One in five Eastern Finland boys on ADHD medication | Yle News

According to a report by Kela, there has been a large increase in the number of 10-12-year-old boys in Finland being prescribed medication for ADHD.

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The use of ADHD medication by pre-adolescent boys in Finland has increased dramatically, according to a survey by the Kela Institute of Social Security.

It found that last year more than one in ten boys aged 10-12 used medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.

The percentage is nearly three times higher than it was in 2015, based on figures claiming Kela reimbursement for ADHD drugs.

Kela said the number of school-age children using ADHD medication has risen steadily throughout the 2000s.

“Among boys, the onset of ADHD diagnosis and treatment tends to come before sixth grade [when children turn 13]”, said researcher Kela Miika Vuori in a press release.

Girls have also seen more use of ADHD medication in recent years.

Kela said previous research suggests the prevalence of ADHD is about five to seven percent of the population.

There are significant regional differences in the use of ADHD medication by 10-12 year olds, with eastern Finland and Lapland seeing the most prescriptions. In eastern Finland, nearly a fifth of boys of that age are prescribed medication for ADHD.

Some reasons for the increase

Boys born in the second half of the year are more likely to receive an ADHD diagnosis and use medication to treat it than those born in the first half of the year. This phenomenon is evident in Finland and abroad, and has also been shown in previous research.

In 2023, Kela said, the number of Finnish children using ADHD medication born in the second half of the year was a third higher than the number born in the first half.

Researchers suggest that there are a number of factors behind the increase in diagnoses. For example, the criteria for diagnosing the condition have changed.

Kela said experts have also considered whether changes in children’s educational and home environments and increased smartphone use may also play a role.

“It’s important to have a broad discussion in society about whether ADHD medications are being used unnecessarily to solve problems in elementary school boys’ ability to function,” Vuori said.

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