsibilities and planning their time. Some say the disorder has led to problems in their personal relationships. 14Diagnoses have been rising 15Diagnoses have been increasing in both kids and adults. The recent government report also found adult ADHD was more common than earlier estimates had suggested. 16"We haven't had (federal) adult ADHD data in a long time," said Angelika Claussen. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researcher was one of the study's writers. 17There were signs of the rise, she added. Increasing demand for ADHD medication led to severe shortages after the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020. A 2023 study showed the rise in prescriptions, or doctors' orders for such medication, was notable in adults - especially among women. 18ADHD diagnoses and medication were increasing before the pandemic. This is partly because of a change in general diagnostic measures in 2013. Those changes expanded the definition of ADHD and reduced the number of signs, or symptoms, required for diagnosis. 19But cases really seemed to increase in 2020, when schools closed and many adults were forced to work from home. 20"It's very difficult to focus when you are home and you have kids," Claussen said. She said such conditions may have worsened ADHD symptoms in people with less severe cases. 21How ADHD is diagnosed in adults 22Experts say that it was long believed that ADHD was underdiagnosed in adults. Now, experts debate about whether it has become over-diagnosed. 23There is no blood or brain test for the disorder. Experts say it is diagnosed when symptoms cause ongoing problems in more than one area of life, and when those symptoms began in early childhood. Experts say the best way professionals diagnose ADHD is by getting careful histories from patients and from people who know them. They also might test a patient's memory and ability to focus. 24But getting an appointment with a mental health professional can take months. And assessments can cost thousands of dollars. Many people turn to family doctors. People also take online diagnostic tests, some of which are linked to health companies that prescribe medications. 25"There is a wide variability in this country in how people diagnose, how strict they are, and who they diagnose," said Margaret Sibley. She is psychologist at University of Washington. 26The American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders is preparing a set of diagnosis and treatment guidelines for American health professionals who treat adults. Sibley is leading the work on the guidelines, which the organization expects to release later this year. 27I'm Anna Matteo. 28And I'm Jill Robbins. 29Mike Stobbe reported this story for the Associated Press from New York, New York. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. 30The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. 31__________________________________________________ 32Words in This Story 33teenager -n. someone who is between 13 and 19 years old 34familiar -adj. frequently seen or experienced 35diagnose -v. to recognize a disease or condition in 36clinic -n. a place for the treatment of people needing medical help who do not stay overnight 37assessment -n. the action or an instance of making a judgment about something 38psychologist -n. a person who specializes in the study of mind and behavior or in the treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders 39focus -v. to cause to be concentrated 40prescribe -v. to order or direct the use of something as a remedy 41variable -adj. able or likely to change : variability -n. 42strict -adj. completely correct : exact : precise