I-Team In-Depth

Use Of ADHD Drugs Rose Sharply Among Adults, Especially Women

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) isn’t just for fidgety little boys anymore. The number of young adult women taking medications for ADHD jumped by 85 percent between 2008 and 2012, according to a recent report by St. Louis-based Express Scripts, a pharmaceutical benefits company. While children are still more likely to have ADHD, the rate of diagnosis is climbing faster in adults – up 53 percent in grownups versus 19 percent in kids over those four years. The increase has been driven by rising awareness and recent changes to ADHD’s definition, which allows more adults to meet the diagnosis criteria.