Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, ADHD diagnoses among British Columbians have skyrocketed. Perhaps as a result, more people are seeking mental health support and treatment than ever before. As seen in the figure above, the diagnosis rate jumped from roughly nine people per 100,000 in 2013. Then, by 2023, it shot up to about 35 people per 100,000. In fact, the number of children diagnosed with autism has increased by almost 400%. That dangerous increase among females has now surpassed the previous male-centered figures.
A recent study found that about 2.5 to 2.9 percent of Canadians are currently living with ADHD. This condition is not just an inconvenience, it has grave repercussions. People who are diagnosed with ADHD have an increased risk of substance use disorder. Research indicates that those with a diagnosed substance use disorder are ten times more likely to have ADHD compared to the general population. Those who have had a mental disorder in the last five years are at a greatly heightened risk. Their boys are five times more likely to get an ADHD diagnosis.
Kevin Hu— PhD student at the School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia— was the study’s lead author. Perhaps more concerning is what this statistic reveals about the need for our healthcare providers to improve their capacity to diagnose and treat ADHD. Senior author Heather Palis, a scientist with Harm Reduction and Substance Use Services at the BC Centre for Disease Control, said these findings are significant. They are a key to both preventing and treating overdose by protecting the public from a largely unregulated drug supply.
Rufus-Sedgemore, a youth harm reduction and stimulant user advocate, described his own experiences with ADHD. Each has battled symptoms since early childhood, symptoms manifested as an inability to sit still and finish an assignment. Because he has trouble getting enough regulated prescriptions, Rufus-Sedgemore turns to self-medicating with unregulated meth.
“I have to set reminders to eat.” – Kali Rufus-Sedgemore
Doctors are often reluctant to prescribe high doses of stimulants. Their fears are often compounded by the implications of regulatory scrutiny and the fear of punishment from their regulators. This hesitation only adds to the barriers and stigma that people face when trying to find the right treatments for ADHD.
The research further illustrates how ADHD and autism lie on a spectrum. Taken together, this means that people can present and manifest symptoms differently and not everyone will feel these conditions in the same way. As the increase in autism diagnoses is unprecedented and disturbing, this growth must raise some suspicion. Last year, over half of the British Columbians who died from unregulated drugs had methamphetamines or amphetamines in their toxicology screen, and nearly half had cocaine.
