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HEALTH

Sweden orders review after ‘explosion’ of ADHD cases

Sweden is seeing "an explosion" of ADHD cases among children that has put it far above the global average, the government said Friday as it ordered a review to find out why.

Kids
Around five to seven percent of children worldwide have an ADHD diagnosis. Photo by Ben Wicks on Unsplash

Around 10.5 percent of boys and six percent of girls in Sweden in 2022 had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Social Affairs Minister Jakob Forssmed told reporters, citing statistics from the Board of Health and Welfare.

The figures were expected to rise to 15 and 11 percent respectively before levelling off, he said, citing a forecast from the Swedish Medical Products Agency.

Around five to seven percent of children worldwide have an ADHD diagnosis, the government said.

“Sweden stands out in this context. The number of ADHD diagnoses has increased sharply over time… and shows no sign of abating,” Forssmed said.

In addition, ADHD medications prescribed to boys aged 10 to 17 had increased by 800 percent over the past 15 years, from one percent of boys having a prescription in 2001 to eight percent in 2022.

For girls the increase was tenfold, from 0.5 percent to around five percent.

Forssmed ordered the Medical Products Agency and other concerned authorities to conduct a review to find out what was behind the surge.

“More knowledge is needed,” he said.

Since Sweden’s previous treatment recommendation was issued in 2016, “new medications have been developed, as well as new research and expanded indicators”, he said.

Forssmed said some of the explanations that have been floated include “increased awareness among healthcare professionals, schools and the public (and) broader diagnosis criteria”.

“There also seems to be a belief that a diagnosis has been a formal or informal prerequisite to be able to get extra help in school.”

He said the review was part of the government’s plan to promote mental health and prevent suicide among children and youths.

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HEALTH

Sweden to roll out English-language blood donation in more regions

English speakers who don’t speak Swedish can currently only donate blood in Stockholm, but The Local has been told of plans to roll out the service to Gothenburg and Uppsala in the year ahead.

Sweden to roll out English-language blood donation in more regions

“The decision has been made and a process to introduce it is under way,” GeBlod press spokesperson Ulrika Ljung told The Local when we contacted the blood donor organisation on Friday.

We were not told of concrete plans to introduce English-language blood donation in any other regions at this stage.

The reason it’s only possible to donate blood in Swedish in most regions is because the donor must fully understand the health declaration they must sign, which ensures the blood is safe.

Five years ago, Stockholm became the first region in Sweden to translate the relevant material and train staff in medical English. But as healthcare is run at a regional level, it is up to individual regions to decide whether to make this possible in their regions.

FACT CHECK:

Sweden needs more blood to be able to cope with crisis situations, GeBlod warned in a statement on June 14th as part of the World Blood Donor Day campaign. Yet the number of people who signed up as blood donors in 2023 fell by 14 percent compared to the year before.

Although Sweden is self-sufficient in blood, it said the number of blood donors needs to double to strengthen preparedness for a potential attack or crisis.

Sixty percent of donated blood in 2023 was donated by people over the age of 45.

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