Prescriptions for stimulant and non-stimulant ADHD treatments surged during the COVID-19 pandemic even as use of other psychiatric medications stayed relatively flat, a study published Jan. 10 in JAMA Psychiatry found.
There could be several factors behind the increase, The New York Times reported Jan. 10. Stephen Hinshaw, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of California Berkeley, told the Times the "TikTok phenomenon" likely led to some overprescribing of ADHD medications, with social media content leading some to diagnose themselves with the disorder.
ADHD medication use rose fastest among young people and women, the study found. Among adults ages 20-39, prescriptions for stimulant ADHD drugs rose by 30% and prescriptions for non-stimulant drugs rose by 81%.
Dr. Hinshaw told the Times increased social media awareness may have led some people, especially women, to recognize they had ADHD.
The study was conducted by researchers at the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, and compared the number of prescriptions for ADHD medications from 2018 to 2022. In the same period, prescriptions for other psychiatric medications, including antidepressants, benzodiazepines and buprenorphine, did not significantly increase, the researchers found.
The types of providers prescribing stimulant medications also changed from 2018 to 2022, the study found. Prescriptions for these medications from nurse practitioners rose by 57% while prescriptions from psychiatrists declined by 1%.
The study's authors wrote that more research is needed to determine if the sharp increase is due to unmet need for ADHD treatment', or overprescribing of the drugs.
Read the full study here.