United States: As per the data released by the US study on Thursday, around 15.5 million US adults are suffering from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Most of them also struggle with gaining access to treatment for the condition, as reports mentioned.
More about the news
Less than a third of adult patients surveyed said they had been prescribed a stimulant medication they were told was for ADHD in the last 12 months, according to recent figures in the US CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Secondly, 72 percent of the respondents who received a prescription for a stimulant drug complained of the inability to fill it because the medication was out of stock.
About ADHD-related symptoms
ADHD-related symptoms involving inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity affect between two and five percent of all adults across the globe.
To date, this research is the first to present the prevalence estimation of adult ADHD in the United States since 2003.
The medication belonging to the group of amphetamines is Adderall, and it is considered to be a first-line medication treated in adults with ADHD.
The study also found that prescribing has subsequently increased since the COVID-19 pandemic, despite shortages in this and other stimulant medications for patients who need it.
ADHD is generally first identified in childhood, but the onset is often reported as early as preschool age.
In the survey, 55 percent of those with the disease reported that they were diagnosed at an adult age.
Moreover, the telehealth policies adopted during the covid-19 virus outbreak increased the ADHD diagnosis and treatment, including medication, according to the researchers from the CDC.
A total of 42 percent of respondents had utilized telehealth services for ADHD care, which included access to medication.
In writing about the survey, its authors called on the possibility of applying its results to improvements in the approaches used in clinical practice and to the formation of rules regarding prescribing through telemedicine.
They said telemedicine may help bring behavioral treatment like counseling or therapy or prescription of the medicine for these patients, despite the fact that research on the efficacy and safety of telemedicine for ADHD patients is still scanty.
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