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HEALTH

The number of adults on ADHD medication in Denmark has almost doubled in six years

The number of people over the age of 18 in Denmark receiving medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has almost doubled from 2015 to 2021.

Prescription pills
(Photo by Christina Victoria Craft / Unsplash)

In 2015, 26,000 people over the age of 18 received medication for ADHD, while in 2021, the figure increased to 51,000, the newspaper Politiken reports, based on figures it obtained from the Danish Health Data Authority.

Per Hove Thomsen, a professor of psychiatry at Aarhus University, says that all the adults who get diagnosed are born with ADHD and have thus lived with ADHD their whole lives without knowing it.

“But today, there is an increased focus on the fact that ADHD is not something you grow out of, and therefore more adults are becoming aware that it (note: ADHD) may be what makes it difficult for them to cope with everyday life,” he says.

Symptoms

ADHD symptoms for adults are, among others, difficulties in planning and completing tasks and large emotional fluctuations.

Especially in the past two years, the number of adults under medication has increased, and the increase is particularly large among 25 to 64-year-olds.

Two years ago, 19,000 people aged 25-44 were on ADHD medicine. The figure has now increased to over 26,000 people, which is an increase of approximately 40 percent. The increase is found among both men and women.

Despite the large increase in registered cases, there is still a notable number of unregistered cases. It is estimated that approximately 2.8 percent of the world’s adult population meets the requirements for a diagnosis of ADHD.

If that is the case, around 135,000 adults in Denmark meet the criteria for the diagnosis. Attention deficit disorders put you at great risk of developing other mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression.

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HEALTH

Denmark announces ban on unauthorised asbestos removal

The Danish Employment Ministry says that demolition of structures which contain asbestos should only be carried out by licensed companies.

Denmark announces ban on unauthorised asbestos removal

In a statement, the ministry said it was proposing that demolition and removal of all structures which contain asbestos will require authorisation of the company carrying out the work.

This would mean, for example, the private homeowners would not be permitted to remove their own roofing if it contains asbestos.

The intention of the proposal is to prevent inhalation of asbestos dust which can endanger health, the ministry said.

“Even though asbestos has been illegal in Denmark for over 35 years, there are still challenges in the construction and extension sectors. Unfortunately, that can have fatal consequences for individual workers,” Employment Minister Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen said in the statement.

“That’s why I’m pleased that we’re now taking a step in the right direction towards and authorisation scheme for asbestos work,” she said.

“There must be a tangible consequence for companies that don’t follow the rules and let employees work with dangerous asbestos dust without a legally required permit,” she said.

The proposed authorisation scheme would require a company to have a quality control system and an approved trained staff member to be authorised for the work.

Any company that carries out asbestos work without the authorisation would be fined an initial 30,000 kroner, with the amount rising depending on how serious the offence.

The proposal comes from an already-agreed deal on working environments from March 2023, which all parties in parliament agreed to back. The agreement set down a pledge to introduce rules on asbestos removal.

Given it has the full backing of parliament, the proposal’s adoption is a formality and it is expected to take effect on July 1st. Businesses are expected to be given a six-month period to apply for authorisation.

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