Clare Hall Fellow Professor Barbara Sahakian and Affiliated Postdoctoral Member Dr Christelle Langley have explored the worldwide rise in ADHD diagnoses and prescriptions in a new article for The Conversation.

Drawing on their recent research, Professor Sahakian and Dr Langley look at how rates of ADHD diagnosis and the use of stimulant medication have increased among children, adolescents and adults. The growth has been particularly marked among adults, reflecting greater recognition that ADHD can persist throughout life and may previously have gone undiagnosed.

Their review considers some of the factors that may be contributing to these changes, including greater awareness of ADHD, evolving diagnostic practices and wider social and technological influences. It also explores how ADHD medication works, alongside the growing use of cognitive-enhancing drugs by people without an ADHD diagnosis and the ethical questions this raises.

Read the full article in The Conversation.