ADHD Cases on the Rise in the US: Are More Women Getting Diagnosed?

The gender gap in ADHD diagnosis is inching closer these days.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD cases are steadily rising among people in the United States, according to a recent study. The finding of Epic Research showed that the spike remarkably affects women in the country.

While ADHD has long affected both men and women, a new trend shows a massive climb in the cases for the latter.

ADHD Cases on the Rise in the US

As per a report by Fox News, more and more people are getting diagnosed with ADHD in the US new data shows. The study by a health firm named Epic Research reportedly looked into the data of millions of ADHD patients from way back in 2010 to, more recently, 2022. The recent study analyzed roughly more than three million data of ADHD-diagnosed patients in the said period.

It turns out that the diagnosis of ADHD in the US has climbed by three times in the past decade and two years. In the past several years, the number of disorder cases steadily rose in the country, leading to a significant increase.

Although the ADHD rate in the US has seriously shot up, a recent study found that the number of patients with prescribed medications remained at the same level. Unlike the general diagnosis of the disorder, it failed to see a significant rise.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that six out of 10 children are most likely to get diagnosed with ADHD, at least according to a national parent survey in 2016.

Meanwhile, roughly half of the kids with this disorder reportedly show behavior problems. On top of that, three out of 10 young minds with ADHD are likely to grapple with anxiety simultaneously. In some cases, others also experience conditions like autism spectrum disorder and depression.

ADHD
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - JUNE 22: Young children dance with their umbrellas at the launch of an art installation called the Umbrella Project, featuring 200 brightly coloured umbrellas suspended over Church Alley on June 22, 2017 in Liverpool, England. The project is to raise awareness of ADHD and autism in children. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Are More Women Getting Diagnosed?

Apart from the significant increase in ADHD diagnosis, the Epic Research study found that more women are now getting diagnosed. The CDC notes that historically boys more often get diagnosed with the said condition than girls. But the recent data shows that women are catching up, consistently slimming the gender gap.

The new research discovered that in 2022, the trend among males and females diagnosed with the disorder had changed quite rapidly. Last year, only about 28 percent more males were diagnosed than females. But way back in 2010, the numbers were poles apart. Over a decade ago, roughly 133% more men had ADHD than women.

Given that, more males are still getting the condition than women. However, in the past 12 years, the rate among females has been increasing. If the growth continues, the gender gap in ADHD diagnosis might soon vanish into thin air.

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