Publication date: Jun 18, 2025

Background Despite growing concerns of young people’s mental health, it remains unclear how rates of psychiatric diagnoses and psychotropic medication prescribing have changed. Aim To investigate temporal trends in UK primary care-recorded incidence of (i) psychiatric diagnoses: attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD), autism spectrum conditions, anxiety disorders, depression, substance misuse, personality disorders, (ii) psychotropic medication prescribing, in individuals aged 1-24 years. Design and setting Population-based study using primary care data from Clinical Practice Research Datalink. Method Monthly incidence of each outcome January 2010-March 2022 was calculated. Negative binomial regression was used to predict expected incidence rates when the COVID-19 pandemic commenced in March 2020, based on antecedent trends. Observed and predicted (i. e. expected) rates were compared. Results In the two years following March 2020, incidence of ADHD diagnoses in females was 24. 7% (95%CI 11. 9-38. 9) greater than the expected incidence rate predicted from the trends before the pandemic. The increases occurred more commonly for females aged 20-24, followed by those aged 17-19. Diagnoses were more likely to be recorded amongst those from less deprived areas. Similar trends were observed for ADHD medications. Observed rates of other outcomes, including common mental illnesses, were below or close to the expected levels, with the differentals between observed and expected rates being greater for males than females. Conclusion Increased ADHD awareness may partly explain our findings. However, the fall in other diagnoses may reflect barriers to accessing health services at the height of the pandemic. Early identification and timely treatment of mental health conditions are crucial.

Semantics

Original Article