Sex and age trends in ADHD medication use in Norway, 2020-2022: a nationwide register study.

Abstract

Purpose of article: ADHD diagnoses and medication use have increased internationally, but recent Norwegian trends-particularly by sex and age-have not been systematically described. We aim to examine recent changes in ADHD-medication dispensing in Norway, focusing on sex- and age-specific trends, and to provide context by comparing these changes with dispensing of other psychotropic medications and with recorded activity in psychiatric outpatient services.

Materials and methods: This retrospective, population-based register study used dispensing data from the Norwegian Prescription Database (NorPD) for 2020-2022 and population denominators from Statistics Norway, stratified by sex and age. Annual prevalence and incidence were calculated. Contextual comparisons used aggregated national statistics for stimulant subtypes and selected psychotropic drug groups, and outpatient contact statistics from government-funded psychiatric services (2020-2024).

Results: From 2020 to 2022, prevalence increased by 36.5% and incidence by 68.1%. Increases were larger among females (+52.4% prevalence, +108.0% incidence), particularly those aged 12-27 years. In 2022, prevalence in children aged 6-11 years was higher in boys than girls (2.77% vs 1.02%). In contextual statistics (2020-2024), stimulants increased markedly, whereas anxiolytic and hypnotics/sedative dispensing remained stable, and antidepressant increased modestly. Recorded activity in government-funded psychiatric outpatient services changed modestly.

Conclusions: ADHD medication dispensing increased steeply in Norway during 2020-2022, especially among females and young adults. The pattern suggests a marked shift in ADHD pharmacological treatment, and the shift is not mirrored by comparable increases in dispensing of other psychotropic drug groups or in recorded public outpatient activity.