Introduction:
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition with significant prevalence among Australian children and adults. There has been a marked increase in prescriptions for ADHD medications in recent years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigates the relationship between online interest in ADHD, measured through Google Trends (GT) data, and prescriptions for ADHD medications, considering possible influences of lockdowns and other contextual variables.
Methods:
Monthly prescription data for ADHD medications, obtained from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS) and Repatriation PBS (RPBS), were analyzed from January 2004 to December 2023. The analysis included Google searches related to ADHD, using terms such as “ADHD treatment” and “ADHD medication”. An autoregressive model with moving average and conditional heteroskedasticity (ARMAX-GARCH) was used to assess the impact of searches on increased prescriptions. Additional data, such as lockdown severity indices and ADHD-related news stories, were included as explanatory factors.
Results:
During the study period, prescriptions for ADHD medications in Australia totaled 18,695,308, with an accelerated increase from 2020 onwards. Online interest, as reflected in the GT data, showed significant growth, particularly during and after the pandemic. Statistical analyses demonstrated a positive association between increased online interest and ADHD medication prescriptions, with an average impact of 0.185% on monthly prescriptions for each percentage increase in online interest (95% CI: 0.087–0.283). Comparative data involving opioids and pain-related searches showed no significant association.
Discussion:
The results indicate that increased public interest and online searches for ADHD may be associated with a higher demand for diagnosis and treatment, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Social changes, such as the increased use of telemedicine and the expansion of diagnostic criteria, may also have contributed to the phenomenon. The study highlights the need for greater control over diagnosis and prescriptions, given the potential for overdiagnosis and risks associated with inappropriate use of stimulants.
Conclusion:
This study suggests that online public interest is a relevant predictor of increased ADHD medication prescriptions in Australia, especially in contexts of high media exposure, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research should explore the sociodemographic impacts and consequences of increased prescriptions in terms of equity in access and rational use of medication.
Reference :
WOON, Luke Sy-Cherng; SMITH, David; ALLISON, Stephen; LOOI, Jeffrey CL; BASTIAMPILLAI, Tarun. Online interest in ADHD predicts ADHD medication prescriptions in Australia from 2004 to 2023: A time-series analysis revealing COVID-19-related acceleration. Australasian Psychiatry, 2025. DOI: 10.1177/10398562251315006.
