ArticleBJPsych open2023
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnoses and prescriptions in UK primary care, 2000-2018: population-based cohort study.
Article in BJPsych open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
39 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.
- Maternal and offspring outcomes associated with prescribed ADHD medication in pregnancy: a systematic review.Archives of women's mental health · 2025Pooled it
- Prevalence of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): systematic review and meta-analysis.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2024Pooled it
- ND in Micro: neuroinclusion and neuroaffirmation for neurodivergent microbiologists.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2026Article
- Pre-adult attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder and later adverse health outcomes: the 1987 Finnish birth cohort study.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Article
- Prenatal exposure to maternal depression and antidepressants and neurodevelopmental outcomes: A population cohort study.PLoS medicine · 2026Article
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adults in England, 2000-2025: Recorded Prevalence and Diagnostic Trends in a Population-Based Observational Study Using Routinely Collected Primary Care Data.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2026Article
- Attention Skills in Children With Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip and Palate.The Cleft palate-craniofacial journal : official publication of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association · 2026Observational
- Mortality in people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Examining how risk is embodied in a pooling of two prospective cohort studies.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Gut Microbiota Composition and Diversity in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review.Microorganisms · 2026Review
- Temporal trends in diagnoses and mental healthcare utilisation in child and adolescent psychiatry from 2013 to 2023.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Article
- Article
- Medication Adherence in Children and Adults Receiving Treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Sweden: A Nationwide Study.Journal of attention disorders · 2026Article
- Trends in use of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder medications among children and adults in five European countries, 2010 to 2023: a population-based observational study.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2026Article
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Traits in Childhood and Physical Health in Midlife.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- The Nottinghamshire Neurodiversity Network: building a multidisciplinary team of experts to improve pathways to care.Frontiers in health services · 2026Article
- Adult ADHD diagnostic pathways in the United Kingdom: a structured review and policy case for a national commissioning and quality framework for England.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- Why are the youngest in class more often prescribed pharmacological treatment for ADHD?Journal of population economics · 2026Article
- Disproportionality analysis of methylphenidate-associated adverse events in pediatric patients using the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System: overall signals and stratification by gender and dosage form.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- CO-produced Nature-based Intervention Feasibility for children with ADHD Study: The CONIFAS2 study protocol.PloS one · 2026Article
- Digital health technologies for adults with ADHD: a scoping review.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundRates of diagnosed attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be increasing in the UK.
aimsEstimate incidence and prevalence of ADHD diagnoses and ADHD prescriptions in UK adults and children in primary care.
methodWe conducted a cohort study using IQVIA Medical Research Data, a UK primary care database. Rates of ADHD diagnoses and ADHD prescriptions were calculated between 2000 and 2018 for individuals aged 3-99 years, analysed by age, gender, social deprivation status and calendar year.
resultsOf 7 655 931 individuals, 35 877 (0.5%) had ADHD diagnoses; 18 518 (0.2%) received ADHD medication prescriptions. Diagnoses and prescription rates were greater in men versus women, children versus adults, and deprivation status (nearly double in most deprived versus least deprived quintile). By 2018, the proportion of ADHD diagnoses was 255 per 10 000 (95% CI 247-263) in boys and 67.7 per 10 000 (95% CI 63.5-71.9) in girls; for adults, it was 74.3 per 10 000 (95% CI 72.3-76.2) in men and 20 per 10 000 (95%CI 19.0-21.0) in women. Corresponding figures for prescriptions were 156 per 10 000 (95% CI 150-163) in boys, 36.8 per 10 000 (95% CI 33.8-40.0) in girls, 13.3 per 10 000 (95% CI 12.5-14.1) in men and 4.5 per 10 000 (95% CI 4.1-5.0) in women. Except among 3- to 5-year-olds, the incidence and prevalence of ADHD diagnoses and prescriptions have increased from 2000 to 2018 in all age groups. The absolute increase was highest in children, but the relative increase was largest among adults (e.g. among men aged 18-29 years, approximately 20-fold and nearly 50-fold increases in diagnoses and prescriptions, respectively).
conclusionsThe incidence and prevalence of both ADHD diagnoses and medication are highest among children. Proportionally, rates increased most among adults during 2000-2018. ADHD diagnoses and prescriptions are associated with socioeconomic deprivation.
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