51. The influence of COVID-19 on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder diagnosis and treatment rates across age, gender, and socioeconomic status: A 20-year national cohort study.
- Author
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Shkalim Zemer V, Manor I, Weizman A, Cohen HA, Hoshen M, Menkes Caspi N, Cohen S, Faraone SV, and Shahar N
- Subjects
- Humans, Child, Male, Female, Adolescent, Cohort Studies, Age Factors, Sex Factors, Prevalence, SARS-CoV-2, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity epidemiology, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity diagnosis, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity therapy, COVID-19 epidemiology, COVID-19 diagnosis, Social Class
- Abstract
Infection and lockdowns resulting from COVID-19 have been suggested to increase the prevalence and treatment rates of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). To accurately estimate the pandemic's effects, pre-pandemic data can be used to estimate diagnosis and treatment rates during the COVID-19 years as if the COVID-19 pandemic did not occur. However, accurate predictions require a broad dataset, both in terms of the number of cases and the pre-pandemic timeframe. In the current study, we modeled monthly ADHD diagnosis and treatment rates over the 18 years preceding the COVID-19 pandemic. The dataset included ∼3 million cases for individuals aged 6 to 18 from the Clalit Health Services' electronic database. Using a trained model, we projected monthly rates for post-lockdown and post-infection periods, enabling us to estimate the expected diagnosis and treatment rates without the COVID-19 pandemic. We then compared these predictions to observed data, stratified by age groups, gender, and socioeconomic status. Our findings suggest no influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on ADHD diagnosis or treatment rates. We show that a narrower timeframe for pre-COVID-19 data points can lead to incorrect conclusions that COVID-19 affected ADHD diagnosis rates. Findings are discussed, given the assumed impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ADHD., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts or competing interests relevant to this article., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)
- Published
- 2024
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