A study led by academics at the University of Nottingham and funded by the National Institute for Health Research has revealed that children with ADHD are twice as likely to come from the most socio-economically deprived neighbourhoods in England than the least deprived.
Furthermore, the study finds that official diagnoses of the condition are notably lower than research evidence suggests they should be.
The overall number of people diagnosed with ADHD is roughly one per cent of the population, but this is considerably lower than the three to five per cent that would be expected based on evidence from previous research studies.
The researchers say that doctors and other healthcare professionals should use the results of the study to make sure that health and educational services are available for young people with ADHD in more disadvantaged areas. They also want to see more research to explore why there is an under-diagnosis or under-recording of ADHD in children and young people.
Dr Vibhore Prasad, who led the study at the University of Nottingham’s School of Medicine, said: “ADHD is a chronic condition which results in hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention in more than one setting, for example at school and at home. It can have a significant impact on people’s lives. Children and adolescents with ADHD may struggle at school academically and socially and in adulthood it can seriously affect employment and independence, family life and relationships.
“Accurate and timely diagnosis of the condition is crucial because it can be treated using medication or therapy or a combination of both. This can make a real and practical difference to people with ADHD and families.
“More research is needed to understand why people with ADHD are more likely to come from deprived neighbourhoods, as our study suggests. There is still a lot we do not know about how children and young people are diagnosed with ADHD.”
- The study involved patients aged between 3 and 17 and has been published in the British Medical Journal’s Archives of Disease in Childhood. Visit http://bit.ly/2IZVgpb