Use of ADHD Drugs Triples Around the World

Just weeks after the FDA decided to require that ADHD drugs be labeled to warn patients of potentially fatal psychiatric and cardiovascular symptoms, the University of California, Berkeley has publised a country-by-country analysis which shows that use of these drugs tripled between 1993 and 2003--not just in the U.S. but worldwide, in countries as diverse as Korea, France and Sweden.

In that time, the number of countries using psychostimulants to treat ADHD increased from 33 to 55, with countries which were already using the drugs reporting notable increases.

ADHD is thus on its way to becoming the most widely treated disorder among children in the world, said the study's lead author Richard Scheffler, Distinguished Professor of Health Economics & Public Policy at UC Berkeley. "We can expect that the already burgeoning global costs for medication treatment for ADHD will rise even more sharply over the next decade."

The study's co-author, psychology professor Stephen Hinshaw, further suggested that the worldwide prevalence of the disorder counters the belief that ADHD is largely the creation of profit-hungry pharmaceutical companies in the U.S.

"A common misconception is that ADHD only exists in the U.S. and that the pharmaceutical firms are getting bigger sales because of the 'creation' of the disorder in the U.S. Yet, cross-cultural research has shown that ADHD exists in all cultures, with increased access to public education a factor in its detection. Clearly, ADHD - which has a substantial genetic liability - is not just a figment of American doctors' imaginations."

At any rate, it seems those pharmaceutical firms will be cashing in for a while, as better and more expensive drugs are introduced to treat the disorder every year--in 55 countries worldwide.

Press Release: Use of ADHD medication soars worldwide