Why ADHD prescriptions among women are rising so fast

ADHD prescriptions among women have risen sharply in the past decade, with new research highlighting the fastest growth among adults aged 25 and over, as awareness of the condition in midlife continues to change both diagnosis and treatment.

The study, led by researchers at the University of Oxford, found that use of medicines commonly prescribed for ADHD increased across five European countries between 2010 and 2023, but the UK saw the steepest relative rise. In Britain, overall use of ADHD medication more than tripled over that period, while the growth among adults over 25 was particularly pronounced.

Among women aged 25 and over, the researchers reported a more than 20-fold increase in the use of ADHD medication since 2010. Among men in the same age bracket, the increase was around 15-fold. The study notes that while medication use remains higher among men overall, the gap between the sexes has narrowed over time.

The findings arrive at a moment when adult ADHD is being discussed more openly, including by women who say they were missed at school and only recognised later through work pressures, parenting demands, or mental health struggles. Clinicians have also pointed to the way hormonal change can affect attention, sleep, and emotional regulation, which may draw attention to symptoms that had previously been managed.

The lead author, Xintong Li, said the trend likely reflects changes in identification as much as in need. “We observed a consistent increase in ADHD medication use across Europe, but the most striking changes were among adults, especially women,” she said. She added that the pattern “raise[s] important questions about long-term treatment patterns and care needs”.

The research also found that in the UK and Spain, more than 70 per cent of people over 25 who began ADHD medication had previously used antidepressants. That does not prove a causal link, but it underlines how often adults enter the ADHD pathway after years of treatment for anxiety or depression.

For campaigners, the rise is not simply a story about prescriptions. Henry Shelford, chief executive of the charity ADHD UK, said the increase among women reflects “how bad identification is for girls in schools and the catch-up needed in adulthood”. He argued that improving access to assessment and support remains critical, particularly given the health risks associated with untreated ADHD.

The data will add weight to the wider policy debate about capacity in mental health and neurodevelopmental services. Ministers have commissioned an independent review into rising demand for mental health, autism and ADHD services
, which is expected to examine diagnostic patterns, waiting lists, and what support people receive after diagnosis.

Rather than settling the debate about adult ADHD, the study sharpens it. The rapid growth in treatment among women suggests long delays in recognition, and exposes the lack of consistency in what support looks like once a diagnosis is made.

The findings sit within a broader national debate about diagnosis and support, with the government currently examining patterns of assessment and care through its independent review into mental health, autism and ADHD services.

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[Image Credit | ADDA]

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