ADHD More and more adults are taking Ritalin

Enormous increase in men in their early thirties - Disease ADHD / ADHD is becoming more common in adults - children are taking fewer medicines
An attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder known as ADD / ADHD is the most common psychiatric disorder in children and adolescents. But apparently more and more of them are taking the disease into adulthood. Often, therapy involves psychotropic drugs containing the active ingredient methylphenidate, the most well-known being Ritalin.

An up-to-date analysis of those insured by IKK Südwest in Hessen, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland has shown that the adult prescription number is growing at an extremely high rate: In the past six years, it has quadrupled (2010: 1168/2016: 4954 regulations). On average, adult consumers today are 32 years old and male in three out of four cases. It is striking that in 2010, the average age of adult Ritalin consumers was still 24 years. The regulations for children are, however, significantly reduced: Here, the recipes dropped by 36%. Boys are still the most affected, on average 12 years old (2010: 21,133 / 2016: 13,479 regulations).

With neurofeedback therapy, ADHD patients can train specific regions of their brains. (Image: BillionPhotos.com/fotolia.com)

Against the background of these surprising numbers, the IKK Südwest has received Andreas Vogel, child psychiatrist from Saarbrücken, asked. The physician has been working for years on the genetic condition ADD / ADHD and is convinced of the helpful use of medication, as it helps sufferers to filter better: "The brain can not decide what is important and what is not," says Dr. Andreas Vogel. "Doctors and patients are now enlightened as regards this taboo topic. Many adults recognize the problem and go to the doctor because their quality of life suffers. "Adult ADD / ADHD patients often have problems with work and time management. If a drug is administered after multi-stage medical tests, it should enable those affected to better master their everyday lives: "It's about the patient being able to cope socially, develop healthy, have social skills and be socially, professionally and family-oriented. This can not be done by someone who is untreated with ADD / ADHD. Andreas Vogel.

Many sufferers are accused that ADD / ADHD drugs would put patients at rest. The child psychiatrist disagrees: "The medicines bring back a bit of clarity to patients and help them to work in a more structured way. If a patient is sedated with Ritalin, the drug is always overdosed. "Close-knit and regular medical care is of course important. It is also possible to work with prevention programs such as instructional or attention training prior to drug treatment or to learn to walk through everyday life in a more structured way with self-discipline.

But you have to watch the development critically, warns Dr. Lutz Hager, Managing Director of the IKK Südwest: "It's good that people are taking a closer look at the medication of children. We now have to keep a close eye on adults to prevent overmedication. "With regard to the causes of the disease and the side effects of Ritalin therapy, the IKK managing director also emphasizes:" There are also good preventative and behavioral approaches, not to mention it first to the need for this drug therapy. "

The adult Ritalin regulations have risen dramatically in all of the states where IKK Südwest is active, most in Hesse (up 5.5-fold from 163 in 2010 to 901 in 2016), followed by Saarland (around 4.5 times from 188 in 2010 to 883 in 2016) and from Rhineland-Palatinate (by 4 times from 684 in 2010 to 2555 in 2016). The largest decline in the Ritalin regulations for children is recorded by the IKK in Saarland (- 47% from 4183 in 2010 to 2216 in 2016), followed by Rhineland-Palatinate (- 35% from 12632 in 2010 to 8191 in 2016) and Hesse ( - 34% from 2842 in 2010 to 1857 in 2016).

The complete interview with child psychiatrist Andreas Vogel can be found on the "Patient Safety" website of IKK Südwest: www.patientensicherheit.com. The interview reflects the opinion of the questioned doctor and brings together his experiences from everyday practice. The IKK Südwest points out that in the first step, prevention offers should be checked before medication can be given. Mostly a multimodal therapy approach is necessary.