04-07-2025
Only 10% of people with ADHD have been assessed or treated, says charity
As little as 10% of people with ADHD in Ireland are prescribed with medication, despite a surge in demand.
Ken Kilbride, the chief executive of ADHD Ireland, acknowledged an increase in prescribing but cautioned that it is from a very low base.
A total of 25,715 patients were prescribed medication for ADHD on the medical card, or other public health schemes last year, compared to 10,327 in 2020, information released under the Freedom of Information Act showed.
However, this needs to be compared with an estimated 5% prevalence rate for ADHD in Ireland, Mr Kilbride cautioned.
'There's probably about 250,000 people in Ireland that do have ADHD, so 25,000 taking medication is only 10%,' he said. 'We've gone from few thousand people up to 10% but there's still 90% that haven't been assessed or treated. Good start, more to do.'
Non-medical management is usually the first step, he explained, and then medication in parallel with this, if necessary.
There are private psychiatrists also supporting ADHD patients, but he said: 'There's only a handful to be honest.'
Dublin South East had the most patients receiving reimbursements for ADHD medicines under the drug payment scheme at 1,261.
'They would have opened up a clinic there in the last couple of years, and the clinic got overwhelmed in terms of the number of people coming through it,' he said. 'They're not taking new referrals, and that clinic might be part of the Local Health Offices in Dublin South East.'
In contrast, the data showed just 79 prescriptions on medical cards last year in West Cork, the lowest nationally. While there is a clinic in Cork City, he said: 'People living in West Cork are that little bit further out, so they're likely not getting into see them.'
He added the figure of 79 is 'absolutely not' reflective of the likely true number there.
Camhs
He also raised concerns about waiting times for Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs) in Cork and Kerry, also released under the Freedom of Information Act. It is accepted many of these children are waiting for ADHD assessment.
'At the top of the list children waiting 15 to 18 months make up about 70% to 80%, so people aren't getting seen quickly,' he warned.
'Why are people waiting this long? It is an indication of the lack of staffing in the service. The HSE will say we have moved this up the priority list.'
He added: 'They have reduced the waiting lists but there's still more people on it now than two years ago because there's more people coming into the system.'
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