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[00:00.70] Diagnoses have been increasing in both kids and adults.

[00:06.29] The recent government report also found adult ADHD was more common than earlier estimates had suggested.

[00:17.70] “We haven’t had (federal) adult ADHD data in a long time,” said Angelika Claussen.

[00:27.00] The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researcher was one of the study’s writers.

[00:34.70] There were signs of the rise, she added.

[00:38.44] Increasing demand for ADHD medication led to severe shortages after the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020.

[00:50.13] A 2023 study showed the rise in prescriptions, or doctors’ orders for such medication, was notable in adults — especially among women.

[01:03.42] ADHD diagnoses and medication were increasing before the pandemic.

[01:09.80] This is partly because of a change in general diagnostic measures in 2013.

[01:17.23] Those changes expanded the definition of ADHD and reduced the number of signs, or symptoms, required for diagnosis.

[01:29.98] But cases really seemed to increase in 2020, when schools closed and many adults were forced to work from home.

[01:41.41] “It’s very difficult to focus when you are home and you have kids,” Claussen said.

[01:48.05] She said such conditions may have worsened ADHD symptoms in people with less severe cases.

[01:57.36] Experts say that it was long believed that ADHD was underdiagnosed in adults.

[02:05.33] Now, experts debate about whether it has become over-diagnosed.

[02:11.17] There is no blood or brain test for the disorder.

[02:15.42] Experts say it is diagnosed when symptoms cause ongoing problems in more than one area of life, and when those symptoms began in early childhood.

[02:28.17] Experts say the best way professionals diagnose ADHD is by getting careful histories from patients and from people who know them.

[02:39.86] They also might test a patient’s memory and ability to focus.

[02:45.97] But getting an appointment with a mental health professional can take months.

[02:52.34] And assessments can cost thousands of dollars.

[02:56.86] Many people turn to family doctors.

[03:00.58] People also take online diagnostic tests, some of which are linked to health companies that prescribe medications.

[03:10.16] “There is a wide variability in this country in how people diagnose, how strict they are, and who they diagnose,” said Margaret Sibley.

[03:22.91] She is psychologist at University of Washington.

[03:28.48] The American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders is preparing a set of diagnosis and treatment guidelines for American health professionals who treat adults.

[03:45.22] Sibley is leading the work on the guidelines, which the organization expects to release later this year.