The queues for child and adolescent psychiatry in Östergötland are among the longest in the country, with 1,269 people waiting for care in December 2024, according to the region's own figures. Several families testify to a very strained situation where both the affected child and the rest of the family are severely affected. The same figure in December of the previous year was 1,355, which is a small improvement with 86 fewer waiting.
Several of those who contacted SVT report that they eventually grew tired of the long queues, especially for ADHD assessments, and instead took matters into their own hands. Pierre and Elin Alenteg went to Denmark to have their son undergo an ADHD assessment. Children and young people with ADHD and autism do not receive equivalent care in Sweden, despite clear national guidelines, according to a new evaluation from the National Board of Health and Welfare.
It is the first time the National Board of Health and Welfare has evaluated how the national guidelines for care for ADHD and autism are followed. The report shows that there are large differences depending on where in the country you live. There has been a sharp increase in the number of people with ADHD over the last ten years, with large geographical variations in how many receive an ADHD diagnosis.
The use of medication for ADHD is both high and increasing. The incidence of ADHD diagnoses is not evenly distributed geographically but characterized by local differences, both in Norway and Europe. Nearly half of children and young people referred to BUP are assessed for ADHD, and the high number comes at the expense of other children who also need help from BUP.
There are many children who fall between the cracks; they do not have sufficient problems to get an ADHD diagnosis, but they also cannot manage school and are often bounced around in care. In the UK, children are incentivized to get diagnosed with ADHD and autism to unlock special adjustments at school and work, according to a government inquiry. There is a growing risk that normal difficulties arising from school or social pressures may be viewed through a medical lens.
Almost one in ten young adults now self-identify as autistic, and ADHD diagnoses have more than doubled since 2021 in the UK. There has been a marked increase in diagnoses among girls when they move to secondary school in the UK. Common childhood behaviors such as restlessness, distractibility and social withdrawal are being medicalized.
Social media platforms such as TikTok convey a high proportion of factually inaccurate messages to children and young people, particularly around ADHD. Approximately one in five children and young people in England has a probable mental disorder, up from one in nine in 2017. 9% in 2025 in the UK.
There has been a substantial and sustained increase in autism-related claims for special educational needs and disabilities support at school in the UK. About half of the health centers in the country have not started any work to implement the national guidelines for ADHD and autism care, with the figure even lower for municipal operations. Children in municipalities that invest more in counseling and guidance services, after-school programs, and activity offerings have a lower incidence of ADHD.