ArticleBJPsych bulletin2025
Potential impact of social media and COVID-19 restrictions on adult attention-deficit rates.
Article in BJPsych bulletin, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
AIMS AND
methodWe aimed to quantify attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism assessment requests, and explore correlations with public interest and COVID-19 restrictions. We collected data on referrals to adult ADHD or autism services, Google searches for 'autism' or 'ADHD', birth gender ratios, ADHD prescriptions in England and COVID-19 restriction measures in four countries.
resultsADHD assessment demand tripled from July 2020 to January 2023, with Google searches for ADHD rising in parallel. Autism referrals and searches saw smaller, similarly timed rises. Female referrals outstripped males. ADHD prescriptions rose particularly in those aged 30-34 years. Google searches for ADHD unexpectedly rose from July 2020 in four countries, correlating with sustained intensity of national COVID-19 restrictions. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Public interest may have driven demand for ADHD assessments, with COVID-19 restrictions encouraging social media use facilitated by easy electronic information access. The public has decided that ADHD is important, independent of professional views. It is now critical that a consensus is reached to determine who benefits most from an ADHD diagnosis and medication.
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