Medical report Strong increase in ADHD diagnoses

Drastic increase in ADHD diagnoses in children and adolescents in Germany

03.02.2013

The medical report of Barmer GEK reveals a drastic increase in ADHD diagnoses. Between 2006 and 2011, the number of cases diagnosed by doctors is said to have increased by 42 percent. The diagnosis is especially frequent in children whose parents have low income. Once again, the risk is increased when parents are unemployed. In addition: „The higher the training level, the lower the risk“, summed up the medical report 2013.

According to a report by the Barmer GEK in the context of the Medical Report 2013, the ADHD diagnoses have almost doubled. Between 2006 and 2011, the diagnoses increased by 42 percent. In the age group of patients under the age of 19, the total share increased from 2.92 to 4.14 percent. This means that over four percent of children insured with the health insurance company Barmer GEK suffer from ADHD. In the penultimate year of 2011, psychiatrists or pediatricians diagnosed the attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (AHDS) in 472,000 boys and 149,000 girls under the age of 19 years. „About 20 percent of boys born in 2000 were diagnosed with AHDS between 2006 and 2011“, It says in the report of Barmer GEK. The frequency of diagnosis in girls of the same age group was only 7.8 percent of the patient cases.

More medications like Ritalin prescribed
The prescription frequency of methylphenidates, such as ritalin, has increased at the same pace. In 2011 alone, the drug was prescribed 336,000 times. The highest prescription rate was in children under the age of eleven. According to this, at least 10 percent of boys and 3.5 percent of girls receive ADHD medication at least once in their lives.
Barmer GEK expert Rolf-Ulrich Schlenker warns against an almost inflationary diagnosis frequency. „We need to be careful that ADHD diagnostics are not getting out of hand and we are making an ADHD generation“. It could not be that more and more children receive pills for educational problems. „That's the wrong way. Ritalin must not be the first choice“. Rather, the prescriptions would have a „segregated diagnosis, according to Schlenker.

It is noticeable that a prescription frequency can be observed in the transition to secondary schools. The study authors conclude that „an increased pressure to perform and a high expectation of the parents jointly responsible“ could be. There is no scientific confirmation for the assumption.

Situation of parents plays an important role
The social background and the income situation can also play a significant role. According to the authors, the AHDS risk increases if the parents are unemployed. If the level of parenting increases, the ADHD risk rises. In addition, the medical report was also regional differences. A particularly high prescription rate of Ritalin and Co was found in the Bavarian city of Würzburg. The nationwide average, however, is just under 12 percent.

Often misdiagnosis ADHD
In addition, a study by the Ruhr University came to the conclusion that many treating physicians diagnose ADHD prematurely. The study was the first empirical survey in Germany that examined the diagnosis of physicians and therapists. „The prototype is male and shows symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, restlessness and bursts of impulses“. Almost inevitably then the diagnosis of ADHD is made, so the scientists. Despite existing guidelines, the majority of psychotherapists and physicians misdiagnosed ADHD during the investigation. (Sb)

Also read:
Study: ADHD is often misdiagnosed
Hypertension due to ADHD medication
ADHD: Physiotherapy instead of psychostimulants?
More and more children are receiving ADHD medication
Trend reversal in ADHD therapy?
ADHD: concentration through noise
ADHD genetically conditioned?
Environmental factors hardly investigated in ADHD

Image: Alfred Healer