The number of people receiving prescriptions for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Ontario has risen more than 157 percent in less than a decade, with a marked increase among adults.
A study published in JAMA Network Open this week analyzed all prescriptions for stimulant drugs like Ritalin and Adderall that were dispensed in the province from 2015 to 2023. Researchers found there was a 157 percent rise in the overall annual new stimulant prescriptions by 2023 compared to 2015.
Researchers at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), North York General, and The Hospital for Sick Children said the number of prescriptions for ADHD treatment grew throughout the study period with a notable acceleration in 2020, when COVID-19 lockdowns began. Prescriptions increased by 28 percent annually that year, compared to just 7 percent from 2015 to 2019….